MADDA WALABU UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

INDUSTRIAL CONTROL STREAM

Hosting Company:Ethio-Engineering Group Power Equipment

Manufacturing Industry(EEGPEMI)

Names of intern ID
1.Burtukan Tadele UGR/7306/11

Company supervisor:Melkamu Tsagaye

Acadamic Supervisor:Mr.Dinku Worku

Jan 2023 G.C

Bale Robe,Ethiopa
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank my almighty God, who gave me a will to do all things and
existence. I feel great pleasure to acknowledge all those involved in the process of my education
and project. In the first place I would like to record my deep and sincere gratitude to my
academic advisor Mr.Dinku Worku and my company supervisor Mr.Melkamu Tsegaye for
their supervision, advice, guidance, and crucial contribution, which was backbone of this project.
Their understanding, encouraging and personal guidance have provided good basis for the
present project. Their involvement with their originality have triggered and nourished my
intellectual maturity that I will benefit from, for a long time to come. I wish to express my
gratitude towards my all friends, who helped me throughout on my work. I extend my
acknowledgement, gratitude and indebtedness to all other members and staff of Ethio-
engineering group who bestowed their great effort and guidance at appropriate times without
which it would have been very difficult on my project.

ABSTRACT
In recent years, with the increasing use of power electronics, the quality of electricity supply,
together with energy efficiency, has become a key issue, and company energy responsible are

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more and more aware of the benefits of paying attention to that. Since most loads in modern
electrical distribution systems are inductive, there is an ongoing interest in improving power
factor. A common problem that occurs when power factor correction capacitors are installed on a
system is harmonic resonance. When this occurs, the power system at a facility is tuned to a
specific frequency due to a combination of the system inductance and the added PFC
capacitance. The main objective of this project is the real -time study of improving the PFC
capacitor bank with reducing the effect of the resonance and harmonics. PFC capacitor is one of
the main products of the power factor corrector and compact substation company which is
branch of my internship hosting company (EEGPEMI). The main problem I observe in this
company is those customers buying and installing PFC for their industry can commonly face
harmonic problem. In industrial plant containing PFC, harmonic currents and voltages can be
magnified considerably due to the interaction of the PFC capacitors with the power system
networks. When they install PFC in the presence of nonlinear loads the amount of harmonic
distortion must be reduced to solve power quality problems or avoid penalties. The most reliable,
lowest cost solution is often realized with the use of harmonic filters, and therefore it is
important to improve this capacitor bank by adding harmonic filter. The most effective solution
to this problem consists of series tuning the capacitor bank to the lowest offending harmonic.
This reduction can be done using passive filters (detuned), consist of reactors and capacitors
connected in series to reduce the current harmonics or voltage harmonics. The study includes
modeling of the system using MATLAB/ Simulink.

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Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................................................................................................i
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................................ii
LIST OF FIGURES...........................................................................................................................................v
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................1
1.1 Back ground......................................................................................................................................1
1.2 Statement of the problem……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…2
1.3.Objectives of the project.......................................................................................................................2
1.4 Significance of the project.................................................................................................................2
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND RELATED STUDY.......................................................................4
2.1 Power Factor and Harmonics.............................................................................................................5
2.1.1 Power factor correction..............................................................................................................5
2.1.2 Fundamentals of power factor...................................................................................................6
2.1.3 Advantages and disadvantages of installing power factor correction........................................8
2.2 Harmonics..........................................................................................................................................9
2.2.1 Causes of harmonics.................................................................................................................10
2.2.2 Effect of harmonic....................................................................................................................11
2.2.3 Harmonic Resonance................................................................................................................14
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH...................................................................17
3.1 Different Harmonic mitigation techniques......................................................................................17
3.2 Passive power filter principle (detuning).........................................................................................19
CHAPTER FOUR: MODELING AND MATHEMATICAL....................................................................22
ANALYSIS...............................................................................................................................................22
4.1 Calculation of the total needed KVAR to achieve desired power factor..........................................22
4.2 PFC Bank Designing for Power Factor Improvement and harmonic mitigation...............................22
4.2.1 Sizing the capacitance and inductance value of the PFC bank..................................................26
4.2.2 Arrangement and inclosing of the PFC banks...........................................................................31
4.3 Factors to be considered while installing PFC capacitor..................................................................32
CHAPTER FIVE: RESULT AND DISCUSSION....................................................................................34
5.1 Simulation Result.............................................................................................................................34

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CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION..............................................................36
6.1. CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................36
6.2.RECOMMENDATION........................................................................................................................37
References.................................................................................................................................................38

iv
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: KW power (a), kVA power (b), kVAR power (c), and Power triangle (d) [5]..................................6
Figure 2: Effect of power factor correction [3]............................................................................................7
Figure 3: Fundamental and Harmonic waves [2].........................................................................................9
Figure 4: Harmonic current circulation Ih in an electrical system [2]........................................................10
Figure 5: Wave form of linear and non-linear load [4]..............................................................................11
Figure 6: Magnification of harmonic with Power factor capacitor size [4]................................................15
Figure 7: Line reactors [2]..........................................................................................................................18
Figure 8: Broad band filters [2]..................................................................................................................18
Figure 9: Active harmonic filter (AHF) [2]..................................................................................................19
Figure 10: Passive series filter L-C resonant [4].........................................................................................20
Figure 11: Frequency dependence of capacitive and inductive reactance [4]...........................................21
Figure 12: PFC capacitor bank...................................................................................................................22
Figure 13: Three phase delta connected capacitor....................................................................................25
Figure 14:25kvar PFC capacitor bank.........................................................................................................27
Figure 15: Three phase detuned PFC capacitor bank.................................................................................28
Figure 16: Arrangement of PFC banks.......................................................................................................31
Figure 17: MATLAB /Simulink model of the overall system.......................................................................32
Figure 18: Power factor, THDi and THDv for Initial uncompensated system.............................................39
Figure 19: THDi and THDv when inductor is connected in series with the PFC capacitor..........................40
Figure 20: THDi and THDv when inductor is connected in series with the PFC capacitor..........................41

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Back ground
Electrical energy can be considered as product. This product should be received by the consumer
as a good quality product. Good quality electrical power is high efficiency continuous service
with low losses, high power factor, and symmetrical power transfer on the three phases and free
from ripples. In the past several decades, there has been a rapid growth in the power grid all over
the world which eventually led to the installation of a huge number of new substations,
transmission and distribution lines. This growth has led to increasing in the nonlinear loads
which cause voltage and current harmonics in the electrical network which have a significant
effect on the electrical equipment [1]. Harmonics can be considered as one of the power quality
problems in the electrical power system networks which have bad influence upon the
performance of the network equipment. It can be defined as the periodic sinusoidal
frequency components which is manifold of the system fundamental frequency [1]. Harmonics
can be found in the electrical network as a fractional multiple of fundamental frequency.
Harmonics in electrical networks occur as a result of non-linear loads and the resulting effect
is more significant at power factor improvement using capacitors in terms of increasing
the unbalance current between units in addition to the occurrence of resonance and result
in the exit of capacitors from service using the protective relays (over current relays) to
protect the units from damage. Also, the distortion which produced in the voltage and current
waveforms by harmonics causes increasing of the losses in power and reduces the lifetime
of the electrical equipment. Harmonic distortion is the main representation of power quality
,which represents the deviation between the ideal sinusoidal waveform the network voltage or
the load current should have, and what really it is .Harmonics in electrical networks occur as a
result of non-linear loads. It has an effect on power factor improvement using capacitors in
terms of increasing the unbalance current between units. In addition the occurrence of
resonance and result in the exit of capacitors from service by the protective relays to protect the
units from collapse [1].Technological development in the industrial and household field has led
to the spread of electronic equipment which, due to their operating principle, absorb a non-
sinusoidal current. Such current causes on the supply side of the network a voltage drop of non-
sinusoidal type with the consequence that also the linear loads are supplied by a distorted voltage
[2].The main problem of power quality is the harmonic distortion, which represents the deviation
between the ideal sinusoidal waveform the network voltage or the load current should have, and
what really it is. The IEEE paper on Costs and Benefits of Harmonic Current Reduction has a
thorough explanation of the impact of harmonics. The result is that the building/facility owner
must either waste capacity in the electrical distribution system or install harmonic mitigation
measures at his expense.

