Harmonic solutions
Clean power drive solution
to harmonic distortion
Utility Grid
Utility Switch Yard
IEEE-519 Point of Common Coupling
Power Plant Generation
Transmission
Increase efciency, protability and reliability
In todays business environment, expectations are only
getting higher. Managers are increasingly concerned
with operational efficiency. This includes minimizing
costs, capital expenses and unplanned downtime.
Rocketing prices have also caused us to take a closer
look at our energy consumption, and make adjustments
to help keep these costs and their corresponding
expenses at a minimum.
Harmonics
Similarly, companies with
heavy motor, AFD and lighting
loads need to be aware of the
problems that harmonics can
cause. These problems include:
Harmonics are distorted
electrical waveforms that
introduce inefficiencies into your
electrical system. They produce
wasteful heat and can cause
plant issues and fees from
your local power company.
Harmonics flow into the
electrical system as a result of
nonlinear electronic switching
devices, such as adjustable
frequency drives (AFDs),
computer power supplies and
energy-efficient lighting.
t
Increased electrical usage
t
Increased wear and tear on
motors/equipment
t
Higher maintenance costs
t
Power quality problems
upstream and downstream
t
Utility penalties for introducing
problems to the power grid
The charts shown below
illustrate motor and transformer
efficiency decreases due to
system harmonics.
Induction Motor Efficiency (Constant Load)
Transformer Efficiency75 kVA Example
88.00
0.99
87.90
0.985
Resistive Load
Efficiency Transformers
87.80
Motor Efficiency
87.70
87.60
87.50
87.40
87.30
100% Harmonic Load
0.97
0.965
0.955
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
% THD Voltage
0.975
0.96
87.20
87.10
0.0
Energy Wasted by
Harmonic Distortion
0.98
EATON Harmonic solutions
10.0
12.0
14.0
12
25
35
50
% Load
75
100
In the Facility
Medium Voltage Switchgear
Low Voltage Switchgear
Distribution Panel
Sources of harmonics
Management
Stakeholders and owners
While AFDs reduce energy
usage, they can also cause
harmonics. Too much harmonic
distortion can result in slow
but steady damage to sensitive
devices that rely on quality
power.Other harmonic sources
include lighting ballasts and
UPS systems. These pieces of
electronic conversion equipment
introduce harmonic currents and
voltage into the utility supply.
There are many business
implications to managing harmonic
distortion. In todays competitive
business environment, better
awareness of electrical
inefficiencies result in:
Taking steps to curb harmonics
can improve return on
investment and boost the
intrinsic value of the facility or
the enterprise. Managing the
electrical infrastructure will
help to protect electrical assets
and contribute to a greener
environment by reducing utility
CO2 emissions.
Who should be concerned?
t
Controlled capital expenses
t
IEEE-519 compliance
t
Increased uptime and profits
t
Added value to facilities
t
Reduced energy expenses
With an increasing amount of
sensitive electronic equipment,
and numerous ways to measure
efficiency, everyone from IT to
accounting needs to know the
harmful effects of harmonics.
Even utilities are becoming
aware and are imposing fines
for harmonic distortion.
Dollars per Ampere of Harmonic Attenuation
$700
AFE
$650
$600
Maintenance and
facility engineers
Taking a proactive approach
to harmonic reduction helps
to protect sensitive electronic
equipment, reduce downtime
due to motor and transformer
heating, and eliminate the
problems associated with sizing
and applying backup generators
on systems with high harmonics
caused by drive loads.
Drives
What are the costs associated
with harmonics?
Depending on your electrical
power system, there are a lot
of places where harmonics can
cause inefficiencies.
In a manufacturing setting,
unmanaged harmonics can
increase motor temperatures by
10 degrees to maintain output.
This side effect can reduce
the life of a motor by 50%.
Distribution transformers can
lose a full +1% of efficiency
when carrying 100% harmonic
current, and motors lose 0.1%
efficiency with each 1% of
harmonic voltage distortion.
These losses can cause a
dramatic decrease in the lifespan
of fan and pump motors due to
extra heating in the motor stator.
In a hospital setting, a large
HVAC system with a 500
horsepower fan and pump load,
running at 5% voltage distortion
instead of 1%, can cost $15,000
per year at 10 cents per kwh.
This is in addition to the costs
of the reduced lifespan of the
motors caused by the heating
effects of the harmonic currents.
$550
$500
$450
Dollars
$400
$350
18-Pulse
Active
Filter
$300
$250
12-Pulse
$200
Filtered
$150
$100
$50
$0
50
200
400
Horsepower
EATON Harmonic solutions
Select the clean power quality solution
that meets your specic needs
Clean power solutions
More and more companies are using drives to take
advantage of the energy savings, precision control
and intelligent automation they provide. However,
it is necessary to also manage the harmonics these
drives create.
