PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF MULTI-PULSE CONVERTERS FOR POWER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Abstract

The widespread use of power converters with a range of power ratings from a few Watts to Mega-Watts has entered a new era as a result of the power electronics revolution. Since distributed electric power is an AC supply and applications requiring a DC supply or a variable frequency AC supply call for the conversion of an AC source into a DC supply, AC-DC converters are the most popular type of power converter. Power semiconductor device advancements have led to an increase in the use of solid-state converters in several applications, such as heating, lighting, variable frequency drives, etc. Significant harmonic voltages and currents are produced by semiconductor switching devices, which are frequently utilized in converter circuits. Diode bridge rectifiers are thought to be a significant source of power system harmonics, and the effects range from overheating of electrical components (such as winding heating that causes failure or machine breakdown) to communication interference in communication lines. Numerous industries, including electrochemical, petrochemical, big rating power supply, adjustable speed ac motor drives, mining, steel, transportation, aircraft, etc. use these power processors. These programmes use switching device-based power processors to operate in an energy-efficient manner. But because these switching devices, like the diodes they employ in power processors, are nonlinear, they introduce harmonic current into the ac mains, which degrades the power quality at the point of common coupling (PCC). This has an impact on neighbouring customers and can lead to the failure of delicate electronic devices. To raise the power quality indices, a diode-rectifier-based ac interface with more switching components or passive filters has been suggested. Multi-pulse converters can help 3-phase ac-dc converters (ADCs) enhance their power quality. The multi-pulse converters are easier to use, more reliable, tough, and effective. Autotransformer-based topologies are found to be more cost-effective for situations where isolation is not necessarily required due to lower magnetics, as the magnetics only transfer a small percentage of the load power. In the literature, various 12-pulse and 24-pulse-based ADC setups have been published.