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1.2 Statement of the problem
Due to electronic revolution which covers most of human live needs, the fastest growing of
current technology in industry led to increase in the nonlinear inductive loads. Such load cannot
only lower the power factor but also they are source of voltage and current harmonics; there is an
ongoing interest in improving power factor. Among the various methods of improving the power
factor for factory one of the commonly used methods involves adding PFC capacitors before the
load. PFC is one of the main products of the power factor corrector and compact substation
company which is branch of our internship hosting company (EEGPEMI). A common problem
that observed in this company is the installing PFC capacitors for different industry led to
harmonic resonance problem. When this occurs, the power system at a facility is tuned to
a specific frequency due to a combination of the system inductance and the added capacitance. In
an industrial plant containing PFC capacitors in presence of harmonics, the harmonic currents
and voltages can be magnified considerably due to the interaction of the PFC capacitors with the
power system networks which have a significant effect on the electrical equipment. This
aggravates the existing harmonic current and voltages.

1.3. Objectives of the project

The general objective of this project is to design and analysis of power factor corrector (PFC) by
mitigating harmonics.
The specific objectives of this project are:

 Studying fundamentals of power factor, power factor correction and different

methods of power factor correction
Studying harmonics and its causes and effect.
Analyzing the problem of installing PFC under harmonic condition (resonance)
The real time study of improving the power factor with reducing the effect of
the resonance and harmonics on the power system
 Modeling the system using MATLAB/Simulink for different unbalance
currents and harmonics. Also, it presents the design of the series reactor and the
harmonics filter which satisfy the minimum effect of resonance and harmonics.

1.4 Significance of the project

The increase in nonlinear loads has led to harmonic distortion in electrical distribution systems.
Although the PFC capacitors do not cause harmonics, they can aggravate the existing conditions.

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Harmonics can be considered as one of the power quality problems in the electrical power
system networks which have bad influence upon the performance of the network equipment and
the resulting effect is more significant at power factor improvement using capacitors in term of
increasing the unbalance current between units in addition to the occurrence of resonance and
result in the exit of capacitors from service by the protective relays to protect the units from
collapse Also, the distortion which produced in the voltage and current waveforms by harmonics
causes increasing of the losses in power and reduces the lifetime of the electrical equipment.
Therefore when install in the presence of nonlinear loads the amount of harmonic distortion must
be reduced to solve power quality problems. This reduction can be done using passive filters,
consist of reactors and capacitors connected in series to reduce the current harmonics or voltage
harmonics.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND RELATED STUDY

Different researcher design and propose different methods of reactive power compensator and
harmonic filtering techniques.
In a classic paper by Steeper and Stratford titled; "Reactive Compensation and Harmonic
Suppression for Industrial Power Systems Using Thyristor Converters", published in 1976, in the
IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications [IA-12 (3): 232-254], they discuss the problems and
solutions of applying reactive compensation, either static or dynamic, to industrial power
systems supplying large blocks of dc power from diode or thyristor converters. The resonance
between power capacitors and system reactance can produce high harmonic voltages
caused by the harmonic currents generated by converters. The interaction between these
harmonic voltages and regulating systems can be minimized by the use of suitable filters.
The design of these filters should eliminate the interaction between power system and
load and reduce harmonic current flow [6].
A static VAR compensator (SVC), using an active filter, was developed by Takeda and his team
for compensation of reactive power, harmonic current and voltage fluctuations. The system
configuration is described in their paper titled “Harmonic current and reactive power
compensation with an active filter”, presented at the IEEE Power Electronics Specialists
Conference in 1988 [PESC ’88 Records].
A novel active harmonic-neutralizing filter was proposed by Quinn and Mohan in their paper
titled; “Active filtering of harmonic currents in three-phase, four-wire systems with three phase
and single-phase nonlinear loads. It eliminates current harmonic effects, caused by any
configuration of nonlinear loads in three-phase, four-wire systems. The authors present proposed
filter topologies and simulation results verifying the concept. The proposed topology is shown to
have distinct advantages over traditional approaches to the problem.
Having this, Before proposing the methodology for power factor compensation and harmonic
filtering that selected in this project let describe some important point regarding to power factor
correction and harmonics.

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2.1 Power Factor and Harmonics

Power factor correction

Fundamentals of power factor
Power factor correction (PFC) methods
Advantages and disadvantage of installing PFC
Harmonics
Causes of harmonics
Effects of harmonics
Power factor correction in the presence of harmonics
Harmonic Resonance
2.1.1 Power factor correction
What is power factor?
From electrical theory the concept of power factor used to be fairly simple to understand.
However with the introduction of harmonics generated by today’s non-linear loads, power
factor analysis has become increasing complex which has contributed many power factor
misconceptions. Power factor is a measure of how effectively a specific load consumes
electricity to produce work. The higher the power factor, the more work produced for a
given voltage and current. In electrical plants the loads draw from the network electric power
(active) as power supply source (e.g. personal computers, printers, diagnostic equipment, etc.) or
convert it into another form of energy (e.g. electrical lamps or stoves) or into mechanical output
(e.g. electrical motors). To get this, it is often necessary that the load exchanges with the network
(with net null consumption) the reactive energy, mainly of inductive type. This energy, even if
not immediately converted into other forms, contributes to increase the total power flowing
through in the electrical network, from the generators, all along the conductors, to the users [5].
About 60% of electrical load today is comprised of motors. Motors, along with transformers and
lighting ballasts, use electromagnetic fields to operate. Electromagnetic fields cause inductive
reactance. This inductive reactance has two effects. First, it causes the current to lag the voltage;
this can be measured as an angular displacement between 0 and 90 degrees, and second, it affects
the impedance.
Inductive loads need a magnetic field to operate .Inductive loads require two kinds of current:

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 Working power (kW) to perform the actual work of creating heat, light, motion,
machine output and soon.
Reactive power (kVAR) to sustain the magnetic field.
Therefore, in an electrical installation, it is necessary to generate and transmit, in addition to the
active power P, a certain reactive power Q, which is essential for the conversion of the electrical
energy but is not available to the load because exchanged with the network. The complex of the
power generated and transmitted constitutes the apparent power S. Reactive power doesn’t
perform useful “work,” but circulates between the generator and the load. It places a heavier
drain on the power source, as well as on the power source’s distribution system [2].

2.1.2 Fundamentals of power factor

Power factor is the ratio of working power to apparent power. It measures how effectively
electrical power is being used .A high power factor signals efficient utilization of electrical
power, while a low power factor indicates poor utilization of electrical power. To determine
power factor (PF), divide working power (kW) by apparent power (kVA) .In a linear or
sinusoidal system, the result is also referred to as the cosineθ.
PF = KW/KVA=cosθ.

Figure 1: KW power (a), kVA power (b), kVAR power (c), and Power triangle (d) [5]

Note: A right power triangle is often used to illustrate the relationship between kW, kVAR and
kVA.

