Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Electric Power Systems Research

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/epsr

Review

Neutral current compensation in three-phase, four-wire systems: A review

D. Sreenivasarao , Pramod Agarwal, Biswarup Das
Electrical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: In many residential and ofce buildings, power is distributed through a three-phase, four-wire (3P4W)
Received 7 July 2011 systems. The non-linear and unbalanced loads in these systems may result in excessive neutral currents,
Received in revised form which may potentially damage the neutral conductor and distribution transformer while affecting the
20 December 2011
safety of the consumers. Several techniques have been reported in literature to overcome this problem.
Accepted 23 December 2011
This paper presents a comprehensive review of neutral current compensation methods, their topologies,
Available online 26 January 2012
and their technical and economical limitations. Simulations are also carried out in MATLAB/SIMULINK
environment for comparing the existing methods.
Keywords:
Active power lters (APF) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Harmonic elimination
Neutral current compensation
Power quality
Three-phase four-wire distribution system
Transformers

Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
2. Problems of high neutral currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
3. Recommended practices for handling excess neutral currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
4. Passive harmonic lters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
5. Synchronous machine as a lter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
6. Transformer based topologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
6.1. Zigzag transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
6.1.1. Operation of zigzag transformer with unbalanced/distorted supply voltages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
6.2. Star-delta transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
6.3. T-connected transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
6.4. Star-hexagon transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
6.4.1. Zigzag transformer with single-phase shunt APF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
6.4.2. Zigzag transformer with single-phase series APF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
6.4.3. Star-delta transformer with single-phase half-bridge PWM APF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
7. Three-phase, four-wire active power lters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
7.1. Three H-bridge shunt APF topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
7.2. Three-phase, four-wire capacitor midpoint APF topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
7.3. Three-phase, four-wire four-leg APF topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
8. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Corresponding author.
E-mail address: luckysrinu@gmail.com (D. Sreenivasarao).

