Harmonics mitigation using active power filter: a technological review

Abstract

This paper is intended to review the development of active power filter (APF) technologies that are commonly used to mitigate harmonics in utility power lines. This review can also be considered as a “tutorial-type paper� as it provides a holistic coverage of the APF technologies by omitting the tedious details, but without losing the main essence of the subject matter. It is hoped that by this approach, it would be possible to lure more power engineering readers to be involved in this important and growing field. The discussion starts with a brief overview of harmonic distortion problems and their impacts on electric power quality. The operation of common APF topologies, namely the shunt, series and hybrid APFs are described in detail. This is followed by a review on different types of reference signal estimation extraction techniques. In particular, the application of the p-q and extension p-q theorems to extract the reference signals are elaborated, as they are the most commonly found in practical APF systems. Finally, an overview of the APF control strategies is provided. A brief discussion on the APF-solar photovoltaic system is also given. At the end of the paper, important references are cited to assist readers who are interested to explore the subject in greater detail.