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As the triangle relationships in Figure 1(d) demonstrate, kVA decreases as power factor
increases. Low power factor, when apparent power (kVA) is greater than working power (kW),
the utility must supply the excess reactive current plus the working current. Low power factor
means you’re not fully utilizing the electrical power you’re paying for. To smooth such negative
effect, the power factor correction of the electrical plants is carried out. The power factor
correction obtained by using capacitor banks to generate locally the reactive energy necessary for
the transfer of electrical useful power, allows a better and more rational technical-economical
management of the plants [3].
In the case of sinusoidal waveforms, the reactive power necessary to pass from one power
factor cosϕ1 to a power factor cosϕ2 is given by the relation:
QC= Q1- Q2= P *(tanϕ1 - tanϕ2)

Figure 2: Effect of power factor correction [3]

Where:
P is the active power;
 Q1, ϕ1 are the reactive power and the phase displacement angle before power
factor correction;
 Q2, ϕ2 are the reactive power and the phase displacement angle after power
factor correction;

 QC is the reactive power for power factor correction

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2.1.3 Advantages and disadvantages of installing power factor correction
Installing power capacitors for the sake of power factor correction has many benefits:
Reduce electric utility bills: electric utility provides working (kW) and reactive power
(kVAR) to the plant in the form of apparent power (kVA) While reactive power (kVAR)
doesn’t register on kW demand or kW hour meters, the utility’s transmission and
distribution system must be large enough to provide the total power Utilities that have
various ways of passing the expense of larger generators, transformers, cables and
switches. so capacitors can save money no matter how the utility provider bills for power
by reducing the reactive power.
Increase system capacity: Power factor correction capacitors increase system current carrying
capacity raising the power factor on a kW load reduces kVA Therefore, by
adding capacitors, we can add additional kW load to your system.
Improve voltage conditions: Low voltage, resulting from excessive current draw, causes
motors to be sluggish and overheated As power factor decreases, total line current
increases, causing further voltage drop By adding capacitors to our system and improving
voltage, we get more efficient motor performance and longer motor life.

Reduce losses: Losses caused by poor power factor are due to reactive current flowing in
the system These are watt-related charges and can be eliminated through power factor
correction Power loss (watts) in a distribution system is calculated by squaring the
current and multiplying it by the circuit resistance (12R) To calculate loss reduction.

For what said above, the main advantages of power factor correction can be summarized as
follows:
• Better utilization of electrical machines;
• Better utilization of electrical lines;
• Reduction of losses;
• Reduction of voltage drops

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Power factor correction devices improve overall electrical efficiency upstream of their point of
connection in the electrical network and can be used to minimize utility kVA demand charges.
Power electronic devices that have rapid and frequent load variations have become abundant
today due to their many process control related and energy saving benefits. However, they also
bring a few major power quality drawbacks to electrical distribution systems such as

 switching transients
 voltages well
 Harmonics
 Rapid change of reactive power requirements.

2.2 Harmonics
A harmonic is a component of a periodic wave having a frequency that is an integral multiple of
the fundamental power line frequency of 50/60 Hz .For example, 150 Hz (3 x 50 Hz) and 250 Hz
(5 x 50 Hz) is a 3rd order harmonic and a 5th order harmonic of the fundamental frequency
respectively. Certain types of loads distort the 50Hz wave by injecting additional signals of
various magnitudes and frequencies. These additional signals are also sinusoidal in shape but
their frequencies are multiples of the original waves for example, 150, 250 and 350Hz.
These waves are called harmonics. The frequency of the power systems parameter voltage
and current waves are called the fundamental, which in our case is 50Hz. Harmonics are
expressed as integral multiples of fundamental frequency i.e., 2nd, 3rd , 4th 5th etc.
orders. An important feature of harmonics is that the magnitude of the harmonics normally
decreases with increasing frequency. Thus, only the first few orders usually need to be
considered in examining the effects of harmonics on power system components or equipment.

Figure 3: Fundamental and Harmonic waves [2]

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Circulation of harmonic current
Current harmonics tend to flow from non-linear loads (harmonic sources) through lower
impedance paths, normally the power sources. The impedance of the power supplies is normally
much lower than those of the parallel paths represented by the loads. However, the harmonic
currents will restart according to the impedance ratio. Higher order harmonics, on the other hand,
will prefer compound loads or capacitors because at high frequencies they have low impedance.

Figure 4: Harmonic current circulation Ih in an electrical system [2]

2.2.1 Causes of harmonics

The electric generators supply a sinusoidal voltage at 50/60Hz, but the current flowing in the
load is not always sinusoidal. The current is not sinusoidal when the load has variable impedance
during the T period (equal to 20ms at 50Hz); in other words, when the load voltage / current
characteristic are not linear. In these cases it is said, in short, that the load is not linear. A
distorted voltage causes harmonics even on linear loads.

10
 Figure 5: Wave form of linear and non-linear load [4]

 The following are just a few examples of electrical equipment that produces harmonics:
Motors, fans and pumps
 Personal computers, video monitors, printers and photocopiers and switched-mode power
supplies
Rectifiers, power converters and thyristor power controllers
 Chillers, compressors, freezers and microwave cookers
 Air-conditioning, heating and ventilating equipment
 Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) etc.

2.2.2 Effect of harmonic

Just as high blood pressure can create stress and serious problems in the human body, high levels
of harmonic distortion can create stress and resultant problems for the utility’s distribution
system and the plant’s distribution system, as well as all of the equipment that is serviced by that
distribution system.

Effects of harmonics on power system equipment can be classified as follows:

a) Effects Of Harmonics On PFC Capacitors
The load is generally considered to be inductive and its impedance increases with frequency.
Conversely the impedance of capacitors reduces with frequency and so harmonic currents which
are at higher frequencies are more likely to flow in capacitors that are connected in circuit. The
increased currents cause higher voltages across the dielectric of the capacitor which can lead to
stress and premature failure.

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b) Effects of Harmonics on Instruments
Measuring instruments and controlling equipment are subjected to damping changes due to
harmonic presence in the power system. Damping changes lead to inaccurate operation
performance of the measuring and controlling equipment.
 Unwanted Circuit Breakers tripping or Fuses blowing (Nuisance tripping)
Waveforms distorted by harmonics can cause fuses, circuit breakers and other over-current
protection devices to trip to protect from overheating, despite the fact that they are correctly
calculated for the rated load but assuming a pure sine-wave supply. Therefore, oversized
protection devices have to be fitted, which are more expensive but more importantly they may
not prevent damage to the equipment which is supposed to be protected or a possible fire hazard.
 Zero-crossing noise
There are a number of control and timing systems that rely on the zero-crossing point of the
mains sine-wave for timing, e.g. phase-angle controllers, automatic voltage regulators and three
phase rectifiers for DC motors. Some combinations of harmonics can cause several zero-crossing
points to occur and can disrupt the operation of electrical equipment that require timing related to
the fundamental frequency.
c) Effects of Harmonics on Resonance
Capacitors and transformers can create dangerous resonance conditions when capacitor banks are
installed at the service entrance .Under these conditions, harmonics produced by nonlinear
devices can be amplified many fold .Problematic amplification of harmonics becomes more
likely as more kVAR is added to a system that contains a significant amount of nonlinear load.
The resonant point occurs when the inductive reactance of the system is equal to the capacitive
reactance of the PFC at a specified frequency. There are two types of resonance frequency, series
and parallel resonance. Series resonance has low impedance while parallel resonance has high
impedance. Capacitor banks are connected in shunt to the power system and they are subjected to
series resonance when tuning them at a frequency close to common harmonic frequency.