0378-7796/$ see front matter 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.epsr.2011.12.014
 D. Sreenivasarao et al. / Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180
1. Introduction
The three-phase, four-wire (3P4W) electrical distribution sys-
tems have been widely employed to deliver electric power to
single-phase and/or three-phase loads in manufacturing plants,
commercial and residential buildings. In these systems single-
phase supply to small loads is provided by one of the phase
conductors and neutral wires. To balance the load on each of
the phases, the single-phase loads are evenly distributed to the
various oors. In practice, these single-phase loads are not com-
pletely balanced, thus resulting in a net current owing through
the neutral conductor. These are not the only sources for neutral
current but there are other sources such as non-linear loads, where
even perfectly balanced single-phase non-linear loads on 3P4W
system can result in signicant neutral current. Nonlinear loads,
such as power electronic based equipment, have phase currents
which are non-sinusoidal and the vector sum of balanced, nonsinu-
soidal, three-phase currents does not necessarily equal to zero and
result current in the neutral conductor [14]. With sinusoidal load
currents, the neutral current depends only on the system unbal-
ance. But, in a balanced system with harmonic distorted current
waveforms, only the triplen harmonics (i.e. with harmonic order
multiple of 3) contribute to the neutral current. When both har-
monic distortion and load current unbalance are simultaneously
present, the neutral current may contain all harmonics [114].
The paper discusses the problems of high neutral currents, rec-
ommended practices for handling the excess neutral currents and
presents comprehensive review of technical and economical limits
for compensating these neutral currents.
2. Problems of high neutral currents
Unbalanced and non-linear loads on 3P4W system causes exces-
sive neutral current and the problems related to the excessive
current in the neutral conductor are: [3,4]
Overloading of distribution feeders and transformers: With four
current carrying conductors, the distribution system feeders and
transformers may overload and cause additional heat loss.
Common mode noise: The voltage difference between neutral
and ground causes common mode noise in 3P4W power sys-
tems. This common mode voltage can result in the malfunction
of sensitive electronic equipments.
Flat-topping of voltage waveform: The power supplies use the
peak voltage of the sine wave to keep the capacitors at full charge,
reductions in the peak voltage appear as low voltage to the power
supply, even though the rms value of the voltage may be normal.
Wiring failure: In old buildings, load growth with passage of time
makes size of neutral conductor insufcient and cause wiring
failure and poses a re hazard.
3. Recommended practices for handling excess neutral
currents
The high neutral currents in 3P4W system have detrimental
effect on both distribution system and end users. The rec-
ommended practices and temporary measures recommend by
different agencies to reduce/eliminate the neutral current are given
below [1519].
Over sizing of neutral conductor: Over sizing of neutral conductor
is an expensive solution, while the overloading of distribution
transformer and feeder remains unaddressed [4,16].
Derating of distribution transformer: With non-linear loads, the
maximum loading of transformer should be reduced to below its
171
Fig. 1. A four branch star connected passive lter.
rated capacity to avoid overheating the distribution transformer
and excessive distortion in output voltage. Derating of transform-
ers for three-phase three wire supplies and 3P4W power supplies
are similar, yet they have signicantly different crest factors and
neutral current [4,18].
Separate neutral conductors: Use of separate neutral conductors
for non-linear loads to avoid shared neutral conductors is also
practiced. However, this is almost impossible where loads are
widely scattered.
The above recommended practices are effective temporary mea-
sures and have serious drawbacks. The only solution for handling
these excess neutral current is to incorporate the neutral current
compensation devices. There are various approaches reported in
the literature for compensating neutral currents. Passive solutions
such as zero sequence harmonic lters, synchronous machine, spe-
cially designed transformers and active solutions such as 3P4W
active power lters (APF). Details of these methods and their com-
parisons are given below.
4. Passive harmonic lters
The ltering of excess neutral current in 3P4W systems was
achieved through the use of single-phase passive lters connected
between each phase conductor and the neutral wire. These passive
harmonic lters comprise of passive elements such as inductors,
capacitor, and resistors and tuned to a particular harmonic fre-
quency(s) [2025]. A solution for ltering current harmonics in
3P4W networks based on the usage of a four-branch star connected
lter topology is depicted in Fig. 1 and presented in [23]. This topol-
ogy has four individual star-connected passive branches (three
phase-branches and one neutral branch). The impedance of the
phase branches of the lter are identical and different from neutral
branch. The phase branches are tuned to the positive/negative-
sequence harmonics such as 5th, 7th and/or 11th, 13th and the
neutral branch is tuned to 3rd and/or 9th.
Passive solutions, albeit simple, are bulky and expensive. Also,
the sensitivity of the components to temperature and aging can
result in ineffective ltering as the critical frequencies and the qual-
ity factor drifts. Another bigger problem is the possibility of exciting
a resonance condition with the ac system impedance, which can
worsen the situation [24,25].
172 D. Sreenivasarao et al. / Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180
Fig. 2. Schematic diagram for neutral current compensation with synchronous
machine.
5. Synchronous machine as a lter
Simultaneous absorption all the zero-sequence harmonic cur-
rents of the neutral wire using a synchronous machine has been
proposed in [26]. If the zero-sequence impedance of the syn-
chronous machine is sufciently smaller than that of the power
source, then the synchronous machine would allow the absorp-
tion of the zero-sequence harmonic currents. This can be done by
selecting the coil pitch of the armature winding as 2/3. As a result,
the zero-sequence reactance of the synchronous machine reaches
minimum value. The only limiting factor of the zero-sequence har-
monics is armature resistance of the synchronous machine. Hence,
it is possible to absorb all the zero-sequence harmonic currents by
the synchronous machine. Fig. 2 shows the basic system in which
the synchronous machine is used for absorbing the zero-sequence
harmonic currents. In this method the synchronous machine is
connected in shunt between the utility and nonlinear load. The
neutral point of the armature winding of synchronous machine is
connected to the neutral line through a switch. A buffer reactor is
installed on the utility side of the neutral line so that the harmonic
compensation characteristics do not depend on the impedance
of the utility side. This method does not require any additional
controller and the synchronous machine can be operated as a syn-
chronous condenser to control the reactive power in distribution
systems and/or operate as a motor or generator set. However, its
compensation characteristics depend on zero-sequence impedance
of the synchronous machine and buffer reactor.
The high initial and maintenance cost of the synchronous
machine limits its application. The passive neutral current com-
pensation technique using different transformer topologies can
reduce/eliminates the neutral current to a great extent.
6. Transformer based topologies
The neutral current compensation for a 3P4W distribution sys-
tem using different transformer topologies have been analysed by
different researchers. Some of the important transformer topolo-
gies are discussed below:
6.1. Zigzag transformer
In past the zigzag transformer was used for creating a neutral,
thereby converting a three-phase, three-wire (3P3W) distribution
system to a 3P4W system [27]. But, the use of zigzag transformer is
articulated to reduce the neutral current in 3P4W system [2737].
The schematic diagram of the basic topology is illustrated in Fig. 3.
In this method the zigzag transformer is connected in parallel to the
load, and it is connected as close as possible to the load. A zigzag
transformer consists of three single-phase transformers with the
turn ratio of 1:1. Therefore, the input currents owing into the
Fig. 3. A zigzag transformer for reducing the neutral current in 3P4W systems.
primary windings is equal to the output currents owing out from
secondary windings. Then, the three-phase currents owing into
three transformers must be equal. Hence, ideally the zigzag trans-
former can be regarded as open-circuit for the positive-sequence
and the negative-sequence currents [31]. Then, the current owing
through the zigzag transformer is only the zero-sequence compo-
nent. But in practice the impedance offered for the zero-sequence
currents is a function of the zero-sequence impedances of the utility
system, zigzag transformer and the neutral conductor [31]. How-
ever, the impedance of the utility system, the zigzag transformer
and the neutral conductor are very small in most practical cases
[31]. So a large value of the zero-sequence currents will circulate
between zigzag transformer and load.
The rating of the zigzag transformer depends on the amount of
load imbalance and harmonic content. To reduce the neutral cur-
rent of utility side furthermore it is advised to insert an inductor
(Zn ) in the neutral conductor of the utility side in order to split the
current into two paths, one to the distribution transformer and the
other to the zigzag transformer [27,31].
6.1.1. Operation of zigzag transformer with unbalanced/distorted
supply voltages
In case of an unbalanced and/or distorted system voltage, then
a zero-sequence voltage also exists. This zero-sequence voltage
generates a fundamental zero-sequence current owing through
the three-phase utility conductors, zigzag transformer and utility
neutral conductor. However, the impedance of the utility system,
the zigzag transformer and the neutral conductor are very small
in most of the 3P4W distribution power systems. Hence, there
is a signicant neutral current ow into the zigzag transformer
and this neutral current adversely affect the performance of the
zigzag transformer. This excess neutral current may result in the
burn-down of the zigzag transformer, the neutral conductor and
the distribution power transformer [31]. To alleviate this problem,
the zigzag transformer is not recommended in unbalanced and/or
distorted voltage of 3P4W distribution power system except an
inductor (Zn ) is inserted in the neutral conductor of the utility side
[31]. The inserted inductor serves three purposes:
1. Increases the attenuation rate by spiriting more neutral current
towards zigzag transformer [27,31].
2. Reduce the undesired increase of the neutral current if the sys-
tem voltage is unbalanced and/or distorted [31].
3. Reduces the fault current in case of a line-to-neutral fault [27].
The attenuation of this neutral current is a function of the
inserted inductor. If a large inductor is inserted a better com-
pensation is achieved [27]. The effect of buffer reactor (Zn ) on
the performance of zigzag transformer topology, simulations are
carried out in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. The summary of
 D. Sreenivasarao et al. / Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180
Table 1
The performance of the zigzag transformer based compensator with different values of inserted inductors.
Source neutral current without compensator (rms, A)
Source neutral current after compensation No inductor
with inserted inductor (Zn) (rms, A) 10.3
the simulated results are tabulated in Table 1. From the table it
is observed that the source neutral current decreases with the
increase in the buffer reactor and improves the performance of
zigzag transformer.
However, insertion of additional inductor may result in the neu-
tral voltage variation [31]. Many electrical facilities use the neutral
line as the referred ground, the neutral voltage variation or raising
the neutral voltage of the load side may cause shut down or abnor-
mal operation of the electric facilities in the load side. Therefore,
this method can reduce the neutral current to a large extent but it
will not completely compensate the same.
6.2. Star-delta transformer
In this method a star-delta transformer used for the reduction
of neutral current in 3P4W system [38,39] is shown in Fig. 4. Nor-
mally a limb core construction is used in the star winding of the
transformer, because the zero sequence ux in the three legs does
not add to zero as in the positive sequence case. Instead, the sum of
these uxes must seek a path through the air or through the trans-
former tank, either of which presents a large reluctance. The result
is a low zero sequence excitation impedance. Hence, the star con-
nected primary winding of the transformer offers a low impedance
path for the zero sequence currents. The delta connected secondary
winding provides a path for the induced zero sequence currents to
circulate [39].
The main disadvantage of this topology is that its compensation
characteristics are depends on the impedance of the transformer,
location and source voltage [31]. However, this method can reduce
only the neural current to a large extent but it will not completely
compensate the same.
6.3. T-connected transformer
In this method a T-connected transformer is used for the reduc-
tion of neutral current in 3P4W systems [40]. Here the T-connected
transformer is connected in parallel and as close as possible to
the load. Fig. 5 shows the schematic diagram of the T-connected
transformer for neutral current compensation in 3P4W system.
The T-connected transformer consists of two single-phase trans-
formers (one two-winding and one three-winding) arranged in a
T-connection [40]. This arrangement has the advantage of using
standard two single-phase transformers; consequently, the cores
Fig. 4. A star-delta transformer for reducing the neutral current in 3P4W systems.
173
19.3
1 mH 2 mH 3 mH 5 mH 10 mH
6.2 5.0 3.6 1.8 1.1
Fig. 5. A T-connected transformer for reducing the neutral current in 3P4W systems.
are economical to build and easy to assemble. Accordingly, the
transformer is small in oor space, low in height, and with a
lower weight than any of the other types of transformers available
[4143].
With proper selection of winding arrangements, the T-
connected transformer can be regarded as open-circuit for the
positive and negative sequence currents. Hence, the current ow-
ing through the T-connected transformer is only the zero-sequence
component [40]. But in practice the impedance offered for the zero-
sequence current is a function of the zero-sequence impedances of
the utility system, T-connected transformer and the neutral con-
ductor. The rating of the T-connected transformer depends on the
amount of load imbalance and harmonic content [40].
Similar to the zigzag transformer, its compensation character-
istics are depends on the impedance of the transformer, location
and source voltage [31]. However, this method can reduce only the
neural current to a large extent but not completely compensate the
same.
6.4. Star-hexagon transformer
A star-hexagon transformer can also be used for the reduc-
tion of neutral current in 3P4W systems [44,45]. Fig. 6 shows the
schematic diagram of star-hexagon transformer conguration for
neutral current compensation in 3P4W system. A star-hexagon
transformer is constructed from three single-phase three-winding
Fig. 6. A star-hexagon transformer for reducing the neutral current in 3P4W sys-
tems.
174 D. Sreenivasarao et al. / Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180

transformers. In this method the star connected primary provides

56.79

37.89

60.11

46.39

73.28
12.01
a low impedance path for the zero-sequence harmonic currents.

