Harmonics And Filters In HVDC Systems

Ms. Tahoora Qureshi, Asst. Professor

Department: B.E. Electrical Engineering

Subject: HVDCT
Semester: VII
eCourseware@AIKTC
INTRODUCTION
 Electrical energy transmitted through AC or
DC transmission is to be delivered at
consumers terminals at specified voltage level
of constant magnitude without deviation from
ideal waveform.
 Deviation from the perfect sinusoidal
waveform is generally expressed in terms of
harmonic components.
 Harmonics are defined as the content of
electrical signals whose frequency is an
integral multiple of the fundamental
frequency produced by generators.
IMPORTANCE OF HARMONIC STUDY
 HVDC transmission system generated
harmonic currents on AC side and harmonic
voltages on DC side during operation.
 The harmonic currents generated at AC bus
get transmitted to AC system and cause
following adverse effects-
 Heating of equipments connected
 Instability of converter control
 Generates telephone and radio interference in
neighboring communication line, thereby inducing
harmonic noise.
 Harmonics can lead to over voltages due to
resonance when filter circuits are employed.
GENERATION OF HARMONICS
 Sources of harmonics are-
 AC generator
 Transformer
 Converter along with its control devices

 AC GENERATOR AS A SOURCE OF HARMONICS

 Although the waveform is usually good, an AC
generator may be regarded as a source of
balanced harmonic voltages because of non-
uniform distribution of flux on the armature
windings.
 TRANSFORMER AS A SOURCE OF HARMONICS:
 Due to presence of DC component in
transformer secondary, there is magnetic
distortion and magnetic saturation which
make transformers as sources of harmonic
voltages.
 Magnitude of these harmonic depends on
operating flux density.
 Converter transformers are usually operated
at higher flux densities than conventional
three phase transformers, therefore the
possibility of generation of harmonics is more
in former than in latter.
HARMONICS DUE TO CONVERTERS
 CHARACTERISTIC HARMONICS:
 Under balanced operating conditions, the converter is
supposed to produce fundamental and harmonics of
the orders 5,7,11,13,etc.
 Normal current harmonic produced on AC side are of
the order (np±1)
 Normal voltage harmonic produced on DC side are of
the order (np)
where ‘n’ is any positive integer and ‘p’ is pulse
number.

 The above mentioned normal harmonics are called as

characteristic harmonics.
HARMONICS DUE TO CONVERTERS
 CHARACTERISTIC AC HARMONICS
HARMONICS DUE TO CONVERTERS
 The current IA= IA1+IA2
4 3  1 1 1 1 
 Id cost    cos11t    cos13t    cos23t    cos25t .....
   11  13  23  25 

 The line current of each converter bridge will be

half of the total current mentioned above ie
2 3  1 1  1   1  
 Id cos t    cos11t    cos13t    cos 23t    cos 25t  .....
   11   13   23   25  

 The rms value of which is,

2 3  1 1  1   1  
 Id cos t    cos11t    cos13t    cos 23t    cos 25t  .....
 2   11   13   23   25  
6  1 1  1   1  
 Id cos t    cos11t    cos13t    cos 23t    cos 25t  .....
   11   13   23   25  
HARMONICS DUE TO CONVERTERS
 From the above the maximum value of
fundamental and harmonic currents will be,
 6 
I 10    Id

  
 I 10 
I ho   
 h 
 The second subscript “o” indicates that the
overlap angle “u” is assumed to be zero.
HARMONICS DUE TO CONVERTERS
 When “u” is non-zero, the expression for I h is
given by,
 
1
I ho A 2  B 2  2 AB cos  2 α  u  2
Ih 
cos α  cos δ
where,
u u
sin  h  1 sin  h  1
A 2 ,B  2 ,    u
h 1 h 1

 The above expressions are valid only for u≤60

HARMONICS DUE TO CONVERTERS
 CHARACTERISTICS DC HARMONICS
 From the Fourier analysis of DC voltage
waveform, we can obtain,

 
1
Vdo C 2  D 2  2CD cos  2  u  2
Vh 
2
where ,
u u
cos  h  1 cos  h  1
C 2 ,D  2
h 1 h 1
HARMONICS DUE TO CONVERTERS
 NON CHARACTERISTIC HARMONICS:
 The harmonics of the order other than
characteristic harmonics are termed as non-
characteristic harmonics.
 These are due to, 1
2

 Imbalance in the operation of two bridges forming

the 12 pulse converter
 Firing angle errors
 Unbalance and distortion in AC voltages.
 Unequal transformer leakage impedances.
HARMONICS DUE TO CONVERTERS
 The harmonics produced due to the 1st cause are
termed as residual harmonics. These are majorly
due to difference in the firing angles of the two
bridges which lead to unequal cancellation of
harmonics of order 5,7,17,19etc
 The last three cause can lead to generation of triple
or even harmonics.
(1) EFFECT OF FIRING ANGLE ERRORS:
 The major source of firing angle errors in modern
converter stations is due to ripple in current f/b
signal and not due to equipments.
 The tolerance in the firing pulses should not exceed
± 0.2º
HARMONICS DUE TO CONVERTERS
(2) EFFECT OF UNBALANCED SYSTEM
VOLTAGES:
 The presence of negative sequence
component in AC voltage shifts the zero
crossing of the commutating voltages.
 With IPC this introduces firing angle
dissymmetry and results in non-characteristic
harmonics.
 With 5% negative sequence voltage, the 3 rd
harmonic current generated can be as large
5% of the fundamental component.
HARMONIC SUPRESSION- FILTERS
 The most easiest way to reduce harmonics is
to use a passive LC resonant filter that offers
low or zero impedance and bypasses the
harmonic voltages to a level specified in
technical specification.
 HARMONIC MODEL AND EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT:
HARMONIC MODEL AND EQUIVALENT
CIRCUIT:
 The harmonic currents of order “h” generated
are divided into two components.
 (a) harmonic currents in filter branch
I hc  Z ha
 I hf   
Vh
Z hf Z ha  Z hf