d) Effects of Harmonics on Transformers

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The effect of harmonics on transformers is very important where it increases the losses and
reduces the transformer expected life time. Transformer load losses are greater than no load
losses. The effect of harmonic currents is more significance than harmonic voltage, where the
harmonic voltages affect the no load losses while the harmonic currents affects the load losses.
Harmonic currents increase the eddy current losses which cause extra heat exerting on the
transformer windings leading to degradation of winding insulation, so the expected life span of
the transformer is reduced.
e) Effects of Harmonics on Transmission Lines
Both of proximity and skin effect are frequency dependent, so harmonic presence in transmission
line increase proximity and skin effects. Harmonics reduce the transmitted power due to increase
in copper losses. Also harmonic voltage drop is produced. Harmonic voltage causes increase of
dielectric strength of cables due to increase of dielectric losses.
Skin Effect: Describes the magnetic property of confining alternating current towards the outer
area of a conductor, the higher the frequency of that AC current. This “effective” reduced area
(compared to real cross-sectional area of the conductor), will mean higher resistive losses
directly proportional to frequency. So, for higher order harmonics, the Skin Effect can cause
added losses or need for over sizing of conductors.
Conductor losses: Obviously, added current draw a part from the needed at the fundamental I 1,

Losses of electrical energy: Added efficiency losses to the system composed by electrical
installation and equipment. With any inductive load the reactive component has the effect of
impeding current flow and so the net effect is that the current waveform lags the voltage
waveform. Consequently because P = V x I sometimes one of these values is negative, which
means that the power is being returned back to the mains. Hence more power is required in
addition to useful power. The returned power generates losses in the circuits and components and
so part of the power is wasted. There is a power factor relating to each harmonic.

Increase in the apparent power and over-sizing of sources: The apparent power increases as
explained in above and so does the supplied current. For this reason when harmonics are present
conductors and components have to be rated for much higher currents than they need to be, with

13
a corresponding increase in the cost of installation. Failure to up-rate cables could cause current
overload and subsequent heating or even fire in extreme cases.

The harmonics mitigation can report quantifiable benefits for industry critical processes, IT
systems, datacenters, etc. in terms of overall installation cost, energy bill reduction, and
protection against process interruptions and equipment faults.

2.2.3 Harmonic Resonance

What is Relationship between power factor correction capacitors and harmonics?
A common problem that occurs when power factor correction capacitors are installed on a
system is harmonic resonance. A discussion of power factor correction system is incomplete
without discussing the effects of harmonic on power factor correction capacitors. In an industrial
plant containing power factor correction capacitors, harmonic currents and voltages can be
magnified considerably due to the interaction of the capacitors with the power system networks.
This is referred to as harmonic resonance or parallel resonance .The increase in non linear loads
has led to harmonic distortion in electrical distribution systems. Although capacitors do not
cause harmonics they can aggravate the existing conditions.
When applying power factor correction capacitors in the presence of harmonics, a couple of
issues come to surface.
 First capacitors are a natural low impedance path for harmonic currents and will
therefore absorb these energies. This increase in capacitor current results in higher
element temperature which reduces the life of the capacitor. Also because capacitors
reduce the network impedance. capacitors can actually increase the level of harmonic
current on the network. Furthermore harmonic voltages present on the network create
voltage stresses on the capacitor.
 The second and potentially more serious concern is network resonance. When capacitors
are added to the network they setup a parallel resonance circuit between the capacitors
and the network inductance. Harmonic current components that are close to the parallel
resonance point are magnified. The magnified current can cause serious problems such as
excessive voltage distortion, nuisance fuse and breaker operation, overvoltage tripping of
drives and insulation breakdown within motors, transformers and conductors.

Both risks increase with the size of the capacitor bank. The larger the size of the cap bank, the
higher the risks

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 Figure 6: Magnification of harmonic with Power factor capacitor size [4]

The resonance conditions are to be considered the most important factors that influence the level
of harmonics in the systems. Considering the circulation of current harmonics, the parallel
resonance condition is equivalent to high impedance while the series resonance is equivalent to
low impedance. When these currents see high impedance due to parallel resonance conditions
there are significant voltage distortions while in the case of series resonance, current
amplifications are shown. Therefore it is very important to be able to evaluate, in a more or less
detailed way, the frequency response of the system to avoid resonance problems in the systems.
Resonance occurs at a precise frequency, which is called resonance frequency.

The resonance frequency fr can be obtained from the following formula:

___________________________________(1)

Where:
f1 is the fundamental frequency;

XC is the capacitive reactance of the PFC capacitor at the fundamental frequency;

XL is the inductive reactance at the fundamental frequency

The resonance frequency is that defined frequency value for which the inductive and capacitive
reactance coincide. In the presence of power factor correction capacitors, the impedance in
question is that of the parallel between the line inductance and the capacitance of the capacitors
themselves. The frequency therefore depends on the characteristics of the line and on the

15
power factor correction capacitors. The values are obviously greater than 50Hz, but in any
case they often fall within the field in which the most significant harmonic frequencies of the
converters fall.

If there is series resonance, the total impedance is theoretically neutralized.

= ( − )=0
Analogously, in the presence of parallel resonance, the total impedance tends to zero:

If a series resonant circuit is supplied by an alternating voltage with a frequency value close to
the resonance frequency, an amplification of the drawn current may occurs causing disturbances,
over currents and also damaging of the network components. On the contrary, if a parallel
resonant circuit is supplied by harmonics of nonlinear load current, an overvoltage may occur in
correspondence with the resonance harmonic.

16
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH

There are different technologies for reactive power compensation these includes
Synchronous alternators;
Static VAR Compensator (SVC);
Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC)/Series + Shunt
Banks of static capacitors.
Among the various methods of improving the power factor for factory one of the commonly
used
Methods involved adding PFC capacitors before the
load. Static capacitor is mostly used for PFC in industry
due to:
They have low losses
They require little maintenance as there are no rotating parts.
They can be easily installed as they are light and require no foundation.
They can work under ordinary atmospheric conditions.
For three phase system the capacitor can be easily connected in delta or star connection
accordingly
They have long service life

3.1 Different Harmonic mitigation techniques

There are various harmonic mitigation methods that we can use to address harmonics in the
distribution system. They are valid solutions depending on circumstances. Third and fifth
harmonic order frequencies considered as the predominant frequencies in most of power
systems, however in this project of our case study the 3rd order harmonic frequency is the
predominant frequencies in case of not using any harmonic mitigation technique. To alleviate the
harmonic effects upon power systems or cancel them totally, harmonic mitigation technique such
as filters should be proposed and implemented. In recent years the active, passive, or hybrid filter
topologies are widely used, but from the practical point of view passive filters still the most used
harmonic filter devices due to their availability of components and lower price compared to other
topologies.

17
The followings are common known harmonic mitigation techniques
 Line reactors(LR)
This is the simplest form to reduce harmonic current caused by non-linear load, typically
converter-based devices. Inductors installed ahead of the load, can reduce the harmonic current
content up to 50%.

Figure 7: Line reactors [2]

 Broad band filters

A well-designed broadband filter can meet TDD target in the 10% range. However, broadband
filters have their own limitation and are not suitable for certain harmonic load applications. Both
inductors (L) could have impedance > 8%, which means you, could see a 16% voltage drop
across the filter. Its physical dimension is normally very large, and it generates quite high heat
losses.

Figure 8: Broadband filters [2]

Passive Harmonic Filters

A tuned harmonic filter is a type of passive harmonic filter. We call it passive as it consists of
passive elements such as an inductor and capacitor. Figure10 below is a typical tuned harmonic
filter circuit. Inductor (L) and capacitor (C) provides low impedance path for a single (tuned)
frequency. Passive filters are an easy, robust and cost-effective solution for “closed” (repetitive
working conditions) installations or systems.

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 Active harmonic filter (AHF)
The concept of an active filter is to produce harmonic components, which cancel the harmonic
components from the non-linear loads.
Active harmonic filters are power electronic equipment’s to cancel (or reduce) current harmonic
pollution of an installation. The working principle consists in measuring the current harmonics of
the load, and generate in real-time the same harmonics but in phase opposition, in such way that
the addition of both currents seen from the electrical installation contains nearly no harmonics,
but only the fundamental f1 (fig 9). This yields to THD lowering, at levels typically below 5%.