Isn
With star-hexagon transformer
The hexagon connected secondary winding provides a path for the
induced zero sequence currents to circulate [4446]. Similar to the

45.99

49.88

48.22

37.55

55.73
50.80
zigzag transformer, its compensation characteristics depend on the

Isc
impedance of the transformer, location and source voltage [31].
However, this method can reduce only the zero-sequence harmonic

53.13
48.56

41.17

53.61

55.87

53.46
current to a large extent but it will not completely compensate the

Isb
same.

(Fig. 6)
The compensation characteristics of transformer based meth-

48.12
27.46

50.13

25.22

43.67

26.80
ods depend on source voltage conditions. Effects of source voltage

Isa
on the performance of transformer based topologies have been
investigated in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. The summary of

8.98
54.76

34.76

55.92

46.21

68.39
Isn
the simulated results are given in Table 2, and observations are as

With T-connected transformer

under:

44.11
51.67

46.79

45.67

52.78
35.70
Isc
Under ideal source voltage conditions, transformer attenuates
the neutral current to a large extent but it will not completely

50.19
45.34

34.22

50.61

58.21

55.44
eliminate the same.

Isb
When source voltage having unbalance and/or distortions, it
causes signicant rise in the neutral and line currents. When both

(Fig. 5)

49.44
23.43

46.99

45.42

20.19
22.70
harmonic distortion and unbalance are simultaneously present

Isa
in the source voltage, then the raise in the neutral current is
stringent.

11.13
60.92

28.21

55.62

36.43

73.21
Isn
The comparison of the neutral current compensation methods in

With star-delta connected

3P4W systems with different transformer congurations are given

51.18
42.10

40.60

53.90

45.09

55.00
Isc
in Table 3. The kVA rating of the transformer is primarily decided

transformer (Fig. 4)
by the amount of the neutral current. The kVA rating of the trans-
former is calculated by considering the product of the rms values

53.67

48.31

42.34

48.68

45.21
50.02
Isb
of the voltage and current associated with each of its windings. It is
observed from Table 3 that, zigzag transformer approach requires

45.21
26.79

52.32

30.11

50.23

34.21
least kVA rating but it may require three single-phase transformers
Source currents after compensation (rms, A)

with turns ratio of 1:1. The T-connected transformer requires only Isa

two single-phase transformers and also its rating is nearly equal to

56.92

30.44
9.30

60.70

39.07

70.10
the zigzag transformer and far less than star/delta transformer.
Isn

However, the transformer based methods can reduce the neural

current to a large extent but it will not completely compensate the
39.98
52.13

44.68

54.72

40.97

56.42
With only zigzag (Fig. 3)

same. Complete compensation of neutral current is achieved by

The performance of the transformer based compensators under different voltage conditions.

Isc

using a hybrid lter. The main advantages of these hybrid lters

are: [28,29]
52.92
50.67

44.73

54.75
46.10

49.08
Isb

1. The compensator effectiveness is independent of the zero-

sequence impedance of the transformer and its installation
49.44
19.79

57.59

51.21

27.21
28.09

location.
Isa

2. It greatly reduces the size of the active power lter (APF).

19.42
17.71

13.53

14.59

21.91

16.98
Isn

Several hybrid approaches are reported in literature and are

given below [28,29,32,33,39].
35.36

32.45

31.71

32.19
33.03

35.08
compensation (rms, A)
Source currents before

Isc

6.4.1. Zigzag transformer with single-phase shunt APF

Fig. 7 shows a lter scheme for compensation of neutral current
52.92
50.63

55.79

51.25

53.39

53.52

in 3P4W system [28,29]. In this hybrid lter topology a single phase

Isb

APF is connected in between the neutral conductor of the utility and

the neutral point of the zigzag transformer. The single phase APF
53.42
32.21

31.35

53.56

30.31
52.07

is controlled in such a way that, it produces the desired compen-

Isa

sating current. These compensating currents are injected through

the neutral of the zigzag transformer. DC voltage is maintained
Distorted & unbalanced
(amplitude & phase)
(50% sag in Phase A)
Phase unbalance (20 ,
Amplitude unbalance

across the capacitor of the single-phase APF by using a separate

Distorted (15% 3th &
Amplitude & phase
120 & 240 )

single-phase transformer with a diode rectier bridge of a very low

10% 5th order
Utility voltage

kilo-Volt Ampere (kVA) rating [28]. Rating of the single-phase APF

harmonics)
unbalance
conditions

is very small; this is due a low voltage between the transformer

neutral and the utility neutral. The low kVA rating of the invert-
Table 2

Ideal

ers also reduces cost as well as power losses and the generated
Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). However, this will not be the
 D. Sreenivasarao et al. / Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180 175

Table 3
Comparison of neutral current compensation methods in three-phase, four-wire system with different transformer congurations [37,40,46].

Transformer type Zigzag (Fig. 3) Star-delta (Fig. 4) T-connected Star-hexagon

(Fig. 5) (Fig. 6)

Number of transformers 3 (single-phase 1 (three-phase 2 (single-phase 3 (single-phase

required to build two-winding) two-winding) three-winding and three-winding)
single-phase
two-winding)
Vl Vl V V V V V V V
Winding voltages : l : l l : l : l : l : l
3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3
(Vl = line-to-line voltage) Vl

V
and 2l :
Vl
2 3 2
In In In In
Primary winding current 3 3 3 3
(In = neutral current)
Vl In Vl In
 1 1
 Vl In
Transformer rating 3
= 0.333Vl In = 0.577Vl In + 6
Vl In = = 0.577Vl In
3 3 3 3
0.359Vl In
Is it a standard transformer? No Yes No No
Space requirement Low High Lowest Highest
Induce circulating currents in No Yes No Yes
the secondary winding
Effectiveness of neutral current Better than Good Better than Good
compensation (based on star-delta and star-delta and
simulation study under ideal star-hexagon star-hexagon
utility voltage from Table 2)
Cost of the compensator Low High Lowest Highest

case under transient as well as abnormal unbalanced utility volt-

age conditions. Under these conditions, an appropriate Metal Oxide
Varistors (MOV) must be used to protect the single-phase inverter
and zigzag transformer [29].

