The Online Journal on Electronics and Electrical Engineering (OJEEE)

Vol. (3) No. (2)

Detection of Parallel Resonance in the Industry

Levent Bilgili
Medical Metrology Services, 1348 S. No:17/205 Yenisehir Izmir Turkey, levent.bilgili@medmet.co.uk
Belgin Emre Trkay
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Istanbul Technical University
Ayazaa Kamps, 34469 Maslak Istanbul, turkayb@itu.edu.tr
Abstract- With this study, it is aimed to develop
accurate solutions with the detection of the causes of
capacitor malfunction in buildings and industrial
facilities, where the ratio of total harmonic distortion in
the components of current and voltage is not in excessive
value. in the facilities where the ratio of harmonic
distortion is measured not so high and thus unfiltered
harmonic compensation system is used, it has been
detected in our measurements that when capacitor steps
were switched on, some harmonic values reached very
high ratings, thus especially small step capacitors were
unable to adjust to the new harmonic values and went out
of order.

Figure (1): Impedance-frequency diagram for inductive

system
The current amplitude of a charge that contains
components with harmonics in the frequencies excluding
basic frequencies can be illustrated as in Figure (2).

When reactive power of the capacitors that are

switched on merges with the inductive characteristics of
the system, it causes parallel resonance. Our study points
out the detection of this resonance with the sample
measurements done in the field and deals with the
computer environment studies that are necessary for the
security of the facility.
Keywords- parallel resonance, harmonics, power quality
analyzer, measured effects of the harmonics in the
industry.

Figure (2): The distribution of harmonic amplitudes

according to the frequency

I. INTRODUCTION

In measuring the amplitudes of existing harmonics as in

Figure (2), harmonics flow from a facility with a higher
impedance to a network with a lower impedance through the
transformer, as illustrated in Figure (3).

In order to determine and analyze the system characteristics

in the power systems, the answer related to the frequency is
examined. When examining the answer related to the
frequency, not only the amplitudes of the existing harmonic
sources in the system; but also the reaction of the system to
that harmonic amplitude is quite important. When examining
the system characteristics, three points should be at first taken
into account: Impedance of the system, compensation amount
in the circuit and the values of the resistive and harmonic
charges in the system [1].
Under normal conditions the power systems have inductive
characteristics and have directional relations with the
frequency. In this case, the change in the impedance of the
system and the interaction of the harmonics show a
directional characteristic before the insertion of capacitor, as
in Figure (1).

Figure (3): The direction of the currents with harmonics

Reference Number: W10-0089

To calculate the new characteristic of the system with the

effects of the compensation system that is attached to the bus
on the lower voltage side of the transformer as in Figure (3)
and the load currents with harmonics, the equivalent circuit in
Figure (4) can be used.

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The Online Journal on Electronics and Electrical Engineering (OJEEE)

Figure (4): The parallel resonance equivalent circuit that is

seen by the harmonic circuit source
The equivalent impedance that is seen by the harmonic
current source is the impedance value that is found by the
parallelism of the equivalent inductance of both the network
and the transformer and the capacitor inductance [2].
The harmonic level, which determines the highest
distortion value that is found by the calculation of systems
equivalent impedance difference related to the frequency
which is calculated as from the basic frequency, shows
similarity to the harmonic which is found by the resonance
harmonic formula associated with the total switched on
compensation value belongs to the transformer and
transformer impedance of the transformer mentioned in the
formula below.

Vol. (3) No. (2)

In the amplitudes of the harmonic components that are

measured from the secondary of the transformer, it is normal
to observe an increase to a certain ratio as a result of
compensation addition; whereas quite high amplitude values
arise in the harmonic component that goes into resonance.
These harmonic currents flow to the capacitors or to the
charges in the system with lower impedance and cause
problems such as breakdowns, explosions, fire etc. [3]
II. THE DETECTION OF THE PARALLEL RESONANCE
WITH THE POWER-QUALITY ANALYZER
As a sample application, a measurement done by the
secondary of the transformer of a facility was analyzed. There
is an unfiltered harmonic compensation system in the facility.
From time to time, some capacitors and safety fuses are
harmed in this power panel, which is attached to the same bus
as directional and harmonic charges and is controlled
automatically by a reactive power control relay. In normal
working conditions, because the total distortion ratio is
thought to be not so high while the compensation is in or out
of the circuit, the necessity of the harmonic filtering could not
be realized by the users before this analysis.