 (b) harmonic currents in AC network

Vh I hc  Z hf
 I ha   
Z ha Z hf  Z ha
and satisfies the condition,
I hc  I hf  I ha
HARMONIC ELIMINATION METHODS
 There are two means by which harmonics can
be reduced
 (1) Increasing pulse number
 (2) Use of filters
 INCREASING PULSE NUMBER:
 From converter analysis it is clear that the
converter can be operated at higher pulse
number preferably 12 pulse to reduce the
harmonics.
 The pulse number can be increased from 6-
108 but it demands a more expensive
transformer.
 USE OF FILTERS
 A filter is a network that responds more
vigorously at some frequencies than others
and reduces the amplitude of one or more
fixed frequency currents or voltage.
 They normally consist of one or more LC tuned
circuits with a fairly high Q(40), and can
comprise a high pass filter.
DESIGN OF AC FILTERS
 AC filters are designed to reduce telephonic
interferance. This can be measured by one of the
following performing indices.
 HARMONIC DISTORTION:
m
IhZh
D 
h2 V1
 100

 Where, Ih-harmonic current

Zh-harmonic impedance
V1- fundamental component of line to neutral
voltage
m- highest harmonic considered
DESIGN OF AC FILTERS
 TELEPHONE INFLUENCE FACTOR (TIF):

  I 
1
Z h Fh 
2 2
h
TIF 
V1
where ,
F 1  5 hf 1 p h
ph- C message weighing (this reflects the
frequency dependent sensitivity of human ear
and has a max value at frequency of 1000hz)
DESIGN OF AC FILTERS
 TELEPHONE HARMONIC FORM FACTOR (THFF):

2
 En 

50
THFF   Kn Pn  100
 E ph
1


 IT PRODUCT:

  I 
1
Fh 
2 2
IT  h
FILTER CONFIGURATIONS
 Types of AC Filters
  The different types of AC filters used inHVDC
systems were as follows
 1. Band pass filter
 2. Single tuned filter
 3. Double tuned filter
 4. High pass Filter
 i. Second order filter
 ii. C type filter
TYPES OF AC FILTERS
 Single Tuned Filter
 It was to filter out the characteristic harmonics of single
frequency. It was used to filter out 11th and
13th harmonics in a converter system.
 Double tuned filter
 It was used to filter out two discrete frequencies. It was
also used to eliminate11th and 13th harmonics.
 Advantages
 1. Only one inductor was subjected to full line impulse
voltage
 2. Reduced power loss at the fundamental frequency
TYPES OF AC FILTERS
 High Pass Filter 
 Second order High pass filter
  It was used to filter out the higherfrequencies.
Tuning of these filters was not critical.
 C type High pass filter
  It was used to reduce power losses at the
fundamental frequency. Capacitor was connected
in series with inductor to provide low impedance
path to the fundamental component of current. A
third harmonic filter was used to filter out the non-
characteristic harmonic of third order. All the filter
branches were capacitive at fundamental
frequency and supply reactive power.
DC FILTERS
 The DC voltage on the converter side contains both
characteristic and non-characteristic and non-
characteristic harmonics.
 These harmonics result in current harmonics in the
DC line and produce noise in telephone circuits.
 Effectiveness of DC filter is judged by one of the
following,
 Maximum TIF value on DC high voltage bus
 Maximum included noise voltage (INV) in millivolts/km in
a parallel test line situated one km away from HVDC line
 Max permissible noise to ground in Db on telephone lines
close to HVDC lines.
DC FILTERS
 The DC filter used maybe of single tuned or
double tuned type to filter out 6th or 12th
harmonic voltages and high pass filters are
used to filter out higher order harmonics.
 DC filters are designed only to eliminate DC
harmonic voltages and there is no need for
filters to supply reactive VARs as in case of AC
filters.
POWER LINE COMMUNICATION AND RI
NOISE
 HVDC converters produce high levels of
electrical noise whose frequencies range in
the carrier frequency band from 22Khz to 500
khz
 They also generate radio interference (RI)
noise of frequencies in mega hertz
 Power line communication and radio
interference (PLC-RI) filters are used to
minimize the interference with power line
carrier communication system.
POWER LINE COMMUNICATION AND RI
NOISE
ACTIVE FILTERS
 The active filter used in DC filtering is usually a
hybrid active filter i.e an active filter in series with
shunt passive filter.
 Here, a double tuned filter (for12th and 24 th) is
connected in series with VSC-based active filter.
 IGBT devices are used in VSC with PWM.
 The transformer provides galvanic separation
between VSC and HVDC line, it helps in raising
voltage to desired level.
 The control strategy of active filter is to inject
harmonic voltage of appropriate magnitude and
phase angle to cancel harmonic currents flowing in
the line.
OTHER METHODS OF HARMONIC
ELIMINATION
 (1) ELEMINATION BY MAGNETIC FLUX
COMPENSATION
OTHER METHODS OF HARMONIC
ELIMINATION
 (2) HARMONIC INJECTION
OTHER METHODS OF HARMONIC
ELIMINATION
 (3)DC RIPPLE INJECTION:
 In this a triple frequency current wave is
generated such that the magnitude is a
function of the magnitude of DC currents and
wave shape.
 This current is injected into neutral of the
main transformer secondary and flows
through the conducting transformer winding.
 The modified currents in the transformer
phases will then contain only 12 pulse related
current harmonics