6.4.2. Zigzag transformer with single-phase series APF

Fig. 8 shows a lter scheme for compensation of neutral cur-
rent in 3P4W system [32,33]. In this type of hybrid lter topology,
a zigzag transformer is connected in parallel with the load and a
single-phase pulse-width-modulation (PWM) APF is connected in
series with the neutral conductor. Proper operation of PWM APF
increases the effectiveness of circulation of the neutral current of
the load via the zigzag transformer. The DC capacitor of the PWM
APF is recovered by drawing real power from the utility or from
an external supply [32]. This series connection of the PWM APF
results in signicant reduction in kVA rating of the inverter [32].
This is because, only the currents other than zero-sequence (the Fig. 8. A hybrid approach for compensation of neutral current: a zigzag transformer
zero-sequence will ow through the zigzag transformer) could only with single-phase series APF.
ow through the inverter [32]. A bypass switch (S) is placed in par-
allel with the active power lter and will be operated in case of
inverter failure or under abnormal utility conditions [28]. 6.4.3. Star-delta transformer with single-phase half-bridge PWM
APF
Fig. 9 shows a hybrid topology with star-delta transformer [39].
In this method a single-phase half-bridge PWM APF is connected
to the neutral of the transformer primary and neutral conductor. A

Fig. 7. A hybrid approach for compensation of neutral current: a zigzag transformer Fig. 9. A hybrid approach for compensation of neutral current: a star-delta trans-
with single-phase shunt APF. former with single-phase APF.
176 D. Sreenivasarao et al. / Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180

three-phase diode bridge rectier is connected to the delta wind-

ing to provide the necessary real power to maintain the dc voltage
across the capacitors of the single-phase half-bridge PWM APF.
Proper switching signals are used to control the PWM APF in such a
way that it produces the desired current to compensate the neutral
current. This harmonic current is injected through the neutral of
the transformer.
The above mentioned methods are used only for neural cur-
rent compensation. Compensation of neutral current along with
elimination of phase harmonic currents can be done by incorpo-
rating a three-phase, three-wire APF to the zigzag transformer
[28,29,3436]. These approaches greatly reduce the rating of the
active lter. The main reason for the reduction in the APF rating
is due to the separation of the zero-sequence currents from the
positive and negative-sequence currents to be compensated [28].

Fig. 10. The three H-bridge shunt APF topology.

7. Three-phase, four-wire active power lters
7.1. Three H-bridge shunt APF topology
Now-a-days, power-electronics-based compensators such as
Distribution STATic COMpensator (D-STATCOM), Dynamic Voltage
Fig. 10 shows the three H-bridge shunt APF topology. It consists
Restorer (DVR), Solid State Fault Current Limiter (SSFCL), Active
of three single-phase full bridge (H-bridge) voltage source inverters
Power Filter (APF), and Solid State Transfer Switch (SSTC) have
with a common self supporting DC bus [50]. Here all 12 switching
been used to overcome the power quality problems [47]. These
devices are used to realise the 3P4W shunt APF system. These H-
power electronic based compensators will solve the power quality
bridge inverters are connected to the 3P4W system by using three
problems by injecting voltage or current referring to the amount of
single-phase isolation transformers.
reference voltage or current of the distribution system [3,47].
Considering the structural advantage of this topology, the con-
Among these solutions, APF are specially designed to 3P4W
trol can be done either as a three-phase unit or three separate
systems for compensating neutral current along with necessary
single-phase units. An independent phase control approach based
compensation features of the three-phase, three-wire APFs [48,49].
on single-phase instantaneous reactive power theory is presented
These compensators can compensate not only the neutral cur-
in [80,81].
rent, but also compensate harmonics from the positive- and
In this topology the maximum voltage that appears across each
negative-sequence components of the load current. Three differ-
H-bridge is the single-phase voltage and not the three-phase volt-
ent topologies are available for 3P4W systems and are given below
age, as in the case of split capacitor or four-leg topology [51,52].
[4855,103].
This result into a reduction of DC bus voltage by a factor of 3 Thus
the reference DC bus voltage needed for proper
operation of shunt
APF also reduces by a maximum factor of 3, this reduces the rat-
1. Three H-bridge shunt APF topology. ing of inverter. But, the main disadvantage of this topology is the
2. 3P4W capacitor midpoint (or split-capacitor) APF topology. increased number of switching devices.
3. 3P4W four-leg APF topology.

7.2. Three-phase, four-wire capacitor midpoint APF topology

The rst one uses three H-bridge voltage source inverters and
The capacitor midpoint APF topology utilizes the standard
these H-bridge are connected through isolation transformers. The
three-phase conventional inverter where the dc capacitor is split
capacitor midpoint topology and four-leg topologies are looking
and the neutral wire is directly connected to the electrical midpoint
similar. The fundamental difference between these two topologies
of the capacitors through an optional inductance [51,52]. The split
is the number of power semiconductor devices and the connection
capacitors allow load neutral current to ow through one of the dc
of the neutral wire. The other possible 3P4W topologies such as
capacitors Cdc1 , Cdc2 and return to the ac neural wire. Fig. 11 shows
combination of capacitor midpoint and four-leg topology [53] and
the capacitor midpoint APF topology used in 3P4W systems.
the method proposed in [54]. In the later method the neutral con-
ductor of the utility is directly connected to the positive or negative
terminal of the DC bus.
The performance of the 3P4W APFs depend on the control
algorithm i.e. the extraction of the current components for com-
pensation. Control schemes for the three-phase, three-wire active
power lers [5662] are not directly applicable here and require
additional considerations in the control circuitry for the compen-
sation of the neutral current. To achieve this there are various
control schemes are reported in the literature and some of these
are instantaneous reactive power (IRP) theory, instantaneous com-
pensation, instantaneous symmetrical components, synchronous
reference frame (SRF) theory, computation based on per phase
basis, Adaline based control algorithm and scheme based on neu-
ral network etc. [6380]. The rest of the details of the previously
mentioned topologies are given below: Fig. 11. The 3P4W capacitor midpoint topology.
 D. Sreenivasarao et al. / Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180 177

