portada disco (1152x1907x24b jpeg)

IEEE MELECON 2006, May 16-19, Benalmdena (Mlaga), Spain

Improvement of the Power Quality with Series Active

Filter according to the IEC 61000
S. P. Litrn, P. Salmern, J. Prieto and R. S. Herrera
Department of Electrical Engineering
Escuela Politcnica Superior, Universidad de Huelva
Huelva (Spain)
salvador@uhu.es ; patricio@uhu.es; jpthomas@uhu.es; reyes.sanchez@die.uhu.es

Abstract A combined system of passive and active filters

for a four-wire three-phase system has been designed and
simulated with Matlab/Simulink. A new control method
based in the power vectorial theory and symmetrical
components has been applied. The combined system
mitigates the source current harmonics, compensates
unbalance voltages, voltage harmonics, eliminates sags and
reduces the problems of using only a shunt passive filter.
The system is subjected to different voltage sources in accord
to the IEC 61000. Simulation results are presented and
discussed.

I.

computer simulation studies, according to the norm IEC

61000.
iS

iL

+ vC LS

iC
LR

CR

L5

L7

C5

C7

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, problems with power quality can result in a

high cost due to bad operation of sensitive load. The IEC
61000 [1] standardizes the limits for harmonic current
emissions, power quality measurement and testing
techniques. To improve the current waveform, shunt
passive filters and shunt active filters are commonly
applied to nonlinear loads to suppress harmonics and to
improve the power factor in power systems.
Recently, combined systems with passive filter and
active filter have been proposed [2-4] to improve the
behavior of passive filters. In this work, a configuration
with active filter connected in series to the source and a
passive filter in parallel to the load (Figure 1) is analyzed.
The shunt passive filter connected in parallel with a load
suppresses the prevalent harmonics currents produced by
the load, while the active filter connected in series with a
source acts as a harmonic isolator between the source
and the load.
Moreover, if the three-phase system is unbalanced, or
has harmonics or presents sag, the active filter can
eliminate these disturbances of the load voltages [8]. It is
achieved generating the appropriate voltage waveforms
with the inverter.
In this paper, a new control is presented, which
improve the performance of shunt passive filter and restore
the voltage on the load side to the desired amplitude and
waveform even when the source voltage is unbalanced or
distorted. The control is verified through extensive

Vdc

Figure 1. Scheme of active filter connected in series to the

source

II.

SYSTEM CONFIGURATION AND CONTROL

The active power filter designed consists of a threephase PWM voltage source inverter, which is connected in
series with the ac source impedance and load, through
three single phase transformers (figure 1). A small rate
passive filter to suppress switching ripples is connected
between the transformers and the inverter.
The passive LC filter connected in parallel to the load
is tuned to eliminate the fifth and seventh harmonics. For
the fundamental harmonic, the passive filter also must
supply the reactive power of the load.
In order to avoid the presence of harmonics at the
source current, the active filter is controlled to present zero
impedance at the fundamental frequency and a high
impedance at the frequencies of the load harmonics. To
achieve high impedance at the frequencies of the load
harmonics, the output voltage of the series active filter
must be proportional to the source current harmonics, that
is,


VCH

When k>>ZS, ZF, then ISH0

1-4244-0088-0/06/$20.00 2006 IEEE

1086

Vdc

k I SH 



With the inverse transformation is obtained a voltage

system, balanced and free of harmonics

The compensation characteristic becomes ideal when

the active filter presents an infinite impedance, k=. In
this way the passive filter problems, namely, the parallel
resonance and the harmonic sink, are solved.
The harmonic component of the source current is
calculated applying the vectorial theory of the electric
power [9]. The reference current is calculated as follows



i ref

iL 

va

vb
v
c

1 1
1
2
1 a
3
1 a

1 0

a vaf1 
a 2 0



It let obtain the reference voltage vref.

P
v 
v2



The inverter must generate the following waveform

Where:

k i i ref  k v v ref 

vc



iL: current vector of the load and passive filter.

P: average power defined by P

1
T

Figure 4 shows the control scheme.

u i dt
T

The gating signals of the inverter are generated

comparing the resultant reference signal with the output of
the inverter through a bang-bang control.

0'

u: voltage vector before active filter.

v: voltage vector of direct sequence.
2

v : norm of v, defined by v

1
T

v
T

0'

III.

v dt .

The load to compensate is composed by three single

phase non-controlled rectifiers, each of them connected
between phase and neutral. Figure 2 shows the load current
when the system is not compensated and the source
voltages are balanced and not distorted.

