HARMONIC FILTERS

INTRODUCTION

Any combination of passive (R, L, C) and/or active (transistors, op-amps) elements designed to select
or reject a band of frequencies is called a filter. Filters are used to filter out any unwanted frequencies due to
nonlinear characteristics of some electronic devices or signals picked up by the surrounding medium.

High-power diode or thyristor rectifiers, cyclo converters, and arc furnaces are typically characterized
as identified harmonic-producing loads, because electric power utilities identify the individual nonlinear loads
installed by high-power consumers on power distribution systems in many cases. Each of these loads produces
a large amount of harmonic current. The utilities can determine the point of common coupling (PCC) of high-
power consumers who install their own harmonic-producing loads on power distribution systems. Moreover,
they can determine the amount of harmonic current drawn by an individual consumer.

Filters are one of those corrective (remedial) solutions aimed at overcoming harmonic problems and
to keep them within safe limits. They provide a low impedance path or ‘trap’ to a harmonic to which a filter
is tuned, hence are called tuned (resonant) circuits. The process of tuning aims at setting the circuit to resonant
frequency where the response is or at maximum. The circuit is then said to be in state of resonance.

There are three types of filters: 1. Passive filters 2. Active filters 3. Hybrid filters

I. PASSIVE FILTERS

Passive filters are basically topologies or arrangements of R, L and C elements connected in different
combinations to gain desired suppression of harmonics. These are employed either to shunt the harmonic
currents off the line or to block their flow between parts of the system by tuning the elements to create a
resonance at a selected frequency. The also provide the reactive power compensation to the system and hence
improve the power quality. However, these have the disadvantage of potentially interacting adversely with the
power system and the performance of passive filter depends mainly on the system source impedance. On the
other hand, these can be used for elimination of a particular harmonic frequency, so number of passive filters
increase with increase in number of harmonics on the system.

They can be classified into:

1. Passive shunt filter 2. Passive series filter

Passive Shunt Filters

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Single Tuned Filter:

The most common type of passive filter is the single-tuned “notch” filter. This is the most economical
type and is frequently sufficient for the application. The notch filter is series-tuned to present low impedance
to a particular harmonic current and is connected in shunt with the power system. Thus, harmonic currents are
diverted from their normal flow path on the line through the filter. Notch filters can provide power factor
correction in addition to harmonic suppression. In fact, power factor correction capacitors may be used to
make single-tuned filters. They are tuned at low harmonic frequencies. At the tuned harmonic, capacitor and
reactor have equal reactance and the filter has purely resistive impedance.

Double Band Pass Filters:

A double Band Pass Filter is a series combination of a main capacitor, a main reactor and a tuning
device which consists of a tuning capacitor and a tuning reactor connected in parallel. The impedance of such
a filter is low at two tuned frequencies.

Damped Filters:

They can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd order type. The most commonly used is the 2nd order. A 2nd order damped
filter consists of a capacitor in series with a parallel combination of a reactor and a resistor. It provides low
impedance for a moderately wide range of frequencies. When used to eliminate high order harmonics (17th
and above), a damped filter is referred to as High Pass Filter, providing a low impedance for high frequencies
but stopping low ones.

Passive Series Filter

Unlike a notch filter which is connected in shunt with the power system, a series passive filter is
connected in series with the load. The inductance and capacitance are connected in parallel and are tuned to
provide high impedance at a selected harmonic frequency. The high impedance then blocks the flow of
harmonic currents at the tuned frequency only. At fundamental frequency, the filter would be designed to yield
low impedance, thereby allowing the fundamental current to flow with only minor additional impedance and
losses.

Series filters are used to block a single harmonic current (such as the third harmonic) and are especially
useful in a single-phase circuit where it is not possible to take advantage of zero-sequence characteristics. The
use of the series filters is limited in blocking multiple harmonic currents. Each harmonic current requires a
series filter tuned to that harmonic. This arrangement can create significant losses at the fundamental
frequency.