Lower dc voltage and current requirement: This topology

Fig. 12. The 3P4W four-leg topology.
One of the serious problems with this topology is voltage unbal-
ance between the capacitors [49]. This is due to the direct ow of
the neutral current through one of the capacitors, causing voltage
variations among them. There are two possible ways to balance the
capacitors:
1. By adjusting the switching of the inverter (such as dynamic hys-
teresis controller) [49,8289]. This approach requires additional
control circuitry.
2. By using additional power electronic switching circuitry (such as
choppers) [90]. This approach increases the cost when compared
with the former one.
7.3. Three-phase, four-wire four-leg APF topology
Fig. 12 shows the four-leg APF topology used in 3P4W systems
[51,52]. In this topology three of the switch legs are connected to
the three phase conductors through a series inductance while the
fourth switch leg is connected to the neutral conductor with an
optional inductor. This topology is most suitable for compensa-
tion of high neutral currents [48]. Despite having higher number
of switching devices this topology outweighed the split capacitor
topology by number of factors [48,49,51,52].
Better controllability: In this topology only one dc-bus voltage
needs to be regulated, as opposed to two in the capacitor mid-
point topology. This signicantly simplies the control circuitry
with better controllability [48].
requires a lower dc-bus voltage and capacitor current with it
[51,52].
High order harmonics in dc side current: The dc side current
in three H-bridge and capacitor midpoint topology must handle
the low order harmonics. These low order harmonics contribute to
signicant ripple on the dc-bus voltage. But in four leg topology,
the dc side current has only higher order harmonics and will not
contribute to signicant ripple on the dc-bus voltage [51,52].
The main disadvantage of this topology is the difculty in control
of the four-leg inverter. The conventional voltage or current con-
trolled methods [91] are not directly applicable here and require
special consideration. Several modulation methods for the four-leg
converter have been suggested in [92101]. Among these meth-
ods, the carrier-based pulse width modulation (PWM) methods are
heuristic and can be easily applied to four-leg converters [92,93].
Nevertheless, the space vector PWM (SVPWM) is very interest-
ing because it offers signicant exibility to optimize switching
waveforms and it is well suited for digital implementation [9498].
Mathematical modelling of the four-leg inverter is given in [102].
3P4W APFs may use simple 2-level inverter structures with
high switching frequency or multilevel inverter topologies with
relatively low switching frequency [104,105]. However, currently
there is tough competition for high-power medium-voltage appli-
cations between the use of classic power converter topologies using
high-voltage semiconductors and new converter topologies using
medium-voltage devices. Multilevel inverters built using mature
medium-voltage semiconductors are competing in development
race with classic power converters using high-voltage semicon-
ductors. Nowadays, multilevel inverters are a good solution for high
power applications due to the fact that they can achieve high power
using mature medium-power semiconductor technology [105].
The comparison of 3P4W APFs are given in Table 4. The signi-
cant factor that may decide the selection of these topologies is the
overall cost involved to realise the 3P4W APF. Owing to the topolog-
ical advantage of three H-bridge topology, the required reference
DC bus voltage for APF is reduced maximum by a factor of 3. The
high cost of three H-bridge topology owing to an increased number
of semiconductor devices can be counterbalanced by reduction in
voltage rating of the devices, and thus making this topology suitable
for high-voltage and high power application. For low-to-medium-
power applications, the low cost of capacitor midpoint topology can

Table 4
Comparison of three-phase, four-wire system active power lters [51,52] [103].

Active lter topology Three H-bridge (Fig. 10) Capacitor midpoint (Fig. 11) Four-leg APF (Fig. 12)

Number of switching devices (2-level inverter) 12 6 8

Number of capacitors 1 2 1
Additional sensor requirement None One extra DC bus voltage One extra current sensor
 sensor (total two)

2
DC-Side Voltage (Vl =line-to-line voltage) 2/3Vl V
0.87 l
2Vl
DC-side current harmonics Lower order harmonics Lower order harmonics Higher order harmonics only
Need of coupling transformer Necessary Not necessary Not necessary
Control over neutral current Indirect Indirect Direct (using 4th leg)
Effectiveness of neutral current compensation Better performance than May degrade with high neutral Better performance than
capacitor midpoint currents capacitor midpoint and three
H-bridge
Overall cost High Low Moderate
Main advantage Reduced dc voltage Least number of switching Better controllability
requirement devices
Main disadvantage More number of switching Capacitor unbalance problem More number of switching
devices due to voltage difference devices
across two capacitors
Application and topology selection Suitable for high voltage, Suitable for low to medium Suitable for low to medium
medium to high power power applications. power applications. Suitable
applications. Suitable for for compensating high neutral
compensating high neutral currents.
currents.
178 D. Sreenivasarao et al. / Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180

Table 5
Comparison of neutral current compensation techniques in three-phase, four-wire systems.

Features Type of solution

Transformer based solutions Three-phase, four-wire active power lters

Basic principle
Effectiveness of neutral current
compensation
Operation under unbalanced and/or
distorted utility voltage conditions
Phase harmonic compensation,
reactive power compensation and
icker mitigation
Rating of the compensator
Robustness of compensator
Effect of location on compensating
characteristics
Effect of source impedance on
compensating characteristics
Effect of buffer reactor (Zn) on
compensating characteristics
Design of compensator
Cost of the compensator
Application and topology selection
Provides low impedance path for zero-sequence harmonics Compensate by injecting equal-but-opposite
currents. compensating current.
Depending upon the selection of transformer, these currents
may circulate in the secondary winding of the transformer or
may circulate between load and transformer.
Compensates only zero-sequence harmonics (complete Completely compensates neutral current
compensation is possible with addition of 1- APF)
Degrades and causes uneven raise of neutral and line currents Degrades (with proper design of controller this
(but with addition of 1- APF this problem can be alleviated to problem can be alleviated to some extent)
some extent)
Not possible (possible only with addition of three-phase, Possible (this is the native feature of 3P4W
three-wire compensator) APFs)
Very less (low kVA rating of the compensator reduces cost, Very high
power losses and the generated electromagnetic interference)
High because of passive compensation Less
Dependent Independent
Dependent Independent (dependent only when load
impedance is less than source impedance)
Dependent (but no buffer reactor is required with addition of No buffer reactor is required
1- APF)
Less complex Complex
Less High
Suitable for high voltage, medium to high power applications
Suitable for low to medium power applications
Not suitable with unbalanced and/or distorted utilities voltages