T is the fundamental period and denotes the dot

product of vectors.
Moreover, if the three-phase system is unbalanced or
distorted the active filter must eliminate these disturbances
of the load voltages. It is achieved generating the
appropriate voltage waveforms with the inverter. These
reference signals are obtained applying the Fortescue
transformation, defined by the following expression
v a0

v a1
v
a2

1 1
1
1 a
3
2
1 a

1 va

a 2 vb 
a v c

10

-10



Where a=ej120` and zero, positive, and negative

sequence components are denoted by subscripts 0, 1 and 2,
respectively.
The fundamental harmonic of the positive component
is calculated by the following relation
1
T
1
T

va1 sent dt

va1 cost dt

Va1f 2
cosM
2

Va1f 2
senM
2

SIMULATION RESULTS

0.2

0.22

0.24

0.26
Time (s)
Figure 2. Load current

0.28

Its frequency spectrum shows odd harmonics and the

THD of the source current is 30.8%.
A passive filter is connected in parallel to the load. It is
tuned at the 5th and 7th harmonics. The source current is
shown in figure 3. These harmonics are eliminated but the
THD rises from 30.8 to 65.7%.
20


10
0

Where V f a1 denote the rms value of the fundamental

harmonic of va1, its initial phase and the fundamental
frequency.

-10
-20
0.2

The instantaneous value is given by

0.22

0.24

0.26

0.28

Time (s)

vaf1

Va1f 2 cos M sent  senM cos t  



1087

0.3

Figure 3. Source current when passive filter si connected

Inverse
Transformation

va1

Fundamental
harmonic

Fortescue
Transformation

rms

va1

vref

KV
Vn

vc

vf

Low pass filter

uT

Ki
ia
p(t)

iref

Low pass filter

Figure 4. Control scheme for the series active filter

The active filter balances the load voltages under the

limit of 2% that the IEC 61000 suggest. The active filter
also adjusts its rms value to the level desired. Therefore it
eliminates the zero and negative. Figure 7 shows the load
voltage when the reference is 230 V.

The figure 5 shows the source current when the active

filter is connected in series to the source. The active filter
improves the harmonic contents of the source current. The
circuit has been simulated with ki=20. The THD falls to
8.4%. It is possible to improve the current waveform if k is
higher, but the capacity of the PWM converters required in
the filter system is higher too.

500

10
0

5
0
-5
-10
0.2

-500
0.2
0.22

0.24

0.26

0.28

0.3

0.22

0.24
0.26
Time (s)

0.28

0.3

Figure 7. Voltage in the load side when source voltages have a 25% of
unbalanced factor

Time (s)
Figure 5. Source current when active filter is connected

B. Suply voltages distorted

The IEC 61000 suggests different tests when the
source voltages are distorted. The test of the 5th harmonic
is one of them. The voltage waveform in the source side is
given by

A. Suply voltages unbalanced

When the source voltages are unbalanced, the active
filter balances the voltages in the load side. A voltage
systems with a 25% of unbalanced factor, according to
IEC 61000 is applied to circuit. Figure 6 shows the
voltages in the source side.

v(t ) V p >sen1 t   0,12 sen5 1 t @ 



500

500


0

-500
0.2

0.22

0.24

0.26

0.28

0.3

-500
0.2

Time (s)

0.22

0.24
Time (s)

0.26

0.28

0.3

 Figure 8.Voltage in the source side with voltages distorted by 5th harmonic

Figure 6. Voltage in the source side with a 25% of unbalanced factor

1088

Where Vp denoted the voltage amplitude.

and simulated with Matlab/Simulink. A new control

method based in the power vectorial theory and
instantaneous symmetrical components has been proposed.

Figure 8 shows the source voltages applied to the

circuit and figure 9 shows the load voltages, which are
balanced, sinusoidal and regulated to 230 V rms.

The proposed filter system has the following features:

500

x

Decrease the harmonics component of the source

currents, improving the THD.

x

Improve the behavior of the passive filter. The

source impedance doesnt influence the
compensation characteristics.

x

It is able to compensate unbalanced voltage,

regulates the voltage and eliminates harmonics and
sag at the load terminals.

-500
0.2

0.22

0.24
0.26
Time (s)

0.28

0.3

The control has been verified through extensive

computer simulation studies according to IEC 61000.

Figure 9.Voltage in the load side when source voltages are distorted

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
C. Suply voltages with symetrical sag
The tests for immunity in presence of sags are
established in IEC 61000. The sag can be of 0.70 or 0.40
p.u. and five cycles long. Figure 10 shows the waveform in
the source side, which presents a sag of 0.40 p.u.

This work is within the project A New Technique for

the Reduction the Harmonic Distortion in Electrical
Installations using Active Compensation Equipment.
DPI2004-03501,
supported
by
the
Comisin
Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnologa CICYT of the
Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology.

500

REFERENCES
[1]
0
[2]
500 0

0.25

0.35
Time (s)

0.3

0.4

0.45

[3]

0.

[4]

Figure 10. Source voltajes with a sag of 0.40 p.u.

Figure 11 shows the load voltages. The sag is mitigated

and can be considered eliminated.

[5]

500

[6]

[7]

[8]
-500
0

0.25

0.3

0.35
Time (s)

0.4

0.5

0.45

[9]

Figure 11. Load source when the source voltage present a sag of
0.40 p.u.

IV.

CONCLUSIONS

A combined system of shunt passive and series active

filter for a four-wire three-phase system has been designed

1089

IEC 61000, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) Part 3; Limits

for harmonic current emissions (equipment up to and including 16
A per phase) and Part 4; Testing and measurement techniques
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