Figure 9: Active harmonic filter (AHF) [2]

So, compared to passive filters, they offer several advantages: can compensate several harmonics
at the same time, also correct very high order harmonics, increase the power factor of the
installation, and offer more flexibility (not dependent on the load or source impedance).
On the other hand, they are a more complex and expensive equipment.
For reasons given above, and taking into account the robust, easy and low cost of Passive Filters
in order to compensate strong presence of a given harmonic, the proposed harmonic filter is
Passive Filter.

3.2 Passive power filter principle (detuning)

Passive harmonic filters consist usually of resonant filters composed of Inductors and Capacitors
(and sometimes damping resistors) tuned to cancel or trap a certain harmonic frequency, usually
of low order (3rd, 5th , 7th , 11th ..). Harmonic Passive Filter is added (inductors Ls, capacitors CS)
to minimize the current distortion at PCC. Such effect is obtained by tuning the resonance
frequency of L-C below the 3rd harmonic. If other harmonic frequencies were needed to cancel in
a same installation, additional passive filters (L, C) would need to be added, tuned at those
different harmonics.
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De-tuning a system refers to techniques that are used to change the resonance point of a system
and move it away from significant harmonics. As mentioned earlier, when shunt power factor
correction capacitors are added to a system, the parallel combination of these capacitors and the
system source impedance can tune the system to resonate at a particular harmonic frequency.
This high impedance path is the source of harmonic voltages when harmonic load current flows
through the system. One technique used to de-tune a system is to add a reactor to the system.
Harmful resonance conditions are generally between the shunt capacitors and the source
impedance. The reactor is added between the source and the capacitor bank. An effective way to
do this is to add the reactor in series with the capacitor bank to move the system resonance point
without tuning the capacitor to create a filter. Passive filters, which are defined on a case by
case basis, according to a particular harmonic to be filtered, are cost-effective and easy to be
connected and put into function.
The most effective solution to this problem consists of series tuning the capacitor bank to the
lowest offending harmonic, usually the 3rd. This is done by introducing an inductor in series with
the capacitor as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10: Passive series filter L-C resonant [4]

Taking into consideration a branch of a passive series filter L-C resonant at an established
frequency and represented graphically, as shown below, the capacitive and inductive reactance as
a function of the frequency.

20
 Figure 11: Frequency dependence of capacitive and inductive reactance [4]

As shown in the graph of Figure11, it is possible to observe the resonance frequency,

Therefore, by using passive filters for harmonic filtering at resonance frequencies, power factor
correction at lower frequencies is obtained and this effect shall be taken into consideration for
the dimensioning of the inductor value. In other words, when dimensioning filters L-C it is
possible to choose simultaneously such inductance and capacitance values, so that the sum of the
reactive power generated at the fundamental harmonic by all the filters installed corresponds to
the reactive power required to make the power factor seen from the upstream network reach the
desired value

21
CHAPTER FOUR: MODELING AND MATHEMATICAL

ANALYSIS
The aim of this project is to update PFC capacitor bank that are manufactured in power factor
corrector and compact distribution substation company by adding passive harmonic filter.

4.1 Calculation of the total needed KVAR to achieve desired power factor.
The relation for calculating required KVAR for improving power factor from initial value to
desired value is:
Required KVAR = KW [tan( cos-1(Initial power factor)) - tan(cos-1(Final power
factor))]
Where:
(a) Initial power factor is the uncorrected/existing power factor.
(b) Final power factor is the desired power factor wanted to be achieve.
(c) KW (kilowatt) is the total load on the industry for which power factor has to be improved.
Required KVAR = KW [tan( cos-1(0.8)) - tan(cos-1(0.95))]
The KW value is obtained from the case study given above. Assume the total load on the
industry for which power factor has to be improved is 100kVA:
Therefore, KW=100*0.8=800KW
= 800 ∗ (0.4213)
=337.04 KVAR take as 350 KVAR
Once we know the total needed reactive power of the PFC capacitor, we can design the
capacitor bank and choose per phase capacitors for PFC correction. There is 350kvar to be
divided for each single bank. Taking this into account, at this point, one needs to consider the
number of capacitors that will be used.
4.2 PFC Bank Designing for Power Factor Improvement and harmonic
mitigation
Capacitors to be installed on 3-phase circuits should be installed in equal KVAR amounts per
phase and not in proportion to the total connected transformer capacity on each phase. Since
most of the industrial loads are three phases the PFC installation is done for three phase

22
 system. In general, capacitors should not be installed on single-phase extensions of the main
three-phase feeder. However, if it is absolutely necessary to install single-phase capacitor
banks on a 3-phase line, they should still be equally sized per phase and located close to each
other so as to appear to be a Y-connected bank of capacitors.
Which connection is better for Capacitor Bank Star or Delta?
Delta connected capacitor banks: are generally used for low to medium voltage. The delta
connected capacitor bank can be used for high voltage but sometimes it is not possible
because in delta connection the full phase voltage applied across each capacitor; whereas in
star connection root 3 times less than phase voltage is applied across the capacitor. So you
may understand if we use delta connected capacitor bank at high voltage, the voltage rating
of the capacitor should be high. So high voltage capacitor manufacturing is costly and
sometimes impossible.
Other Advantages of Delta Connection in a Capacitor Banks are:
1. The KVAR generated by the capacitor is proportional to the square of the applied voltage
that means if the voltage is more the KVAR also be more. So the delta connected
capacitor bank provides more KVAR compared to the star connected capacitor bank
because in star connected capacitor bank less voltage applied across the capacitor than
delta connection.
2 Delta connected Capacitor bank can circulate the harmonic current, so it can reduce the
harmonic effect in an electrical system.
1. Delta connected capacitor bank provides a balanced capacitance to each phase of the
electrical system and also maintains a balanced voltage.
2. If a capacitor cell in one phase is failed inside the capacitor bank, the voltage across each
phase remains the same, only KVAR is dropped.
Therefore for the correction of the power factor using capacitor in the three-phase system,
delta connected three phase capacitor bank is the beast chooses.

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 Figure 12: Three phase delta connected capacitor

4.2.1 Sizing the capacitance and inductance value of the PFC bank
How to determine the per phase capacitance of a three phase PFC capacitor?
Once we know the KVAR of the PFC bank the per phase capacitor value can be calculated using
the following formula:
For a 3 phase WYE connected capacitor bank:

For a 3 phase Delta connected capacitor bank:

Where C is capacitance in Farad, Q is reactive power in VAR and f is Frequency in Hz.

For example: A three WYE phase capacitor bank stage is rated @100 KVAR, 480 Volts 60 HZ

Since the capacitors will be working in series with reactors, that will cause the voltage at
capacitors’ terminals to rise. One needs to pay attention to its rated voltage and power.
During the designing of capacitor bank the following points taken care to ensure proper
performance and better utilization of capacitor bank in the power system:
(i) Consideration of over-voltage as per IEEE-519-1992 standard,
(ii) Consideration of overvoltage due to series reactor.

The rated voltage of the capacitors indicated in the nameplate must be exceeded even in cases of
malfunction. Bear in mind that capacitor in detuned equipment are exposed to a higher voltage
than that of the rated system voltage; this is caused by the connection of detuning reactor and
capacitor in series. Consequently, capacitors used with reactors must have a voltage rating higher

24
than that of the system voltage. Sometimes the due to deferent factor voltage across the capacitor
units exceeds the design values/rated value.
As per IEEE-519-1992, HV capacitors can take only rated voltage continuously. Also, capacitor
design shall accommodate 10% over voltage for a period of 12 hours in a day, According to data
sheet given by the manufacturers most of the capacitor cannot withstand the voltage of 1.1*Vn
longer than 12 hour per day.