be selected. For better performance at moderate cost, the four-leg
topology could be a best option for low-to-medium-power appli-
cations.
The merits and demerits of transformer based topologies and
3P4W APFs are given in Table 5. The application of transformers for
reduction of neutral current is advantageous due to reduced rating,
passive compensation, rugged, low cost, easy installation and less
complex over active compensation techniques. But, its compensa-
tion characteristics are strongly dependent on system impedance
and utility voltage conditions. The 3P4W APF helps to achieve
other controllable objectives such as reactive power compensation,
icker mitigation, voltage sag/swell reduction and also their com-
pensation characteristics are independent of system impedance.
However, for 3P4W APFs requires large rating inverter.
8. Conclusion
In this paper, causes, problems, recommendations and mitiga-
tion techniques of excess neutral current have been investigated for
3P4W distribution systems. Neutral current in these systems has
serious drawbacks and the only solution for handling these cur-
rents is to incorporate the neutral current compensation devices
within the distribution system.
Passive harmonic lters for neutral current compensation are
bulky and may cause resonance with system impedance. The trans-
former based methods can reduce the neutral current to a large
extent but, it will not completely compensate the same and also
its compensation characteristics are depends on zero-sequence
impedance of the transformer and the utility voltage conditions.
For complete compensation, a hybrid approach is must. However,
the application of transformers for reduction of neutral current has
an advantage due to passive compensation, ruggedness, and less
complexity over the active compensation techniques. Among all
transformer based methods, zigzag transformer approach has least
kVA rating.
The 3P4W APFs are specially designed for neutral current
compensation and harmonic elimination in line-currents. The com-
mercial success of these lters is due to their acceptable cost,
coupled with desirable technical features such as extremely fast
response time, exibility of control, continuous operation with
virtually no maintenance and simultaneously other controllable
objectives can be achievable. However, the large rating of the
inverter is main drawback of these topologies. The rating of these
3P4W APF can be greatly reduced by replacing with a hybrid lter
topology which consists of a 3P3W APF, a special transformer (such
as zigzag) and a single-phase APF.
References
[1] J. Arrillaga, N.R. Watson, Power System Harmonics, 2nd edition, John Wiley
& Sons Ltd., 2003.
[2] R.C. Dugan, M.F. McGranaghan, H.W. Beaty, Electric Power Systems Quality,
2nd edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2006.
[3] A. Moreno-Munoz, Power Quality: Mitigation Technologies in a Distributed
Environment, Springer-Verlag limited, London, 2007.
[4] T.M. Gruzs, A survey of neutral currents in three-phase computer power sys-
tems, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl. 26 (4) (1990) 719725.
[5] A.-C. Liew, Excessive neutral currents in three-phase uorescent lighting cir-
cuits, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl. 25 (4) (1989) 776782.
[6] H.O. Aintablian, H.W. Hill Jr., Harmonic currents generated by personal com-
puters and their effects on the distribution system neutral current, in: Conf.
IEEE Ind. Appl., vol. 2, October, 1993, pp. 14831495.
[7] D.O. Koval, C. Carter, Power quality characteristics of computer loads, IEEE
Trans. Ind. Appl. 33 (3) (1997) 613621.
[8] J.C. Balda, A.R. Oliva, D.W. McNabb, R.D. Richardson, Measurements of neutral
currents and voltages on a distribution feeder, IEEE Trans. Power Deliv. 12 (4)
(1997) 17991804.
[9] A. Capasso, R. Lamedica, A. Prudenzi, Experimental characterization of
personal computers harmonic impact on power quality, Comput. Stand. Inter-
faces 21 (1999) 321333.
[10] D.P. Manjure, E.B. Makram, Impact of unbalance on power system harmonics,
in: Proc. 10th Int. Conf. Harmonics and Quality of Power, vol. 1, October 69,
2002, pp. 328333.
[11] D. Maheswaran, A. Kalyanasundaram, S. Kameshwaran, Power quality issues
in a distribution network impact of neutral current due to nonlinear loads, in:
Proc. of India Int. Conf. on Power Electronics, December, 2006, pp. 150155.
[12] J.A. Pomilio, S.M. Deckmann, Characterization and compensation of harmon-
ics and reactive power of residential and commercial loads, IEEE Trans. Power
Deliv. 22 (2) (2007) 10491055.
[13] Nonlinear loads mean trouble, EC&M, pp. 8390, March 1988.
[14] S. Mohamadian, A. Shoulaie, Comprehensive denitions for evaluating
harmonic distortion and unbalanced conditions in three and four-wire three-
phase systems based on IEEE standard 1459, IEEE Trans. Power Deliv. 26 (3)
(2011) 1741782.
 D. Sreenivasarao et al. / Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180
[15] IEEE Recommended Practices and Requirements for Harmonics Control in
Electric Power Systems, IEEE Standard, vol. 519, 1992.
[16] A. Hiranandani, Calculation of cable ampacities including the effects of har-
monics, IEEE Ind. Appl. Mag. 4 (2) (1998) 4251.
[17] CBEMA Information Letter, CBEMA, ESC-3 Committee, CBEMA, 311 First St.,
N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20001.
[18] Recommended Practice For Establishing Transformer Capability When Sup-
plying Nonsinusoidal Load Currents, ANSI/IEEE C57.110-1986, IEEE, Inc., New
York, NY, 1986, 10017.
[19] J.P. Nelson, The grounding of power systems above 600 volts: a practical view
point, in: Proc. IEEE/IAS, 2003, pp. 1322.
[20] F.Z. Peng, Harmonic sources and ltering approaches, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl. 7
(2001) 1825.
[21] F.Z. Peng, G.J. Su, A series LC lter for harmonic compensation of ac drives, in:
Proc. IEEE Power Electron. Specialist Conf., 1999, pp. 213218.
[22] S. Senini, P.J. Wolfs, Hybrid active lter for harmonically unbalanced three
phase three wire railway traction loads, IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 15 (4)
(2000) 702710.
[23] P. Rodriguez, J. Ignacio Candela, A. Luna, L. Asiminoaei, R. Teodorescu, F. Blaab-
jerg, Current harmonics cancellation in three-phase, four-wire systems by
using a four-branch star ltering topology, IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 24 (8)
(2009) 19391950.
[24] J.C. Das, Passive lters potentialities and limitations, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl.
40 (2004) 232241.
[25] C.J. Wu, J.C. Chiang, S.S. Yen, C.J. Liao, J.S. Yang, T.Y. Guo, Investigation and
mitigation of harmonic amplication problems caused by single-tuned lters,
IEEE Trans. Power Deliv. 13 (3) (1998) 800806.
[26] T. Fukami, T. Onchi, N. Naoe, R. Hanaoka, Compensation for neutral current
harmonics in a three-phase, four-wire system by a synchronous machine,
IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl. 38 (2002) 12321236.
[27] P.P. Khera, Application of zig-zag transformers for reducing harmonics in the
neutral conductor of low voltage distribution system, in: Proc. IEEE/IAS, vol.
2, 1990, pp. 10921096.
[28] G. Kamath, N. Mohan, A novel, reduced rating active lter for 3-phase, 4-wire
loads, in: Proc. IEEE APEC94, vol. 2, 1994, pp. 936940.
[29] G. Kamath, N. Mohan, V.D. Albertson, Hardware implementation of a novel,
reduced rating active lter for 3-phase, 4-wire loads, in: Proc. IEEE APEC95,