(1)
In this case, if the compensation system, which is added to
the bus under the transformer, is simulated as in Figure (3);
the impedance of the system moves away from the directional
state shown in Figure 1 and acts as shown in Figure (5). For
instance, when a 100 kVAr capacitor is connected parallel to
the bus, with each 100 kVAr addition the parallel resonance
point slides to the lower frequencies and the impedance
amplitude decreases while resonance frequency is between
600-800 Hz and the impedance is 0,150 ohm.

Figure (6): The facility where the analysis was conducted

In the charge measurements done in the main distribution
switch that is on the low voltage side of the transformer, it is
possible to examine the harmonic charges that go over the
transformer and the change of the harmonic voltages in the
bus according to the compensation value in the circuit, with
the help of a simple analyzer that is connected as shown in
Figure (6) and can be connected to a computer [4].

Figure (5): The change of parallel resonance frequency and

the impedance of the system with the addition of capacitor
It is known that the compensation systems that are built to
satisfy the reactive power need increases the amplitudes of
the current and voltage harmonics in the system. If the
interaction of the system impedance in Figure (5) with the
currents of the harmonic charges fed from the transformer as
illustrated in Figure (2), it is expected that the currents with
harmonics are to flow over the bus to the network or to go
forward to a point with lower impedance.

Reference Number: W10-0089

Figure (7): Voltage-Current Diagram

The changes in the voltage and the current are observed in
Figure (7) when the compensation is switched off for a couple
of minutes.
When the compensation system is switched off, it is
measured that it satisfies an inductive reactive power need of

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The Online Journal on Electronics and Electrical Engineering (OJEEE)

Vol. (3) No. (2)

approximately 250 kVAr during the measurement and gradual

switch-ons are examined for the moment when it is switched
on again.

Figure (11): Harmonics while 250 kVAr compensation is

switched on
Figure (8): Inductive reactive power diagram
The performance of the total harmonic distortion during the
measurement has been examined in Figure (9) and parallel
resonance condition has been observed in this diagram.

When the behavior of the resistive and harmonic charges

for the condition where the compensation is switched off is
examined in Figure (12), the total harmonic distortion stays
under 1.5 % for the voltage and 5% for the current.
The point to pay attention here is that the highest value
among the current harmonics is the level of 11th harmonic.

Figure (9): Total harmonic distortion diagram

The total harmonic distortion, which had not exceed 12 %
in our measurement that started while the compensation
system was switched on, has declined to 8% when the
compensation system was switched off; but during the
switching-on of the graduals as in Figure (10), the total
harmonic distortion has exceeded the value of 24% in the
current and the value of 7% in the voltage in the moment that
corresponds to a 159 kVAr need.

Figure (12): Harmonics while the compensation is

switched off

Figure (13): Harmonics for the moment of parallel

resonance

Figure (10): The inductive reactive power value for the

condition in which the harmonics are the highest in
percentage
When the harmonic spectrum for this system is examined,
Figure (11) states the condition in which the compensation is
switched on in the system. When the highest values are taken
into account as amplitude, the voltage harmonics are under
2% and the current harmonics are under 8 %.

Reference Number: W10-0089

In the condition where the capacitors are gradually

switched on with the help of reactive power control relay, the
11th harmonic component which has the biggest amplitude of
all charge harmonic components, reaches the maximum value
for the grade that corresponds to the need of 159 kVAr in
reactive power.
While the ratio of the 11th voltage harmonic to the basic
component as shown in Figure (12) is 1.5% when the
compensation is switched off, in Figure (13) it rises up to 67%; and while the first state of the current harmonics in
Figure (12) is 4-5%, for the parallel resonance it rises up to
values of 25 % in Figure (13).

