Development and field testing of a closed-loop adaptive power factor controller

• Published in: IEEE transactions on energy conversion Vol. 3; no. 2; pp. 235 - 240
• Main Authors: El-Sharkawi, M.A., Chen, M., Vadari, S.V., Fissel, G.W., Venkata, S.S., Butler, N.G., Yinger, R.J.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.06.1988; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: Adaptive control; Applied sciences; Disturbances. Regulation. Protection; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Electrical power engineering; Exact sciences and technology; Power networks and lines; Power system harmonics; Power system reliability; Power system transients; Programmable control; Reactive power; Switched capacitor circuits; Switching circuits; Testing; Voltage fluctuations; Regulation(control); Reactive current compensation; Electrical network; Adaptive control
• ISSN: 0885-8969; 1558-0059
• DOI: 10.1109/60.4724

A continuing effort to develop an effective, reliable, and inexpensive adaptive power factor controller (APFC) is reported. The APFC can adaptively compensate the reactive power of rapidly varying loads without adding harmonics or transients to the power system. Previously, an open-loop APFC, sized at 50 kVAr, has been built and installed at a field site in Southern California Edison territory. Based on thousands of hours of field operation, the APFC has been substantially modified to improve its reliability and effectiveness. The new design is called CL-APFC. It has a number of features that makes it more suitable for harsh environment, such as voltage fluctuations, voltage harmonics, and component failures. The latest design of a closed-loop APFC, sized at 300 kVAr, is reported, and the results of the field tests are demonstrated.< >