MODELLING & SIMULATION OF A SINGLE

PHASE SHUNT ACTIVE POWER FILTER

NARASIMHA.S.KULKARNI
Electrical & Electronics.
BVBCET Hubli-31
www.vinnybvb@yahoo.co.in
+91-9620153143

Abstract to sinusoidal waveform. There are several disadvantages in

In this paper a single phase shunt active power
filter is used for compensating the reactive power and
harmonic current and unbalanced load current generated
by non linear load in the grid. Here we are using single
phase inverter with four IGBT’s. The obtained filter
current is forced to follow a reference and this reference
current must be difference between the sinusoidal input
current in phase with the sinusoidal voltage supplying the
load and the load current .For obtaining this reference
current a frequency independent method has been used
which is simpler than the traditional methods. Simulations
results are presented, showing that the proposed model
may operate at frequencies ranging from 40 to 65 Hz
without parameter adjustment.
1. INTRODUCTION
We are in an electronic era, where for almost every
other work be it domestic or industrial we need electronic
devices which mainly work on electric supply. The major
contribution to the industrial sector is been provided by
electronic equipments, mainly power electronic devices as
they are main components in the control sectors of
different processes. These devices impose non linear loads
to the ac mains & draw a reactive & harmonic current
present in the mains along with active current. This leads
to low efficiency, harmful electro magnetic disturbances to
other equipments & also heating of the transformers.
The importance of power factor correction is
also increasing... Handling of load equipments with
micro-processor based controllers and power electronic
devices, adjustable speed drives and power factor
correction equipments all are sensitive to many power
disturbances.
Hence it is important to curtail these harmonics
& disturbances in the supply current, also improve low
power factor caused by the nonlinear loads. Most
techniques use a current shaper to shape the input current
this technique.
a. Since the current shaper is in cascade path of the power,
it processes all the power & thus requires high current &
voltage semiconductor devices thus involves significant
power losses.
b. It is not convenient to insert a current shaper to existing
electronic equipment, as significant redesign would be
needed.
The other conventional approaches of reducing harmonics
by using passive LC filters may result in parallel and series
resonance with network impedance, over compensation of
reactive power at fundamental frequency and poor
flexibility for dynamic compensation of different
frequency components.
Hence the usage of Active Power Filters which are
adjustable and dynamic in nature has gained importance.
Active power filters can compensate for several harmonic
orders and are not affected by network characteristics,
eliminating the risk of resonance between the filter and
network impedance and these take up very little space
compared to passive power filters.
Types of Active power filters based on topology is
1. Series APF.
2. Shunt APF.
3. Hybrid APF.
Series APF works in series with the non linear loads
these may be single or three phase depending on the
supply in conjunction with used. These are mainly used to
mitigate the voltage unbalance and voltage harmonics.
Shunt APF works in parallel with the no linear load.
These may be of single or three phase depending on the
supply in conjunction with it is used.
 Hybrid APF consists of Series APF and Shunt passive
filters.
Applications of Active power Filters.
1. To compensate current & voltage harmonics.
2. To compensate reactive power.
3. To regulate terminal voltage.
4. To suppress flickers.
5. To improve voltage balance in three phase
Systems.
So dealing with the prototype single phase shunt APF,
2. SHUNT ACTIVE POWER FILTER
Fig. 1 Simple block diagram of Shunt APF
As shown in Fig 1. It’s a device that connected in
parallel & cancels the reactive & harmonic currents
from non linear loads. Then we get resulting total
current from ac mains is purely sinusoidal.
3. PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
The shunt active power filters compensate current
harmonics by injecting equal-but-opposite harmonic
compensating current. The shunt active power filter
operates as a current source injecting the harmonic
components generated by the load but phase shifted by
180 degree. The components of harmonic currents
contained in the load current are cancelled by the effect
of the active filter, and the source current remains
Sinusoidal and in phase with the respective phase to
neutral Voltage.
In the fig. 2 shown below we can come to know that
The shunt active power filter is a voltage source
inverter controlled as a current source by means of a
pulse width modulation signal. Adequate control of
active power filter not only eliminates power line
harmonics, but can also improve power factor.
Fig. 2 Shunt APF
Therefore we use a simple control strategy to control the
APF which is described below.
4. CONTROL STRATEGY
Principle of operation
The filter generates the harmonic currents that
are required by the load then the main supply delivers
the fundamental current & the harmonics are eliminated
from the power lines.
The equations required are as given below
iL(t) = i o (t) + i p (t) + i q (t) + i h (t)…(1)
Where i o (t) = dc component;
i p (t) = in phase line current;
i q (t) = reactive current;
i h (t) = harmonic currents;
(t)=Io + Ip cos(wt) + Iqsin(wt) + Ip/2 cos (2wt) …. (2)
iL
The only component that the mains should
supply is the active current ip(Ip cos(wt)). Using 1. it
can be noted that if the active filter supplies the dc
component ,the reactive and the harmonic currents for
the load, then the mains needs only to supply the active
current.this can be easily accomplished by subtracting
the active current component ip from the measured load
current il
iF(t)= iL(t)- ip(t)= iL(t) –IP cos (wt) ….(3)
 in equation (3) IP is the magnitude of the in
phase current ( which needs to be estimated) & cos (wt)
is a sinusoid in phase with the line voltage.
Fig. 3 Closed loop diagram for calculating
compensating current.
4. MODELLING OF SINGLE PHASE SHUNT APF
a. Current controlled voltage source converter model.
Fig. 4 Single phase VSI.
b. Grid.
c. Shunt APF control scheme refer to Fig 3.
d. Modeling of load current.
e. Final block diagram implemented in
MATLAB/SIMULIK software.
Fig. 5 Final control block implemented.
5. SIMULATIONS
Several simulations were run with a grid connected
voltage source converter in order to check the
performance of the scheme. Fig 4. shows a simulation
after using the control scheme. Trace (a) is source
voltage with non sinusoidal load current. Trace (b) is the
source current after use of APF.
Trace (a) is source voltage with non
sinusoidal load current for 50 Hz.
Trace (b) is the source voltage and source
current after use of APF foor 50 Hz.
 The simulation was repeated for 40,50 & 60Hz [6]Dugan,Roger C,Electrical power systems
without any adjustment of the circuit parameters. quality,McGraw-Hill,New York,Tokyo,1996
6. CONCLUSION
Shunt active power filter is advantageous as
discussed above. A simple & effective method for
calculating the current reference required by a shunt
APF was presented. This method allows harmonic
elimination & power factor correction in nonlinear loads
.
Since it can satisfactorily in the range of 40 to 65Hz
without any adjustments. These characteristics along
with its simplicity, suggest this method is superior to
other traditional methods of evaluating the harmonic &
reactive currents in a nonlinear loads.
Simulation results show that it has a slow transient
response this can be advantageous to soften transient
phenomena from the mains point of view.
Finally , the ability operate under varying frequencies
makes this method useful for the dynamic shunt active
power filter.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The author would like to thank Dr. A.B. Raju for his
valuable help & guidance in the preparation of this
work.

REFERENCES
[1] J.Sebastian Tepper. Juan W.Dixon, Gustavo
Venegas & Luis Moran. “A Simple Frequency
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653,Dec.1996
[2]H.Akagi Y.Kanazawa,and A.Nabae, “Instantaneous
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[3]Akagi, H.Nabae, A., Atoh, S., “Control Strategy of
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[4]Emílio F. Couto, Júlio S. Martins, João L. Afonso, “
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control based on p-q theory.”
[5] “Power electronics handbook” by
MUHAMMAD H. RASHID, Fellow IEEE