The IEE Railway and Power Systems & Equipment Professional Networks

Compensation of harmonics and

unbalance caused by a variable
load using a dynamic phase
balancer
Gearid hEidhin, Areva

2005 The Institution of Electrical Engineers

Printed and published by the IEE, Michael Faraday House, Six Hills Way,
Stevenage, Herts SG1 2AY, UK

Abstract
This talk will briefly describe the phase balancer supplied to ALSTOM at Asfordby in
Leicestershire for the test track which is being used for testing the new Pendolino trains. The
phase balancer consists of a Thyristor Controlled Reactor (TCR) and an array of single phase filters.
Reactive power compensation of the dynamic unbalanced load due to the trains is required along
with harmonic suppression in a wide range of network operating conditions. Some test results will
also be included.

About the Speaker

Gearid hEidhin works at AREVA T&D Power Electronic Activities in Stafford, UK. He is a
project engineer responsible for projects in the power quality area such as Static Var Compensators
(SVC), High Voltage Harmonic Filters and fixed reactive compensation (MSC - Mechanically
Switched Capacitor, MSCDN - Mechanically Switched Capacitor Damping Network). He has a
particular interest in environmental issues such as audible noise, magnetic fields, radio
interference, EMC and harmonics. He has published a number of technical papers in this area and
has spoken on the subject regularly.

Compensation of harmonics and unbalance

caused by a variable load using a dynamic
phase balancer
Gearid hEidhin
Principal Engineer
AREVA T&D Power Electronic Activities
February 2005

4/1

Introduction

X Project
X Duty of load balancer
X Balancer Performance

February 2005

Features

X Location

Asfordby, Leicestershire, England

X Owner

ALSTOM Transport
X Duty

Traction load balancer for Old Dalby Test Centre

X Connection voltage

132 kV via 132kV/11kV step-down transformer

February 2005

4/2

Duty of the Load Balancer

X The test track has a maximum load of 10.4 MVA of

traction load, including the Class 390 train
X The load balancer has three duties

To correct the power factor of the load to unity

To balance the traction load
To maintain the harmonic voltage distortion caused by the
load to within the limits of Engineering Recommendation
G5/4

February 2005

Connection Agreement

X Between Test Centre and DNO (EME)

X Without load balancer

Maximum load, 7MVA but may be reduced with little

warning to 3MVA

X With load balancer

10.4MVA

February 2005

4/3

Load Detail

X Load

10.4 MVA of single phase traction load connected to BR

phase at 25 kV via 132kV/25kV transformer, consisting of:

Pendolino (Class 390)

7MVA

Class 390 re-gen braking

4.5MW

Train Control System test trains

3.4 MVA

February 2005

Balancer Parameters

X Load balancer rating

RY phase, +6/-2.6 Mvar

YB phase, +2.6/-6 Mvar
BR phase, +3/-0 Mvar

February 2005

4/4

Load Balancer Circuit (1)

132 kV Busbar

Traction
transformer

Harmonic filters
(not balanced)

11 kV Busbar

TCR

February 2005

Load Balancer Circuit (2)

2.3MVar
20th tuned

10

10MVar
9th damped

12.5MVar
shunt capacitor

1.1MVar
4th damped

February 2005

5.9MVar
6th tuned

3.8MVar
17th damped

1.8MVar
7/10th double tuned

10

4/5

4/6

13

February 2005

13

Harmonic Performance

X Capacitor banks provide reactive power and absorb

harmonic currents
X Harmonic currents are generated by the traction
loads and the TCR
X The filters are designed to limit the harmonic voltage
distortion to limits laid down in Engineering
Recommendation G5/4

14

February 2005

14

4/7

Load Balancer Performance

Class 390 train without load balancer

1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0

8
6

MW

4
2
0
-2
-4

8:33:25

8:28:24
8:29:39
8:30:54
8:32:08

8:25:54
8:27:09

8:23:24
8:24:39

8:18:24
8:19:38
8:20:54
8:22:09

8:15:54
8:17:09

8:12:09
8:13:24
8:14:39

-6

NPS voltage (%)

Class 390 train without balancer (ASF1701)

Load MW
NPS voltage

Time

15

February 2005

15

Load Balancer Performance

Both loads with load balancer
Both trains with balancer (ASF1705)
10

0.5
0.45

MW

0.35
0.3

0.25
2

0.2
0.15

0.1

-2

NPS voltage (%)

0.4

Load MW
NPS voltage

0.05
10:07:13

10:06:41

10:06:12

10:05:43

10:05:12

10:04:42

10:04:12

10:03:42

10:03:11

10:02:42

10:02:12

10:01:41

10:01:11

10:00:42

9:59:41

10:00:13

9:59:12

0
9:58:42

-4

Time

16

February 2005

16

4/8

Load Balancer Performance

Class 390 train without load balancer
Class 390 train without balancer (ASF1701)
8
6
4

MW

Load MW
2

R ph MW
Y ph MW

B ph MW

-2
-4

8:33:25

8:32:08

8:30:54

8:29:39

8:28:24

8:27:09

8:25:54

8:24:39

8:23:24

8:22:09

8:20:54

8:19:38

8:18:24

8:17:09

8:15:54

8:14:39

8:13:24

8:12:09

-6

Time

17

February 2005

17

Load Balancer Performance

Both loads with load balancer
Both trains with balancer (ASF1705)
10
8
6

MW

R ph MW
4

Y ph MW
B ph MW

Load MW

0
-2

10:07:13

10:06:41

10:06:12

10:05:43

10:05:12

10:04:42

10:04:12

10:03:42

10:03:11

10:02:42

10:02:12

10:01:41

10:01:11

10:00:42

10:00:13

9:59:41

9:59:12

9:58:42

-4

Time

18

February 2005

18

4/9

Load Balancer Performance

Class 390 train without load balancer
Class 390 train without balancer (ASF1701)

1
0.9

0.8

% distortion

0.7
0.6

%THDA

%THDC

%THDB

0.5
0.4
0.3

Load MW

-2

0.2

-4

0.1

-6
8:33:09

8:31:39

8:30:10

8:28:39

8:27:09

8:25:40

8:24:09

8:22:39

8:21:10

8:19:38

8:18:08

8:16:39

8:15:10

8:13:40

8:12:09

Time

19

February 2005

19

Load Balancer Performance

Both loads with load balancer
Both trains with balancer (ASF1705)
1.8

10

1.6

MW

1.2

0.8
0.6

0.4
-2

NPS voltage (%)

1.4
6

Load MW
THDA (%)
THDB (%)
THDC (%)

0.2
10:06:57

10:06:12

10:05:27

10:04:42

10:03:58

10:03:11

10:02:26

10:01:41

10:00:57

10:00:13

9:59:28

0
9:58:42

-4

Time

20

February 2005

20

4/10

Speed of Response (1)

X TCR responds to changes in load current to keep

line currents balanced
X TCR responds to a step change in load current in 2 3 cycles
X Since there are no real step changes in load this was
tested on the simulator

21

February 2005

21

Speed of Response (2)

22

February 2005

22

4/11

Service Experience

X Commissioning took four days

X Entered service in April 2002
X 33 months service - three trips

23

February 2005

23

Conclusion

X A single phase load can be balanced

X The load balancer at Asfordby balances a variable
traction load and limits the harmonic distortion

24

February 2005

24

4/12

4/13