Reactance one-port compensator and modular active filter for voltage and current harmonic reduction in nonlinear distribution systems: a comparative study

Harmonic distortion levels in electrical distribution systems have escalated recently due to the increasing presence of nonlinear and electronically-switched loads. This paper presents a comparative study between two different approaches to cancel harmonic distortion in nonlinear distribution systems. A modular active filter based on linear adaptive neuron (ADALINE) extraction technique and a reactance one-port compensator, that is in current resonance with the load, were designed and tested utilizing a secondary distribution feeder. Both attenuation and diversity effects have been taken into consideration during the design procedure. Filter sensitivity to elements' values deviation and operating point variation were examined. The harmonic analysis was carried out in the time-domain using the EMTDC package.