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The Online Journal on Electronics and Electrical Engineering (OJEEE)

III. THE CONFIRMATION OF THE ANALYZER

SOLUTIONS WITH THE HELP OF A COMPUTER
When the combined steps in compensation panels are taken
into account, it is hard to presume with which step a system
goes into resonance. The capacitor switching algorithms of 12
degree relays that are physically available in the market can
change according to the brand and the model. So that the
electrical grading possibility and the condition of reactive
power need supply can not be examined by the manual
methods.
Only by utilizing a simple calculation table and transformer
power and short circuit voltage, the systems answer to the
harmonics can be examined from the equivalent circuit
calculation in Figure (4).

Vol. (3) No. (2)

While in Figure (12), the 7th and 8th harmonics are not
dominant relative to the 11th harmonic in the beginning, in
Figure (11) they reached their maximum when the
compensation was switched on. It can be assumed that the
peak value of the parallel resonance in that moment is
between 7th and 8th harmonic degrees.
When the compensation system is switched on in the
measurement model, the ratio of load current to the basic
component that is the 11th harmonic degree was 4.5 % at
first, but then it reached an amplitude of up to 25 %. With
each new grade that is switched on, parallel resonance
frequency has slide to lower harmonic degrees and the 11th
harmonic has returned to average values. As long as the
capacitor power changes according to the need and the
capacitors lose in value, the parallel resonance condition can
coincide again in another frequency.
IV. CONCLUSION

Table (1): The amount of risky compensation correspondent

to the transformer label value according to the harmonic
degrees
In the measurements done with the power quality analyzer,
the amplitudes that belong to the charge harmonics in the
harmonic degrees shown in Table (1) will reach maximum at
the values very close to the aforementioned
parallel
resonance kVAr values. By comparing this simple calculation
and the measurements in the field, the information about the
harmonic degrees that has to be focused on, the capacitor
addition and which behavior the systems answer will show
can be obtained.
To give an example for our application; if we add the 50
kVAr constant step compensation that is attached to our
measuring point on the main distribution panel to the
operation:
a) When the 11th harmonic is at its highest value, the total
capacitor power in the circuit is 50 kVAr + (250kVAr
159 kVAr) = 141 kVAr. When taken into account that
11th harmonic has amplitude among the charges, the
most risky level is a value close to the peak value
approximately 148 kVAr, as shown in Table-1.
b) According to the fact that under the transformer there is a
total capacitor power of 250 kVAr + 50 kVAr = 300
kVAr while the compensation is switched on; when
controlled from the values on Table-1, if there exist 7th
and 8th harmonics among charge harmonics, the
amplitudes of these harmonics will obviously be affected
more.

Reference Number: W10-0089

This study has dealt with the detection of the parallel

resonance risk with the measurements done by power quality
analyzers in industrial field and its confirmation with the
computerized calculation methods.
In this study, the points that have to be taken into account
for the analysis of the problems such as malfunctions, fuse
explosions, fires etc. which happen in the facilities that trigger
capacitor without using harmonic filtered compensation
system because the total harmonic distortion amount is
generally below the value determined in IEC 61000-4-7 and
EN 50160, have been discussed. Accordingly, the value loss
of the grades of compensation panel can bring some harmonic
degrees to a level very high and risky for the system, even the
electrical and physical grading difference has a small value
among the existing charge harmonics. For this reason, the
measurements and the probable values that can occur out of
the general performance of the system should be compared by
being calculated in a computerized environment.
REFERENCES
[1]

[2]
[3]

[4]

Dugan Roger C., McGranaghan Mark F., Santoso

Surya and Beaty H.Wayne, Electrical Power Systems
Quality Second Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2004
Schneider Electric Publications, Industrial Electrical
Network Design Guide, T&D 6 883 427/AE, , 2000
Collombet C., Lupin J.M., Schonek J., Harmonic
disturbances in networks and their treatment, Cahier
Technique Schneider Electric No:152
Schneider Electric Publications, Electrical Installation
Guide, 2005

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