We wish the solution were as simple as one-sizefits-all. However, IEEE-519 standards are a system
recommendation, not a product specification. The
same drive in two different installations will have
completely different harmonic profiles. Eaton will
help you reduce the time and money needed to
meet IEEE-519 recommendations.
Offering a full line of engineering and manufacturing
solutions, Eaton is uniquely positioned to provide the
right solution for the specific problemfrom simple
filters to sophisticated 18-pulse clean power drives.
Eaton provides the optimal combination of products to
solve harmonic distortion problems, reduce electrical
usage, maximize equipment life and provide the
greatest financial return.
Harmonic Analysis Calculator
A free harmonic analysis tool
can be downloaded from Eatons
website: www.eaton.com/drives
(right-hand column under
software downloads).
IEEE-519, a conservative
guideline to long-term
stability for your facility
The IEEE-519 is a conservative
guideline written from the point
of view of electrical utilities.
This guideline establishes the
level at which electrical energy
is determined clean. Eaton has
product solutions to help lower
your harmonics to the IEEE-519
level and beyond.
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) Measured at Input of the VFD
Active Front
End Drives 34%
18-Pulse
Converters 45%
Active Harmonic 57%
Correction Filters
Passive Filters 8%
12-Pulse
Converters 1218%
Inductive 3538%
Reactors
3% line or DC link choke.
EATON Harmonic solutions
Inductive reactors
By adding a line reactor or
an isolation transformer to
attenuate harmonics, you get
a low-cost, technically simple
solution. However, this solution
tends to offer reduction in only
higher-order harmonics and
has littleeffect on the 5th and
7th harmonics. And, because
of the associated voltage drop,
there are limits to the amount of
reactance that may be added.
Typical reactance is either AC
or DC, with both delivering
similar harmonic mitigation, but
AC reactors provide additional
protection to the drive rectifier
bridge. Reactors are typically
rated between 1.5% and 5%,
with 3% being the industry
standard due to the diminishing
returns and voltage drop issues
that higher levels can deliver.
Reactors rated 3% typically
deliver approximately 3538%
current distortion, with
5%-rated reactors or equivalent
DC link chokes dropping this
only nominally.
12-pulse converters
A 12-pulse converter
incorporates two separate AFD
input semiconductor bridges,
which are fed from 30-degree
phase-shifted power sources
with identical impedance.
The 12-pulse arrangement
allows the harmonics from
the first converter to cancel
the harmonics of the second,
especially at the 5th and 7th
harmonics.
The 12-pulse converter is lower
in cost than the 18-pulse unit
and produces a substantial
reduction (up to approximately
85%) in voltage and current
harmonics compared to 6-pulse
AFDs. It also provides increased
input protection for the AFD
and its semiconductors from
line transients. Conversely,
impedance matching of phaseshifted sources is critical to
performance, and transformers
often require separate mounting
or larger enclosures. Additionally,
this converter may not reduce
distribution harmonic levels to
below IEEE-519 1992 guidelines.
Twelve-pulse converters have
been largely superseded by
18-pulse converters due to the
significant harmonic attenuation
benefits provided by the newer
18-pulse technology for a
marginal price difference.
Passive filters
This method of harmonic
reduction blocks harmonics
from being transferred to the
electrical distribution system
through the use of an inductive
and capacitive (L-C ) filter. A
primary inductor with relatively
high impedance blocks higherorder harmonics, and a shuntconnected tuned reactor
is connected with a capacitor
to mitigate the 5th and 7th
harmonics. These filters have
a relatively low cost compared
to 12- or 18-pulse converters,
though there are a few concerns
with their use. They can be
challenging to size as they can
act as a magnet for existing
harmonics that are on the
system. When the drive is off,
the capacitor can cause power
factor and voltage rise problems,
and in the event of capacitor
failure, standard units offer no
indication of this failure. These
filters can be sensitive to future
system changes, and careful
application is required by the
design engineer.
Active harmonic
correction filters
Active harmonic correction units
are high-performance inverters
that measure system harmonics
through current transformers
and inject harmonics of equal
amplitude and opposite phase
into the system. These systems
are very expensive and are
rarely applied for low-diversity,
high-horsepower applications.
They can be well-suited to
systems where low horsepower
loads are numerous and diverse,
as a single active filter can be
applied to mitigate the harmonic
distortion effects of many
drives. They also can make an
excellent retrofit for existing
systems because they are a
shunt-connected device. When
lightly loaded, most devices
can correct power factor using
the capacitance built into them.
Drawbacks to this technology
include high cost per amp and
lower energy efficiency.
Active front end drives
The active front end is a
bi-directional power converter
for the front end of a common
DC bus drive lineup. Although it
does not affect other harmonics
and cannot be retrofitted into
existing drives, it does reduce
total harmonics at any load to
23% THD. This power converter
is immune to voltage imbalance,
is available in 102000 hp,
and can be used on multiple
drives with a single front end.
