A Presentation on

A Comparative Study of Short Term

Flicker Severity Due to Electric Arc
Furnace
Operation

Authors
:

Pertha Protim Dutta Abul

Hasan Fahad
Dr. Abdul Hasib Chowdhury
December 22,
2014

Salient
Features
Developing a comparative approach to
observe flicker in the power system under
several Operating Conditions

Voltage Flicker
Cycli
c
Flick
er

Non
cycli
c

Sinusoidal variation of
RMS voltage considered
Random variation in
voltage involved

Effect of Voltage flicker quantified

by Flicker Severity Indices

Short Term Flicker

Severity
Pst denotes the severity limit that should not
be exceeded in order not to create malaise for an
observer.

Calculated with the data of instantaneous

flicker at every 10 minutes interval
Standard value depends on the base voltage of
Allowable P
Bus voltage level
the bus
st

1.0

132 KV

0.8

230 KV

Estimation of Pst
For single EAF operation :

From statistical evaluation

of s(t)
Direct approximation
In occurrence
of sinusoidal fluctuation of system voltage
short
term flicker
approximated directly from
(Thumb
rule) severity
:
instantaneous flicker sensation by

Pst 0.5096 S max

Where Smax is the maximum value of

s(t).

Estimation of Pst
For multiple EAF operation :

Pst ,total
Cumulative Pst at PCC calculated
by n

n
P
st ,i
i 1

Where , n= summation factor having range between

[1,4]
and Pst,i denotes flicker due to individual EAF

Determining Summation factor , n :

operation
In parallel operation of identical EAFs (having same rating
and modulation parameter), the summation factor can be
determined directly using
Where, m
=
number of
ln m
n
furnaces
ln Pst cum ln Pst ind
ln(Pst cum) = cumulative
flicker severity
ln(Pst ind ) = flicker severity

Modulation Parameter
Required to model the continuous
change of arc length in each arcing
cycle
To simulate the sinusoidal flicker
phenomenon amplitude modulation
index , m is chosen as the parameter
For stochastic (non sinusoidal ) flicker
modeling the noise power ,P is
selected as the modulation parameter.

Pst vs. EAF Ratings

For a fixed m and
modulation frequency
Pst increases with
furnace ratings
Both cyclic and non
cyclic flicker shows
similar trends
Results from the fact
that EAF with higher
power rating draws
much higher current
during Arc Extinction

EAF Ratings vs. Modulation Index

For keeping Pst

under acceptable
limit modulation
parameter (m,P)
must be reduced
if EAF rating is
higher
Simulation
reveals that same
decisions can be
drawn for parallel
operation of EAFs

Effect of Pst on
Modulation Frequency
Value of Pst has been
plotted with
corresponding
modulation
frequency 6, 8.8 ,10
Hz
Maximum value
occurs at f = 8.8 Hz
So the rate of change
of arc length should
not be around that
value.

Effect on Pst Due To Multiple EAF Operation

Severity of Sinusoidal Flicker

MW Rating of EAF-2 > EAF-1 chosen

Summation factor n for parallel EAF operation found

1.94, 1.468 and 1.54, respectively
Indicating that cumulative flicker level at PCC is more
severe when two identical EAFs of smaller ratings
are operated simultaneously.

Effect on Pst Due To Multiple EAF

Operation

Severity of non cyclic Flicker

Simulated using maximum allowable noise power

for the selected power rating

Parallel operation causes

objectionable flicker at PCC
even though it is tolerable for
standalone action

Summation factor n not fixed as cyclic flicker

phenomenon

Variation of Modulation index in Parallel EAFs

Observed only for parallel EAF operation of

identical power ratings

Pst value at PCC

remains
approximately same
if the summation of
m of each furnace is
constant
This factor may be vital in installation of multiple
EAFs in a region

Validitation of Thumb
Rule
Simulation ensures the validity of the
Pthumb
0.5096 rule
S max ,
st
for all cases of sinusoidal flicker
sensation.
Applicable both for single and multiple EAF
operation of any ratings

Comparison of Pst Ratio in

EAF Operation
Pst

Pst due to parallel EAF

Ratio =
operation
P due
to single EAF operation
st

Pst Ratio have been plotted with increasing modulation

parameter both for cyclic and non cyclic flicker phenomena.

Comparison of Pst Ratio in

EAF Operation contd.
Simulation shows
that at lower value
of this parameter
voltage flicker due to
parallel operation of
EAFs becomes
prominent.
In case of
sinusoidal flicker
Pst ratio becomes
less sensitive to
variation of m at
higher modulation
Non Cyclic flicker may not follow such trend
indices.

Potential Decisions
Relative variation of arc length to be decreased for

higher ratings of EAF for reliable operation

Individual modulation indices have little effects on
allowable Pst in sinusoidal flicker if the summation
fulfils the
condition.
Comparison between
cyclic
and non-cyclic flicker :
The former is more threatening to power system than
the other.
For non cyclic flicker no thumb rule is exactly
satisfied.

May be useful both for EAF operators and Power

System Authority

List of References
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2008.
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Compatibility(EMC)Part4 Testing and Measurement TechniquesSection15
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