In such circumstances, the capacitor units fail due to inadequate voltage rating. For this reason,
there is a need to apply the power capacitor with the rated voltage higher than the voltage of the
system. For example, the required kvar to improve power factor from 0.8 to 0.95 is 350 K VAR
400Vsystem, if voltage variation is assumed 10%, capacitors shall berated(400+400×0.1=440V).
This will ensure proper performance for capacitors.
Consider the PFC capacitor bank that was used in Compact distribution substation and power
factor Corrector Company:

Figure13:25kvar PFC capacitor bank

From the nameplate:

It is clear that from the nameplate the rated KVAR values of the capacitor bank can vary with the
rated capacitor voltage accordingly. As the voltage rise or drops, the reactive power of the bank
changes as well, according to the formula:

Where:

25
 –the new reactive power due to the changed voltage
–nominal reactive power at rated voltage of the capacitor
–voltage of the system
–rated voltage of the capacitor
As described previously the PFC capacitor bank design is for three phase delta connection:
For a 3 phase Delta connected capacitor bank the per phase capacitance value is given by:

Sizing the inductor value

The capacitance and inductance of the series connected capacitor and inductor create a resonance
circuit with the natural frequency fr. for the frequencies below the fr, including 50Hz, circuit has
capacitive behavior, which makes possible compensation of inductive reactive power(load). For
all the frequencies higher than natural frequency, acceptor circuit has inductive behavior. This
prevents from the resonance phenomena between the capacitor bank and supply network.
In detuned filter, parameter L and C must have such a value, that the natural frequency value of
the capacitor bank is smaller than the frequency of the lowest order with remarkable amplitude
harmonic present in the supplying electric network. The inductor shall be sized so that a
resonance frequency which is below the lowest frequency of the harmonic voltage in the network
is achieved.
Capacitor and reactor connected in series is referred to as an acceptor circuit.

26
 Figure14: Three phase detuned PFC capacitor bank

Assuming that in the series resonant circuit of figure10 the lowest harmonic with remarkable
amplitude is the 3rd one (it is different if other order harmonics are taken), from the previous
relation (equation (1)) it results:

Where:
XC is the capacitive reactance of the capacitor;
XL is the inductive reactance of the series connected inductor with the capacitor.
 is harmonic order
On the above expression is called Detuning factor (p) which indicates the capability of the
acceptor circuit to filtrate the harmonics. It is denoted as p and expressed in percent’s. It can be
defined as ratio of reactor’s reactance with respect to reactance of capacitor.
In compliance with the project assumptions, for p=11.1% and taking in to account of the
calculated per phase capacitor value it is possible to find the per phase inductance value:

27
The reactor connected in series with the capacitor bank will change the voltage across its
terminal. The reactor connected in series will step the voltage at the capacitor terminals up to Vc
where:

Since, as mentioned above, capacitor bank equipped with reactors, which affect voltage
repeating of the capacitor and the total reactive power of the bank. In order to find the total rated
power of the capacitor bank including reactors, all the calculations above has to be carried out.
All above calculations allow us to find out; what is the reactive power of the capacitor bank(Qcap)
when the voltage across its terminal has changed due to the series connected inductor.

28
Take as 20KVAR (standard values),this value is the KVAR values of the detuned PFC
capacitor bank after the addition of the series inductor in series with the capacitor as described
above. Having all the above, it is clear that the KVAR value of the PFC banks are decreased
from 25 to 20 due to the addition of the series inductor which cause un-ebling of the bank to
supply the required KVAR. Two option can solve this problem:

1. Increasing the capacitance value of the capacitor

Increasing the numbers of the PFC capacitor bank

How many PFC capacitor bank is needed to meet the required KVAR for
Products Factory?

Once we know the KVAR of a single PFC bank and total required reactive power, we can decide
how many banks can meet the KVAR demand of the load. There is 350kvar to be divided for
each single bank. Taking this into account, at this point, one needs to consider the number of
bank that will be used.

total required KVAR 350 KVAR

Number of capacitor bank= =
KVAR of single PFC bank 20 KVAR

=17.5, can note be fraction so Number of capacitor bank=18

29
4.2.2 Arrangement and inclosing of the PFC banks
Having all the above information, it is possible to find fitting cubicle for the elements of the PFC
capacitor bank and setting them as suitable arrangement. For this case the 18 PFC capacitor
banks can be arranged as 6x3

i.e. 6 bank in one enclosure and the 3 enclosure set in PFC panel.

Figure15: Arrangement of PFC banks

Dimensioning in this way the inductance, the interaction of the network inductance with the
impedance (inductive) of the connection inductor-capacitor cannot create any more resonance
conditions, at the frequencies of the voltage and current harmonics present in the network On the
line side of the capacitor filter bank, system power factor is corrected and harmonic
voltage distortion is reduced, Harmonic voltage (Vh) is the result of a harmonic current (I h)
flowing through the system impedance (Zh), i.e. Ohm’s Law (Vh= IhZh). By reducing the system
impedance (Zh) we can reduce the harmonic voltage (Vh).

This type of filter is very application specific. It can only mitigate a single frequency, and it
injects leading reactive current (kVAR) at all times. But it is economical if you only need to deal
with a dominant harmonic in the facility.

30
 Figure16: MATLAB /Simulink model of the overall system

4.3 Factors to be considered while installing PFC capacitor

Leading Power Factor

If the kVAr load on the system becomes less than the kVAr rating of the installed capacitors,a
leading power factor will occur.Leading system p.f.c.an in severe instances cause generators to
become unstable.A leading power factor will cause the same losses as a lagging power factor of
the same magnitude.If the power factor does go excessively leading a system ends up spending
money unnecessarily for capacitors (to reduce system losses)because it still incurs losses any
way. The solution is to either reduce the capacitors installed or switch them off when not needed.
Capacitor Location

Maximum benefits are obtained by locating the capacitors as near the inductive reactance kVAr
loads as possible and by matching the magnitude of the inductive reactance kVAr requirement.
Practical considerations of economics and availability of a limited number of standard kVAr
sizes necessitate that capacitors be clustered near load centers. For industrial loads, it is best to
correct the power factor at the load. It is important to remember that a capacitor bank draws
considerable current, so the existing source- side protective equipment needs to be checked for
adequacy. Correcting lagging kVAr requirements at the point of use prevents the utility’s
primary line, transformer and service lines —as well as the customer’s internal wiring —from
unnecessary losses.
For normal distribution system as the distance from the substation increases the number of
consumers per mainline mile of feeder increases. To obtain maximum benefits in voltage
improvement and reduction of loss on such a line, a permanently connected(fixed) capacitor bank
should be located at a distance from the substation which is ½ to ⅔ of the total length of the line.

31
This location method is used strictly as a “Rule of Thumb” because few rural circuits contain
such uniformly distributed loads.