It provides voltage sag ridethrough capabilities, a unity
power factor and a regenerative
power flow.
The active front end drive is
a newer technology designed
for regenerative loads, such as
test stands and centrifuges. It
requires an inductive-capacitiveinductive filter to filter the high
frequency IGBT switching from
the line. Because of the added
technology introduced by the
additional IGBTs, the cost of an
active front end drive can be
prohibitive in many applications.
Also, the capacitive filter and the
IGBTs are not as robust as the
simple, but reliable, magnetics
and diode technology of the
18-pulse drives.
18-pulse converters
The Eaton 18-pulse clean power
converter will consistently
meet IEEE-519 standards by
reducing current distortion to
5% or less. The 18-pulse drive
offers 50% better harmonic
ratings (10% for 12-pulse vs. 5%
for 18-pulse) at only a slightly
higher cost. The efficiencies
of this new drive have helped
to take harmonic reduction to
a new level for manufacturing
facilities across the globe. It
meets IEEE standards in every
case, attenuates all harmonics
up to the 35th, stops harmonics
at the source, is insensitive to
future system changes, and
increases the life of the drive
through incredibly stable DC
bus voltage (18 small inputs
instead of six large ones). The
18-pulse converter is the most
cost-effective solution at 50 hp
or higher.
EATON Harmonic solutions
The broadest product selection
for your applications
CPX9000the optimal
18-pulse clean power drive
For critical loads, you need
a comprehensive, singlesource solution. The Eaton
18-pulse converter gives
complete protection to the
sensitive equipment and
power that you rely on daily.
No need to worry about the
harmful effects of power
qualityless application,
installation and maintenance
time requirements make the
18-pulse converter the right
solution for most situations.
Mitigation Technique Application Range
For any motor over 50 hp,
the 18-pulse converter
offers maximum efficiency.
At smaller loads, an inductor
or passive filter is usually
sufficient to provide the
needed harmonic mitigation.
Some high-diversity lowpower applications can costeffectively benefit from an
active harmonic correction
filter due to the small
individual load requirements.
High
Active
Harmonic
Correction Filters
Diversity
of Load and
Quantity
of Drives
Passive Filters
18-Pulse Converters
Inductive
Reactors
Low
40
400
Average Horsepower Load
EATON Harmonic solutions
High
Selection guide
Technology
How it works
Typical THD
Advantages
Inductive
Reactors
12-Pulse
Converters
Passive
Filters
Active Harmonic
Correction Filters
Active Front
End Drives
18-Pulse
Converters
Mitigates higher-order
harmonics by providing
high input impedance
that limits highfrequency currents
Two parallel 6-pulse
converters fed by parallel
isolation transformer
paths, phase shifted 30,
which mitigates 5th and
7th order harmonics.
Input impedance
mitigates higher-order
harmonics as well
1218%
t Simple to apply
Provides high input
impedance for higherorder harmonics and a
shunt-tuned reactor and
capacitor to mitigate
5th and 7th harmonics
Actively measures
and injects equal and
opposite harmonics into
the system, canceling
most harmonic currents
below the 49th harmonic
IGBT-based front end
pulls relatively linear
power from the line
and uses an L-C-L filter
to mitigate the IGBT
switching noise
68%
Simple retrofit
t
510%
Simple retrofit
t
Three parallel 6-pulse
converters fed by a
single-phase shifting
autotransformer, phase
shifted 20 to cancel all
harmonics below the
17th. Input impedance
mitigates higher-order
harmonics as well
36%
t Simple to apply
3338%
Low-cost, simple
application
t
t
Extremely robust
t
t
t
Disadvantages
t
Low effectiveness
t
Voltage drop concerns
t
t
Low cost for
performance
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Good for highdiversity systems
Insensitive to
voltage imbalance
Not as effective as
other methods
t
Challenges with
generator design
Relative high cost
compared to
passive filters
t
Power factor issues
t
Less robust than
18-pulse
t
High cost per ampere
t
Relatively low
efficiency
t
35%
Slightly higher
efficiency
t
Immune to voltage
imbalance
t
Regeneration
capability
High cost, not as
robust as 18-pulse
t
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Extremely robust
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Not available
as a retrofit
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High cost on small hp
System compatibility
issues
A commitment to clean power
As drive usage continues to grow and technology continues to get
more complicated, power quality issues are a growing concern for
utilities and electrical consumers. Look to Eaton to provide a variety
of solutions for your exact situationensuring efficient, profitable
and reliable electrical energy.
EATON Harmonic solutions
Eaton
1000 Eaton Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44122
United States
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2013 Eaton
All Rights Reserved
Printed in USA
Publication No. BR04007002E / Z13790
June 2013
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