vol. 2, 1995, pp. 984989.
[30] R. Apolonio, J.C. de Oliveira, A.B. de Vasconcellos, Three-phase electromag-
netic lter for zero sequence harmonics, in: Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Harmonic
and Quality of Power, 2004, pp. 613618.
[31] H.-L. Jou, J.-C. Wu, K.-D. Wu, W.-J. Chiang, Y.-H. Chen, Analysis of zig-zag trans-
former applying in the three-phase, four-wire distribution power system,
IEEE Trans. Power Deliv. 20 (2) (2005) 11681173.
[32] S. Choi, M. Jang, A reduced-rating hybrid lter to suppress neutral current
harmonics in three-phase, four-wire systems, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. Lett.
51 (2004) 927930.
[33] S. Choi, M. Jang, Analysis and control of a single-phase-inverter zigzag-
transformer hybrid neutral-current suppressor in three-phase four-wire
systems, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. 54 (2007) 22012208.
[34] H.-L. Jou, K.-D. Wu, J.-C. Wu, W.-J. Chiang, A three-phase, four-wire power
lter comprising a three-phase three-wire active lter and a zig-zag trans-
former, IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 23 (1) (2008) 252259.
[35] B. Singh, P. Jayaprakash, T.R. Somayajulu, D.P. Kothari, Reduced rating
VSC with a zig-zag transformer for current compensation in a three-
phase, four-wire distribution system, IEEE Trans. Power Deliv. 24 (1) (2009)
249259.
[36] B. Singh, P. Jayaprakash, S. Kumar, D.P. Kothari, Implementation of neural-
network-controlled three-leg VSC and a transformer as three-phase four-wire
DSTATCOM, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl. 47 (4) (2011) 18921901.
[37] B. Singh, P. Jayaprakash, D.P. Kothari, Magnetics for neutral current compen-
sation in three-phase four-wire distribution system, in: Conf. PEDES, 2010,
pp. 17.
[38] I.J. Pitel, P. Enjeti, Active harmonic power lter apparatus and method, US
Patent US 5,568,371, 22nd October, 1996.
[39] P.N. Enjeti, W. Shireen, P. Packebush, I.J. Pitel, Analysis and design of a new
active power lter to cancel neutral current harmonics in three-phase, four-
wire electric distribution systems, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl. 30 (1994) 15651572.
[40] B. Singh, P. Jayaprakash, D.P. Kothari, A T-connected transformer and three-
leg VSC based DSTATCOM for power quality improvement, IEEE Trans. Power
Electron. 23 (6) (2008) 27102718.
[41] E.W. Manning, The T-connected 3-phase transformer, Trans. AIEE Power Appl.
Syst. 77 (1958) 10211023.
[42] B.A. Cogbill, J.A. Hetrick, Analysis of TT connections of two single phase
transformers, IEEE Trans. Power App. Syst. PAS 87 (2) (1968) 388394.
[43] G. Olivier, R. Cojocaru, A. Lefvre, Analytical model of a T-connected three-
phase transformer, Math. Comput. Simul. 63 (2003) 407419.
[44] P. Jayaprakash, B. Singh, D.P. Kothari, Three-phase 4-wire DSTATCOM based
on H-bridge VSC with a star/hexagon transformer for power quality improve-
ment, in: IEEE Region 10 Colloquium and the Third Int. Conf. on Ind. and Inf.
Systems, 2008, pp. 16.
[45] B. Singh, P. Jayaprakash, D.P. Kothari, Three leg VSC with a star-hexagon trans-
former based DSTATCOM for power quality improvement in three-phase,
four-wire distribution system, Int. J. Emerg. Electr. Power Syst. 9 (8) (2008) 1.
[46] B. Singh, S. Gairola, A. Chandra, K. Al-Haddad, Power quality improve-
ments in isolated twelve pulse ACDC converters using delta/double polygon
179
transformer, in: IEEE Power Electron. Spec. Conf. (PESC07), June, 2007, pp.
28482853.
[47] N.G. Hingorani, Introducing custom power, in: IEEE Spectrum, June, 1995, pp.
4148.
[48] B. Singh, K. Al-Haddad, A. Chandra, A review of active power lters for power
quality improvement, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. 45 (5) (1999) 960971.
[49] H. Akagi, E.H. Watanabe, M. Aredes, Instantaneous Power Theory and Appli-
cations to Power Conditioning, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, 2007.
[50] F.Z. Peng, H. Akagi, A. Nabae, A novel harmonic power lter, in: PESC88, April,
1988, pp. 11511158.
[51] C.A. Quinn, N. Mohan, Active ltering of harmonic currents in three-phase,
four-wire systems with three-phase and single-phase nonlinear loads, in:
Proc. IEEE APEC92, 1992, pp. 829835.
[52] C.A. Quinn, N. Mohan, H. Mehta, A four-wire, current-controlled converter
provides harmonic neutralization in three-phase, four-wire systems, in: Proc.
IEEE APEC, 1993, pp. 841846.
[53] P. Salmeron, J.C. Montano, J.R. Vazquiez, A. Perez, Compensation in nonsi-
nusoidal, unbalanced three-phase, four-wire systems with active power-line
conditioner, IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 19 (4) (2004) 19681974.
[54] H.L. Jou, K.D. Wu, J.C. Wu, C.H. Li, M.S. Huang, Novel power converter topology
for three-phase, four-wire hybrid power lter, IET Power Electron. 1 (1) (2008)
164173.
[55] F.R. Quintela, J.M.G. Arvalo, R.C. Redondo, N.R. Melchor, Four-wire three-
phase load balancing with static VAr compensators, Electr. Power Energ. Syst.
33 (2011) 562568.
[56] B. Singh, J. Solanki, A comparison of control algorithms for DSTATCOM, IEEE
Trans. Ind. Electron. 56 (7) (2009) 27382745.
[57] H. Akagi, Y. Kanazawa, A. Nabae, Instantaneous reactive power comprising
switching devices without energy storage components, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl.
20 (3) (1984) 625630.
[58] M. Kale, E. Ozdemir, Harmonic and reactive power compensation with shunt
active power lter under non-ideal mains voltage, Electr. Power Syst. Res. 77
(2005) 363370.
[59] S.J. Huang, et al., A study of three-phase active power lters under non-ideal
mains voltages, Electr. Power Syst. Res. 49 (1999) 125137.
[60] S. Saad, L. Zellouma, Fuzzy logic controller for three-level shunt active l-
ter compensating harmonics and reactive power, Electr. Power Syst. Res. 79
(2009) 13371341.
[61] A. Bhattacharya, C. Chakraborty, A shunt active power lter with enhanced
performance using ANN-based predictive and adaptive controllers, IEEE
Trans. Ind. Electron. 58 (2) (2011) 421428.
[62] R.R. Pereira, C.H. da Silva, L.E.B. da Silva, G. Lambert-Torres, J.O.P. Pinto, New
strategies for application of adaptive lters in active power lters, IEEE Trans.
Ind. Electron. 47 (3) (2011) 11361141.
[63] M. Aredes, J. Hafner, K. Heumann, Three-phase, four-wire shunt active lter
control strategies, IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 12 (2) (1997) 311318.
[64] M.I.M. Montero, E.R. Cadaval, F.B. Gonzlez, Comparison of control strategies
for shunt active power lters in three-phase, four-wire systems, IEEE Trans.
Power Electron. 22 (1) (2007) 229236.
[65] A. Chandra, B. Singh, B.N. Singh, K. Al-Haddad, An improved control algo-
rithm of shunt active lter for voltage regulation, harmonic elimination,
power-factor correction, and balancing of nonlinear loads, IEEE Trans. Power
Electron. 15 (3) (2000) 495507.
[66] R. Cardoner, R. Costa-Castell, E. Fossas, Digital repetitive control of
R. Grin,
a three-phase, four-wire shunt active lter, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. 54 (3)
(2007) 14951503.
[67] V. Khadkikar, A. Chandra, A novel structure for three-phase, four-wire distri-
bution system utilizing unied power quality conditioner (UPQC), IEEE Trans.
Ind. Appl. 45 (5) (2009) 18971902.
[68] H. Akagi, S. Ogasawara, H. Kim, The theory of instantaneous power in three-
phase, four-wire systems: a comprehensive approach, in: Proc. IEEE IAS Annu.
Meeting, 1999, pp. 431439.