32
CHAPTER FIVE: RESULT AND DISCUSSION

5.1Simulation Result

The simulation result can be discussed separately for three different cases. For each case their
respective MATLAB Simulink model and simulation result is attached at the end
page(Appendix1).
The result can be analyzed especially for three parameters:
power factor,
harmonic distortion interms of THDi (currentTotal harmonic distortionTHD) and
voltage THDv (voltage Total harmonic distortion)
Note:the numerical values for each parameter are also indicated in Appendix1.
Case1:without the addition Fpfc (seefigure18):
In this case due to the existence of inductive nonlinear load,which is the initial uncompensated
system the MATLAB simulation result shows:
power factor=0.8
THDi=0.61%
THDv=0.52%
Case2:with the addition of PFC but no harmonic filter (seefigure19):

As discussed before The MATLAB result also shows applying PFC capacity or in the presence
of harmonic can improve the power factor value from 0.8 to 0.945, but also due to the harmonic
resonance THDi and THDv are magnified considerably due to the interaction of the capacitors
with the power system networks. When the same system is energized with a capacitor bank
without series reactor the capacitor bank amplifies the harmonics and raise THDi and THDv
values from 0.61% and 0.52% to 2.96% and 2.68% respectively.
power factor=0.954
THDi=2.96%
THDv=2.68%

33
Case3: When inductor (harmonic filter) is added on PFC (see figure20):

Now looking at system configuration in figure20 the capacitor with series reactor, we can notice that the
harmonic distortion can be improved. Similarly the MATLAB result shows due to the addition of
series inductance with that of PFC capacitor the distortion can be decreased. The THDi and
THDv are decreased from 2.96% and 2.68% to 0.86% and 0.83% respectively.

 Power factor=0.945
 THDi=0.86%
 THDv=0.83%

34
CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

6.1. CONCLUSION
Proposed system considerably reduces the harmonics in the system by means of filter networks
introduced in to the system. The use of appropriate filters with the circuit at input results in
reduction of Total Harmonic Reduction in input current. Power Factor can also be improved
almost near to unity with the help of Shunt capacitors. Thus the proposed system is a more
efficient one and can reduce the load requirement of the user. As described before the addition of
inductor to the bank can change the capacitive nature of the bank. Due to addition of series
inductor, the KVAR of the PFC capacitor bank is decreased from 25 KVAR to 20 KVAR this
can increased the capacitance of the capacitor value and the number of the PFC bank needed to
achieve the required KVAR.
Adding inductors in series with a low-voltage power factor-correction capacitor bank is the most
effective device to improve power systems performance; it helps to increase reliability and the
quality of power delivery in a network. It will convert the bank into a harmonic filter, which can
decrease the transients on the consumer bus to acceptable levels. The bank will continue to
provide power factor correction while also acting to control harmonic distortion level with the
facility and mitigate transient concerns.
In conclusion, use of power factor correction capacitors is an economical solution to providing
improved power quality to AC electric power systems.

35
6.2.RECOMMENDATION

Even, PFC capacitor is the commonly used methods of improving the power factor for factory ,it
has also some drawbacks ,therefore due to considerable development of power electronics
technology currently it is strongly recommended to use the family of FACT device like
Industrial SVC, UPFC and etc.

Although Passive Filter is the robust easiest low cost and the commonly used to filter out
harmonic in industry installing PFC capacitor its design is only for specified frequency. Such
effect is obtained by tuning the resonance frequency of L-C below the specified harmonic
(Ex.3rd).If other harmonic frequencies were needed to cancel in a same installation additional
passive filters (L,C) would need to be added tuned at those different harmonics but rather than
the designing of additional passive filters it suggested to someone can design a single passive
filter that can functional for any order harmonics.

Finally From the utility’s view point, poor power factors in industry or commercial facilities
increase the cost of power supply to the consumers. It is recommended for utility to impose stiff
low power factor taxes on the responsible consumers. This will help protect the utility from
bearings all the cost of additional technical power loses

36
CHAPTER SEVEN

7. Mini project:Mv Switchgear and design using vacuum circuit breaker

7.1 Introduction

Switchgear is a generic term which includes all the switching devices associated with power
system protection. It also includes all the devices associated with control, metering, and
regulating of electrical power system. Assembly of such devices in a logical manner forms
switchgear. In other words system used for Switching , controlling and protecting the electrical
power circuits and different types of electrical equipment are known as switchgear

Switchgear protection plays a vital role in modern power system network , right from generation
through transmission to distribution end. The current interruption devices called circuit breaker.
The circuit breakers can be operated manually as when required and it can be also operated
automatically during over current and short circuit or any other faults in the system by sensing
the abnormality of the system parameters. These power system parameters can be current,
voltage, frequency, phase angle or… etc. The circuit breaker senses the faulty condition of
system through protection relays and these relays are again actuated by faulty signal normally
comes from current transformer or voltage transformer.

The switchgear protection has to perform the function of carrying, making, and breaking the
normal load current like a switch and it has to perform the function of clearing the fault in the
power system .components of switchgear includes:

 Circuit breakers
 Current transformers and voltage transformers
 Protection relays
 Measuring instruments
 Electrical switches and …etc.
Types of switchgears

There are three types of switchgears;

1. Low voltage switchgear (LV)

The power system which deals up to 1KV is called low voltage switchgear. It includes
switches, LV circuit breakers , HRC fuses, off load electrical isolator and ..etc.

37
 2. Medium voltage switchgear (MV)

The power system which deals up to 36KV is called medium voltage switchgear. These kinds are
available in different types like without metal enclosure outdoor type ,metal-enclosed indoor
and outdoor and …etc.

3. High voltage switchgear (HV)

The power system that deals above 36KV is called high voltage switchgear. As level of
voltage increases the arcing will be generated as switching operation is extremely high.

7.1.2 Statement of the problem

In our country the reliability and protection of power system is very low. A lots of faults
are occur in the distribution system due to lack of efficient and effective protective
devices. The existing protective equipment in our country are simply isolator ,fuses, air
circuit breakers based substation and indoor substations suited at one place which
disturb the rearrangement of customer space usage. Those protective devices listed
are mostly get out of service in short period of time due to repeated occurrences of
fault. So they need to be replaced frequently which is uneconomical to buy and replace
the burned equipments after very fault occurrence. sometimes the replacement require
more than six months due to the equipments come from abroad which highly reduce
the reliability and availability of power system.

The recently established company power equipment manufacturing factory started

ambitious job to improve power system reliability, quality and protection producing
compact distribution substation .CDSS effective to interrupt faults and suitable for city’s
since they are movable and require small space. But the company manufactures
medium voltage switchgear using fuses as current interruption medium. This fuses
cannot be used for repeated current interruption as our country power system
interrupted many times due to faults, switching and lighting.

To improve the problems, this project new type of medium voltage switchgear is
designed using vacuum circuit breaker which is used for repeated interruption and
economical for medium voltage level.

7.1.3 Objectives of the project

Main objectives
The general objectives of this project of this project is to design switchgear for
medium voltage using vacuum circuit breaker as fault current interruption and SF6 gas
as isolation medium.

38
 Specific objective

Specific objective of this project is:-

 To design power circuit of switchgear

 To design bus cross section and specification
 To calculate vacuum circuit breaker rating and specification
 To design control circuit of switchgear
 To know the operating mechanism of the switchgear with vacuum circuit breaker
 To specify all protective equipment’s of the switchgear.

Advantages of the project

This project will play a vital role in the country power system distribution, manufacturer
company’s and as whole for customers. The project develops switchgear having vacuum
circuit breaker which is very reliable and operates many times to clear faults with great
distinctions of arc extinction compared to other circuit breakers. Industry having
difficulty of power reliability problems will gain a sustained power supply using this
switchgear. In our country most power continuity problems comes from earlier way of
protection and protective device burn out. In order to solve this vast and largest
reliability problem this project will put its own effort if the manufacturer company’s use
as designed

7.2 Literature review

In power generating plants, switchgear provide a means to isolate and de-energize
specific electrical components and buses in order to clear downstream faults, perform
routine maintenance, and replace necessary electrical equipment.

