Harmonic indices for continuous evaluation of consumer's harmonic contribution

Abstract

Nowadays, the determination of the contribution of individual customers to the harmonic pollution of an electric power network is very essential for power quality improvement. In this study, four new indices are introduced to investigate the effect of harmonic contribution (HC) of the pollutant customers for an arbitrary time period without any access to a network model. These indices are defined according to data measured at the connection point of the suspicious loads and targeted buses under study. In this regard, a continuous HC matrix is developed where its entries are determined by using a new multi-point and continuous HC calculation method without having to measure the phase angle, which makes this method practical and cost-effective. The method and indices are applied to a standard power network-based calculation example. In addition, experimental measurements, which are gathered based on the Isfahan city and Iran electric power transmission systems, are carefully analysed. The results demonstrated the capability of the proposed algorithm to evaluate the effects of harmonic sources in power networks. © 2019 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.