TCI’s HarmonicGuard Passive Filter Gives You Options
Our HGP 5% harmonic filter is a performance product with the versatility you need to tackle tough application challenges. This field-proven harmonic filter is available with a wide array of options that allow you to customize it to meet your requirements.
When applied at the variable frequency drive, the HGP provides a low impedance path for the major harmonic currents demanded by the drive. This greatly reduces the amount of harmonic current flowing through the distribution system and results in improved power factor, lower RMS currents, lower harmonic current distortion, lower harmonic voltage distortion, and increased system capacity.
The HarmonicGuard Passive filter is built using the highest quality components and is the smallest package available per horsepower.
Factory Options
This field-proven passive filter has factory options available to meet your specific requirements, such as:
- Contactor: Can be used to disconnect capacitors to prevent leading power factor.
- Fuse Monitor: The fuse monitor will detect a fuse failure.
- Heater: Protects internal filter electronics from corrosion and condensation.
- Vibration Pads: Reduces audible noise.
- Floor Stand: 12” steel feet for Type 3R enclosures 125 HP and below. Units 150 HP and above include provisions for floor mounting.
- Oilfield Duty: features components designed specifically for oil and gas field applications to handle the additional electrical stress. Designed for cyclical loads these units will be available in Type 3R enclosures and will be for use with HP ranges from 40 to 200 HP.
The HGP Harmonic Filter, when applied at the variable frequency drive, provides a low impedance path for the major harmonic currents demanded by the drive.
This greatly reduces the amount of harmonic current flowing through the distribution system and results in improved power factor, lower RMS currents, lower harmonic current distortion, lower harmonic voltage distortion, and increased system capacity.
The HarmonicGuard Passive filter is built using the highest quality components and is the smallest package available per horsepower.
Harmonics and Power Quality
Poor power quality can be a result of variable frequency drives and other types of non-linear loads using a power conversion process that causes current and voltage distortion, known as harmonics.
Issues caused by harmonics may include:
- Transformer and distribution equipment overheating
- Random breaker tripping
- Sensitive equipment failure
- Poor power factor
Limits Harmonic Distortion
- Performance of 5% or lower THD with loads as low as 50%
- Performance of 5% or lower THD with background voltage distortion as high as 5%
- True 100kA SCCR
- Meets most stringent requirements of IEEE-519
- Internal fusing to prevent capacitor damage
Advantages of the HarmonicGuard Passive Filter
The HGP harmonic filter not only limits current distortion to less than 5% at low loads, it also:
- Increases drive uptime
- Eliminates nuisance tripping
- When paired with a HarmonicGuard Active filter, the results are more beneficial including higher cost savings and improved power factor
- The UL508A configuration includes 100kA SCCR safety, fusing and easy access inside the enclosure
- Filter bypass contactor not needed in offline VFD applications
HGP Compared to 18-Pulse Drives
- Is a more efficient, reliable solution at reduced loads
- Saves money – operation cost and energy losses
- Has a better THID at reduced loads
- Corrects power factor in both the VFD and filter
- Takes up less space
Meeting IEEE-519 Recommendations on Harmonics
The HGP harmonic filter provides a cost-effective solution allowing the user to meet IEEE-519 requirements. Using our harmonic analysis software, TCI can help customers meet IEEE-519. Typical applications include:
- Wastewater treatment plants
- Commercial buildings
- Hospitals
- Airports
Performance
Before HGP
After HGP
The HGP not only limits current distortion to less than 5% TDD, it also improves true power factor. Multiple package options will allow TCI customers to choose the right filter configuration for the application. Since every power system is different, harmonic mitigation requirements will differ, and even IEEE limits change based on the system loading characteristics. The HGP product returns the power of choice to the customer, allowing for different configurations to achieve different performance and monitoring results.
Performance Guarantee
Select and install the appropriate HarmonicGuard® Passive Harmonic Filter in a variable torque, variable frequency AC drive application, within our published technical specifications and we guarantee that the input current distortion will be less than or equal to 5% THID for standard HGP Series filters at full load, and less than 8% at 30% load. If a properly sized and installed filter fails to meet its specified THID level, TCI will provide material for necessary modifications or replacement filter at no charge.
HGP filters can also provide similar performance in other drive applications such as constant torque, DC drives and other phase controlled rectifiers, but actual THID levels can vary by load and/or speed and therefore cannot be guaranteed.
Consult factory for assistance when applying HGP filters on these types of equipment.
Minimum System Requirements
The guaranteed performance levels of this filter will be achieved when the following system conditions are met:
- Frequency: 60 Hz ± 0.75 Hz
- System Voltage: Nominal System Voltage (line to line) ±10%
- Balanced Line Voltage: Within 0.5%
- Background Voltage Distortion: < 0.5% THVD
The input VFD current waveform shall be consistent with that of a VFD with 3% AC line reactance at full load.
NOTE: The presence of background voltage distortion will cause motors and other linear loads to draw harmonic currents.
Additional harmonic currents may flow into the HGP filter if there is harmonic voltage distortion already on the system.
If higher levels of harmonic voltage distortion (2%-5%) are present, please use the high background distortion version of the HGP filter.
IEEE Standard 519-2014
Table 2 – Current distortion limits for systems rated 120 V through 69 kV
| Maximum harmonic current distortion in percent of IL | ||||||
| Individual harmonic order (odd harmonics) a, b | ||||||
| ISC/IL | 3≤h<11 | 11≤h<17 | 17≤h<23 | 23≤h<35 | 35≤h≤50 | TDD |
| <20c | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 5.0 |
| 20<50 | 7.0 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 8.0 |
| 50<100 | 10.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 12.0 |
| 100<1000 | 12.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 15.0 |
| >1000 | 15.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 20.0 |
a Even harmonics are limited to 25% of the odd harmonic limits above.
b Current distortions that result in a dc offset, e.g., half-wave converters, are not allowed.
c All power generation equipment is limited to these values of current distortion, regardless of actual ISC/IL.
where
ISC = maximum short-circuit current at PCC
IL = maximum demand load current (fundamental frequency component) at the PCC under normal load operating conditions
Low Capacitance HarmonicGuard Filter
TCI now provides a low capacitance version of our HGP product. The HarmonicGuard Low Capacitance filter has been designed with roughly half the capacitance of the HGP, but provides all the same options of the HarmonicGuard Passive filter. For more information on the HGL product, click here.