Jason W. and Brown, made a research about how HEAF (high energy arc fault)
phenomena, in particular effects on switchgear equipment and other associated
switching components, would allow power generating industries to minimize and
possibly prevent future occurrence, thereby reducing costs associated with and down
time.
Shields and Dunki-Jacob, studied faults on high voltage systems and offered insights into
preventing these occurrences. Shields provided interesting accounts of severe damage
to electrical components resulting from high energy discharges, where then referred to
us “burn down” both authors suggested that standardized maintenance, improving
equipment designs by compartmentalization, and the remote closing and tripping relay
for protection of the line would reduce catastrophic failure of power system
equipment’s

39
From all the above reviewed literature, the effect of arc and faults in power results a
devastating result to the customer and distributor in order to reduce this effect this project
develops a switchgear using vacuum circuit breaker which is best arc quenching medium. The
process of arc quenching is done via vacuum arc interrupter. In vacuum interrupter the electric
arc starts at the moment of contact separation. The electric arc remains supported by the
external energy until the current is cancelled in the vicinity of natural zero. The vacuum
interrupter therefore recovers the insulating capacity and the capacity to withstand the
transient recovery voltage, since high dielectric strength can be reached in the vacuum, even
with the minimum distances, interruption of the circuits is also guaranteed when separation of
the contacts takes places a few milliseconds before passage of the current through natural zero.

7.3 Main Design calculation

7.3.1 Design power circuit of switchgear

Switchgear is used to protect the power system during fault occurrence .So, it needs designed
power line to put equipment’s in a suitable way. There also a lot of electrical equipment’s in
switchgear. In order to reduce the cost to the customers the rating of each parameter
calculated and designed in this project as shown as follow.

Figure 17:Designed power circuit of switchgear

40
7.3.2 Short circuit current calculation

It is important to determine the rating of protective devices. In order to calculate short

circuit current reactance rating of transformer plays a vital role during the occurrence of
fault. When a short circuit occurs at any point in a system the short circuit current limited
by the impedance of the system up to the point of fault. If fault occurs on the feeder the
short circuit current from the generating station will have a value limited by the impedance
of generator and transformer and the impedance of the line between the generator and the
point of fault. In many situation the impedance limiting the fault current are largely
reactive such as transformer, reactors and generators. Cables and lines are mostly resistive;
but the total reactance in calculation exceeds 3 times the resistance ,usually expressed in
percentage reactance to permit rapid short circuit calculation. It is the percentage of total
phase voltage dropped in the circuit when full load current is flowing.

s%X = (I*X)/V×100
Where, I=full-load current

V=phase voltage

X=reactance in omhs per phase.

If X is the only reactance element in the circuit, then short circuit current is given by;

7.3.3 Vacuum circuit breaker rating calculation

Rated voltage of circuit breaker is the rms value of the current which are the circuit breaker shall be able
to carry continuously at rated frequency with the rise in temperature of its different parts not exceeding
the specified value. To calculate rated continuous current of circuit breaker as per rule the circuit
breaker sizing for transformer, we need to consider inrush current of the transformer . Inrush current of
the transformer is equal to 6 times of the full load current.

Icb=6*I

Vacuum interrupter

Vacuum interrupter of the VCB if an optimized design, the ceramic insulator, is compact with high
insulation level and a high current breaking capability. When the VCB breaks a fault current or normal
load current a vapour arc arises between the moving and fixed contacts. The arc is extinguished at the
next natural zero of the alternating current while the ion electron and metal vapour polymerize together
to re-establish the insulating capability between the contacts. The result is the current flow is securely
interrupted.

41
 Figure 18:Vacuum circuit breaker

7.4 Result and discussion

Vacuum circuit breakers are more efficient, less bulky and ideally suited for most duties encountered in
typical electricity utility and industrial applications. It is widely used in power system for medium voltage
switching application along with SF6 gas as insulation between phases. This makes the switchgear more
compact and efficient. The service life of the vacuum circuit breaker is much greater than conventional
circuit breakers and almost no maintenance is required. These high vacuum condition needs high
dielectric strength to quench the arc quickly without any burn.

Advantages of vacuum circuit breakers

 does not need filling of any gas or oil

 rapid recovery for very high dielectric strength on the current interruption
 no emission of gases, hence pollution free
 very high power frequency and impulse withstands voltages with small contact spacing
 Suitable for repeated operating duty.

42
CHAPTER 8
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The last four months of internship in Ethio-Engineering Group power Equipment Manufacturing Industry
helped me in developing my range of knowledge on the field and also mainly what our country is
contributing to self growth through technological wise and the stage advancement of our country. I
observed that our country supplies the requirement in transformer CSS sufficiently where this results in
overall country development. Yet again I have seen a bit taste of working world since I am student I
gained experience on what I will be waiting after graduation and gave me some ideas and point on what
to focus on and what to do afterwards.

Reference
Abdullahi, N.N (2019).Automatic Circuit Breaker (ACB) for low voltage substation. Journal of engineering
science, vol.15(2), 31-52.

Benmouya, G. ( September 2011). Selecting CTs to optimize.SEL Journal of reliable power, volume 2,
Number3.

LLC,M.C. (November 21, 2007). Switchgear evaluation report. Alaska:marshcreek energy system.

Mr.S.Vijay. (December 10,2015). –PROTECTION AND SWITCHGEAR. VIJAYAMANGALAM:SASURIE

COLLEGE

Prajay Raikar, ,.D.(July 2020 ). Review of modern switchgear failure monitoring technologies.
International Journal of Innovative Research in science, Engineering and Technology (IJIRSET)

Volume 9, Issue 7

Shashwat Gawande, P.J.( July 26-27). Implementation of Kanban, a lean tool, in switchgear. Proceedings
of the international conference on industrial engineering and operations management (p.14). Paris,
France:IEOM Society International.

43
References (for report)

[1] W.M.Grady and R.J.Gilleskie,"Harmonics and how they relate to power factor, "in EPRI Proceeding
of the Power Quality Issues & Opportunities Conference,1993,pp.1-8.

[2] H.Hu,Z.He,and S.Gao,"Harmonic distortion degradation and filter optimization based on sensitivity
studies with considering resonance issue,”IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic
Engineering,vol.10,pp.512-520,2015.

[3]M. Cirrincione, M. Pucci, and G.Vitale, Power converters and AC electrical drives with linear neural
networks: CRC Press,2016.

[4] ABB Technical Application Paper. Power factor correction and harmonic filtering in electrical
plants.2008.

[5]Areva T&D.Harmonic Analysis report Harmonic measurement carried out on13.8kV Incomers at Old
Badr S/S of M/SSEC-Saudi Arabia.nokian capacitors.Report number:TV88500-
2x13.8kV/7MVAR.2011.

[6]Steeper and Stratford. Harmonic Analysis report Reactive Compensation and Harmonic Suppression
for Industrial Power Systems Using Thyristor Converters",published in 1976,in the IEEE Transactions on
Industry Applications [IA-12(3):232-254],

[7]Electrical Distribution-system protection:A textbook and Over voltage fundamentals, protective

equipment .

Reference (for mini project)

Abdullahi, N.N (2019).Automatic Circuit Breaker (ACB) for low voltage substation. Journal of
engineering science, vol.15(2), 31-52.

Benmouya, G. ( September 2011). Selecting CTs to optimize.SEL Journal of reliable power, volume 2,
Number3.

LLC,M.C. (November 21, 2007). Switchgear evaluation report. Alaska:marshcreek energy system.

Mr.S.Vijay. (December 10,2015). –PROTECTION AND SWITCHGEAR.

VIJAYAMANGALAM:SASURIE COLLEGE

Prajay Raikar, ,.D.(July 2020 ). Review of modern switchgear failure monitoring technologies.
International Journal of Innovative Research in science, Engineering and Technology (IJIRSET)

Volume 9, Issue 7

44
Appendices

Appendix1: MATLAB Simulink model and Simulation result for the three cases.

Figure 12: Power factor, THDi and THDv for Initial uncompensated system

45
Figure 13: THDi and THDv when inductor is connected in series with the PFC capacitor.

46
Figure 14: THDi and THDv when inductor is connected in series with the PFC capacitor

47