Circuit Configurations

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 Passive harmonic filters consisting of capacitors, inductors, and/or resistors can be classified into tuned
filters and high-pass filters. They are connected in parallel with nonlinear loads such as diode/thyristor
rectifiers, ac electric arc furnaces, and so on. Installation of such a passive filter in the vicinity of a nonlinear
load is to provide low-impedance paths for specific harmonic frequencies, thus resulting in absorbing the
dominant harmonic currents flowing out of the load. The actual value of the low-impedance path for each
single-tuned filter is affected by the quality factor of the filter inductor Q, which determines the sharpness of
tuning. Usually, a value of Q ranges between 20 and 100. Although a second-order high-pass filter provides
good filtering performance in a wide frequency range, it produces higher fundamental-frequency loss than its
corresponding single-tuned filter. Passive harmonic filters have a value-added function of achieving power-
factor correction of inductive loads. This function brings an advantage to passive filters in many cases, but not
in all cases.

Consideration to Installation

Before installing a passive filter, engineers should make elaborate investigations into the possibility of
harmonic resonance and overloading on a case-by-case basis. However, these investigations may be
accompanied by relatively high engineering cost. In addition, the final design of a passive filter should allow
for component tolerance and variations.

II. ACTIVE FILTERS

The increasing use of power electronics-based loads (adjustable speed drives, switch mode power supplies,
etc.) to improve system efficiency and controllability is increasing the concern for harmonic distortion levels
in end use facilities and on the overall power system. The application of passive tuned filters creates new
system resonances which are dependent on specific system conditions. In addition, passive filters often need
to be significantly overrated to account for possible harmonic absorption from the power system. Passive filter
ratings must be co-ordinated with reactive power requirements of the loads and it is often difficult to design
the filters to avoid leading power factor operation for some load conditions.

An Active Harmonic Filter is an electronic power inverter using IGBT semiconductors with various
control loops to increase Power Factor and reduce harmonics by injecting a dynamic cancellation signal into
the power line. The operation of an active filter is based on a continuous monitoring and conditioning of the
distorted current created by the non-linear load. The same harmonic currents, but with a 180º phase shift are
generated by the filter, so that harmonic components are cancelled and only fundamental component flows
from the point of common coupling of the load.

Deeper interest in active filters has been spurred by

• the emergence of semiconductor switching devices such as insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs)
and power MOSFETs, which are characterized by fast switching capability and insulated-gate
structure;
• the availability of digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), analog-
to digital (A/D) converters, Hall-effect voltage/current sensors, and operational and isolation
amplifiers at reasonable cost.

Active filters intended for power conditioning are also referred to as “active power filters, (APF)” “active
power line conditioners,” “active power quality conditioners,” “self-commutated static Var compensators
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(SVCs),” etc. The power conditioning is not confined to harmonic filtering, but it contains harmonic damping,
harmonic isolation, harmonic termination, reactive- power control for power factor correction and voltage
regulation, load balancing, voltage-flicker reduction, and/or their combinations.

A generalized block diagram of Active Filter

Active filters have the advantage of being able to compensate for harmonics without fundamental
frequency reactive power concerns. This means that the rating of the active power can be less than a
comparable passive filter for the same non-linear load and the active filter will not introduce system resonances
that can move a harmonic problem from one frequency to another. They can work independently of the system
impedance characteristics. Thus, they can be used in very difficult circumstances where passive filters cannot
operate successfully because of parallel resonance problems. They can also address more than one harmonic
at a time and combat other power quality problems such as flicker. They are particularly useful for large,
distorting loads fed from relatively weak points on the power system.

APFs have a number of advantages over the passive filters. First of all, they can suppress not only the
supply current harmonics, but also the reactive currents. Furthermore, unlike passive filters, they do not origin
harmful resonances with the power distribution systems.

On the other hand, APFs have some drawbacks. An unfavorable but inseparable feature of APF is the
necessity of very quick swapping of high currents in the power circuit of the APF. This results in a high
frequency disturbance that may origin an electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the power distribution
schemes.

APF can be connected in several power circuit configurations as showed in the block diagram shown
in Figure. In general, they are split up into three major classes, namely shunt APF, series APF and hybrid
APF.

Subdivision of APF based on power circuit configurations

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Shunt Active Filter

The active filter concept uses power electronics to produce harmonic current components that cancel
the harmonic current components from the non-linear loads. The active filter uses power electronic switching
to generate harmonic currents that cancel the harmonic currents from a non-linear load. The active filter
configuration investigated is based on a pulse-width modulated (PWM) voltage source inverter that interfaces
to the system through a system interface filter as shown in Figure. In this configuration, the filter is connected
in parallel with the load being compensated. Therefore, the configuration is often referred to as an active
parallel or shunt filter.

