Harmonic Study & Analysis in New Zealand
Care Labs provides several services such as study, analysis, testing, inspection, calibration, and certification services for all types of electrical installation near you. We are offering comprehensive harmonic study and analysis services.
Care Labs is an authorized service provider of ETAP. Our team of professionals uses the best electrical system analyzing software tool- ETAP to perform harmonic analysis studies. It enables us a best possible way to analyze the harmonic distortion present in a system and to provide mitigation techniques.
New Zealand is the most interesting country for studying and assessing the power quality, especially about harmonics, as it is an island nation in which a large proportion of generated electric energy undergoes rectification only.
What are Harmonics?
With the increasing number of nonlinear loads, rapid growth in new technologies, and renewable generation in New Zealand, understanding and analyzing power quality problems have become a real challenge.
All these devices inject severe harmonic currents into the electric grid. These harmonic distortions can go upstream within the electric network and distort the supply voltage waveform, which may become affected, deviating far from a smooth sinusoidal curve.
Harmonic is one of the most significant concepts on the electric system that should not be avoided, since it can degrade the quality of the supply power, disturbs the electrical distribution system, and affects the operation of equipment.
The ideal power supply for electric systems is a pure sinusoidal wave. These pure sine waveforms can be distorted due to the presence of harmonics.
Electrical signals occurring at integer multiples of the frequency at which the supply system is operating (e.g., 50 Hz or 60 Hz) is known as harmonics. For example, in a 50 Hz supply system, the harmonic order three is known as the third harmonic frequency 150 Hz.
A frequency component of a periodic quantity that is not an integer multiple of the fundamental 50Hz power system frequency is known as inter harmonics.
Effects of Harmonics:
High levels of Harmonic presence in an electric system may lead to
Engineering Perspective
- Nuisance tripping of circuit breaker
- Harmonic resonance
- Capacitor bank failure
- Transformer overheating
- Skin effects for higher harmonic orders
- Overheat components
- Reduced power factors
- Telephone interference
- Motor winding burnt & hunting
- Neutral overloading (double neutral)
- Causing electromagnetic interference to sensitive signals
- Maloperation of protective devices
- Problems to generators
Business Perspective
- Increased maintenance and replacement cost
- Interruptions and downtimes cost
- Increased electricity consumption
- Enlargement of the installations
- Stoppage of the productive process
- Reduced system capacity and thus increase capital expenditure by unnecessary expansion
- Shorten the life of the equipment
Harmonic Analysis Study:
Harmonic studies play a vital role in characterizing, understanding, and assessing the extent of harmonic issues. It provides a way to assess various possible solutions for harmonic pollution issues and their effectiveness under a range of conditions before implementing a final solution.
Harmonic studies are often performed
- To find a solution to an existing harmonic emission issue
- While installing large capacitor banks on facility’s distribution systems or industrial power systems
- While installing large nonlinear devices or loads
- To design a harmonic filter
- To determine the Total Harmonic Distortion-THD current and voltage
- To determine the potential Effects
- To isolate the harmonic sources by spectrum and size
- To convert a power factor correction capacitor bank to a harmonic filter.
- While plant expansion where a significant number of nonlinear loads or a significant amount of capacitance is added.
- To design a new electric power system for a facility
- To determine how to meet the reactive power demands and harmonic limits.
Our harmonic analysis study is in adherence to NZECP 36:1993, AS/NZS 61000, and IEEE 519 standards
Our process of conducting a harmonic analysis study is as follows:
- Obtaining the existing single-line diagram of the system
- Collecting all non-linear load’s harmonic content data
- Focusing the Point of Common Coupling-PCC, collecting the dominant voltage and current harmonic emission data at the PCC that can cause an increase in the THD level
- Determining the harmonic current directional flow, and isolate the electrical system buses that could have been affected by harmonic distortions.
- Modeling the entire electrical system with the help of software tool – ETAP.
- Study the results and assess whether the predicted harmonic distortion level will exceed the recommended limits or has the potential to affect equipment.
- The worst-case harmonic results are assessed based on the recommended NZECP 36:1993 limits.
- Performing the harmonic analysis at the various possible electric system operating scenarios.
- Providing recommendations and also modeling, sizing of filters to mitigate the harmonic distortions.
Care Labs offers its services across New Zealand including Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Otago. Contact us to avail of our Harmonic analysis study service today!