[69] M. Aredes, E.H. Watanabe, New control algorithms for series and shunt three-
phase, four-wire active power lters, IEEE Trans. Power Deliv. 11 (3) (1995)
16491656.
[70] B.N. Singh, P. Rastgoufard, B. Singh, A. Chandra, K.A. Haddad, Design, simula-
tion and implementation of three pole/four pole topologies for active lters,
Inst. Electr. Eng. Proc. Electr. Power Appl. 151 (4) (2004) 467476.
[71] M. Ucar, E. Ozdemir, Control of a 3-phase 4-leg active power lter under non-
ideal mains voltage condition, Electr. Power Syst. Res. 78 (2008) 5873.
[72] P. Salmern, R.S. Herrera, Instantaneous reactive power theory a gen-
eral approach to poly-phase systems, Electr. Power Syst. Res. 79 (2009)
12631270.
[73] Reviewing concepts of instantaneous and average compensa-
J.C. Montano,
tions in polyphase systems, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. 58 (1) (2011) 213220.
[74] C. Madtharad, S. Premrudeepreechacharn, Active power lter for three-phase
four-wire electric systems using neural networks, Electr. Power Syst. Res. 60
(2002) 179192.
[75] B. Singh, P. Jayaprakash, D.P. Kothari, New control approach for capacitor
supported DSTATCOM in three-phase four wire distribution system under
non-ideal supply voltage conditions based on synchronous reference frame
theory, Electr. Power Energ. Syst. 33 (2011) 11091117.
[76] B. Singh, K. Al-Haddad, A. Chandra, Harmonic elimination, reactive power
compensation and load balancing in three-phase, four-wire electric distribu-
tion systems supplying non-linear loads, Electr. Power Syst. Res. 44 (1998)
93100.
180 D. Sreenivasarao et al. / Electric Power Systems Research 86 (2012) 170180
[77] M.C. Benhabib, S. Saadate, New control approach for four-wire active power
lter based on the use of synchronous reference frame, Electr. Power Syst.
Res. 73 (2005) 353362.
[78] S. Orts-Grau, F.J. Gimeno-Sales, A. Abelln-Garca, S. Segu-Chilet, J.C. Alfonso-
Gil, Improved shunt active power compensator for IEEE standard 1459
compliance, IEEE Trans. Power Deliv. 25 (4) (2010) 26922701.
[79] P. Salmeron, S.P. Litran, A control strategy for hybrid power lter to com-
pensate four-wires three-phase systems, IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 25 (7)
(2010) 19231931.
[80] V. Khadkikar, A. Chandra, An independent control approach for three-phase,
four-wire shunt active lter based on three H-bridge topology under unbal-
anced load conditions, in: Power Electron. Spec. Conf., August, 2008, pp.
46434649.
[81] M.T. Haque, Single-phase PQ theory, in: Proc. Annu. Conf. IEEE Power Electron.
Spc. (PESC02), vol. 4, June, 2002, pp. 18151820.
[82] C.S. Ma, T.J. Kim, D.W. Kang, D.S. Hyun, A simple control strategy for balanc-
ing the DC-link voltage of neutral-point-clamped inverter at low modulation
index, in: Proc. IECON, November 26, 2003, pp. 21672172.
[83] A. Shukla, A. Ghosh, A. Joshi, Control schemes for DC capacitor
voltages equalization in diode-clamped multilevel inverter-
based DSTATCOM, IEEE Trans. Power Deliv. 23 (2) (2008)
11391149.
[84] A. Shukla, A. Ghosh, A. Joshi, Improved multilevel hysteresis current regula-
tion and capacitor voltage balancing schemes for ying capacitor multilevel
inverter, IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 23 (2) (2008) 518529.
[85] D.W. Kang, B.K. Lee, J.H. Jeon, T.J. Kim, D.S. Hyun, A symmetric carrier tech-
nique of CRPWM for voltage balance method of ying-capacitor multilevel
inverter, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. 52 (3) (2005) 879888.
[86] M.P. Kazmierkowski, L. Malesani, Current control techniques for three-phase
voltage-source PWM converters: a survey, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. 45 (5)
(1998) 691703.
[87] M.K. Mishra, A. Joshi, A. Ghosh, Control for equalization of capacitor voltages
in neutral clamped shunt compensator, IEEE Trans. Power Deliv. 18 (2) (2003)
538544.
[88] J.A. Barrena, L. Marroyo, M.A.R. Vidal, J.R.T. Apraiz, Individual voltage bal-
ancing strategy for PWM cascaded H-bridge converter based STATCOM, IEEE
Trans. Ind. Electron. 55 (1) (2008) 2129.
[89] N.-Y. Dai, M.-C. Wong, F. Ng, Y.-D. Han, A FPGA-based generalized pulse width
modulator for three-leg center-split and four-leg voltage source inverters,
IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 23 (3) (2008) 14721484.
[90] S. Srikanthan, M.K. Mishra, DC capacitor voltage equalization in neutral
clamped inverters for DSTATCOM application, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. 57
(8) (2010) 27682775.
[91] D.G. Holmes, T.A. Lipo, Pulse Width Modulation for Power Converters, Wiley,
Hoboken, NJ, 2003.
[92] J.-H. Kim, S.-K. Sul, A carrier-based PWM method for three phase four-leg
voltage source converters, IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 19 (1) (2004) 6675.
[93] J. Kim, S. Sul, N. Enjeti, A carrier-based PWM method with optimal switching
sequence for a multilevel four-leg voltage-source inverter, IEEE Trans. Ind.
Appl. 44 (4) (2008) 12391248.
[94] F. Wang, Sine-triangle versus space-vector modulation for three-level PWM
voltage-source inverters, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl. 38 (2) (2002) 500506.
[95] R. Zhang, V.H. Prasad, D. Boroyevich, Three-dimensional space vector modu-
lation for four-leg voltage source converters, IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 17
(3) (2002) 314326.
[96] M.A. Perales, M.M. Prats, R. Portillo, J.L. Mora, J.I. Leon, L.G. Franquelo, Three-
dimensional space vector modulation in ABC coordinates for four-leg voltage
source converters, IEEE Power Electron. Lett. 1 (4) (2003) 104109.
[97] C. Liu, J. Lai, F.C. Lee, D. Chen, R. Zhang, Common-mode components compari-
son for different SVM schemes in three-phase four-legged converter, in: Proc.
3rd Int. Conf. Power Electron. Motion Control, vol. 2, August 1518, 2000, pp.
633638.
[98] O. Lopez, J. Alvarez, J. Doval-Gandoy, F. Freijedo, A. Lago, C.M. Penalver, Four-
dimensional space vector PWM algorithm for multilevel four-leg converters,
in: Conf. IECON08, November, 2008, pp. 32523259.
[99] P. Lohia, M.K. Mishra, K. Karthikeyan, K. Vasudevan, A minimally switched
control algorithm for three-phase four-leg VSI topology to compensate
unbalanced and nonlinear load, IEEE Trans. Power Electron. 23 (4) (2008)
19351944.
[100] G. Dong, O. Ojo, Current regulation in four-leg voltage-source converters, IEEE
Trans. Ind. Electron. 54 (4) (2007) 20952105.
[101] Vincent George, M.K. Mishra, Design and analysis of user-dened constant
switching frequency current-control-based four-leg DSTATCOM, IEEE Trans.
Power Electron. 24 (9) (2009) 21482158.
[102] S. Srikanthan, M.K. Mishra, Modeling of a four-leg inverter based DSTATCOM
for load compensation, in: Int. Conf. on Power System Technology, 2010, pp.
16.
[103] V. Khadkikar, A. Chandra, B. Singh, Digital signal processor implementation
and performance evaluation of split capacitor, four-leg and three H-bridge-
based three-phase four-wire shunt active lters, IET Power Electron. 4 (4)
(2011) 463470.
[104] J. Rodriguez, J. Lai, F.Z. Peng, Multilevel inverters: a survey of topologies,
controls, and applications, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. 49 (4) (2002) 724738.
[105] S. Kouro, M. Malinowski, K. Gopa Kumar, J. Pou, L.G. Franquelo, B. Wu, J.
Rodriguez, M.A. Perez, J.I. Leon, Recent advances and industrial applications
of multilevel converters, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. 57 (8) (2010) 25532578.