Single-phase or three-phase shunt active filter

Series Active Filter

It is connected in series with the distribution line through a equivalent transformer. VSI is used as the
controlled source; therefore the principle configuration of series APF is alike to shunt APF, except that the
interfacing inductor of shunt APF is restored with the interfacing transformer.

Single-phase or three-phase series active filter

The operation standard of series APF is based on isolation of the harmonics in between the nonlinear
burden and the source. This is got by the injection of harmonic voltages (vf) across the interfacing transformer.
The injected harmonic voltages are added/subtracted, to/from the source voltage to maintain a untainted
sinusoidal voltage waveform across the nonlinear burden. The sequence APF can be considered of as a
harmonic isolator as shown in Figure. It is controlled in such a way that it presents none impedance for the
fundamental constituent, but appears as a resistor with high impedance for harmonic frequencies components.
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That is, no current harmonics can flow from nonlinear load to source, and vice versa. Sequence APFs are less
widespread than the shunt APF. This is because they must handle high burden currents. The producing high
capability of burden currents will increase their current rating considerably contrasted with shunt APF,
particularly in the lesser side of the interfacing transformer. This will increase the I2R losses.

Although, the major benefit of sequence APFs over shunt one is that they are ideal for voltage
harmonics elimination. It presents the load with a pure sinusoidal waveform, which is significant for voltage
perceptive apparatus. With this characteristic, sequence APF is apt for improving the value of the distribution
source voltage.

Circuit Configurations of Shunt and Series Active Filters

The active filter can be controlled on the basis of the following “feedforward” manner.

• The controller detects the instantaneous load current.

• It extracts the harmonic current from the detected load current by means of digital signal processing.
• The active filter draws the compensating current from the utility supply voltage, so as to cancel out the
harmonic current.

The ac inductor that is installed at the ac side of the diode rectifier plays an important role in operating the
active filter stably and properly.

Unlike the shunt active filter, the series active filter is controlled on the basis of the following “feedback”
manner.

• The controller detects the instantaneous supply current.

• It extracts the harmonic current from the detected supply current by means of digital signal processing,
• The active filter applies the compensating voltage across the primary of the transformer. This results
in significantly reducing the supply harmonic current when the feedback gain is set to be high enough.

Three-Phase Voltage-Source and Current-Source PWM Converters

There are two types of power circuits applicable to three-phase active filters: a voltage-source PWM
converter equipped with a dc capacitor and a current-source PWM converter equipped with a dc inductor.
These are similar to the power circuits used for ac motor drives. They are, however, different in their behavior
because active filters act as non-sinusoidal current or voltage sources. The voltage-source is preferred over
the current-source PWM converter because the voltage-source PWM converter is higher in efficiency, lower
in cost, and smaller in physical size than the current-source PWM converter, particularly in terms of
comparison between the dc capacitor and the dc inductor.

Practical Applications of Active Filters

• Application to Harmonic-Current Filtering

• Application to Voltage-Flicker Reduction
• Application to Harmonic Damping

In addition, active filters act as a powerful bridge between power electronics and power engineering in
electrical engineering.

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HYBRID FILTERS (Hybrid Active Filters)

Hybrid active filters consist of single or multiple voltage-source PWM converters and passive
components such as capacitors, inductors, and/or resistors.

The hybrid filters are more attractive in harmonic filtering than the pure filters from both viability and
economical points of view, particularly for high-power applications.

Combination of series active filter and shunt passive filter

Series connection of an active filter and a passive filter

Figures show the simplified circuit configurations of the hybrid active filters. The two hybrid filters
are based on combinations of an active filter, a three-phase transformer (or three single-phase transformers),
and a passive filter consisting of two single-tuned filters to the fifth- and seventh-harmonic frequencies and a
second-order high-pass filter tuned around the 11th-harmonic frequency. Although these hybrid filters are
slightly different in circuit configuration, they are almost the same in operating principle and filtering
performance.

Such a combination with the passive filter makes it possible to significantly reduce the rating of the
active filter. The task of the active filter is not to compensate for harmonic currents produced by the thyristor
rectifier, but to achieve “harmonic isolation” between the supply and the load. As a result, no harmonic
resonance occurs, and no harmonic current flows in the supply.

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