IEEE Tmwmions on Power Delivery, Vol. 6, NO.

4, October 1991

1623

IMPACT OF UTILITY SWITCHED CAPACITORS ON CUSTOMER SYSTEMS PART 11 ADJUSTABLE-SPEED DRIVE CONCERNS

M. F. McGranaghan T. E. Grebe, PE G. Hensley T. Singh Members, IEEE Members, IEEE Pacific Gas and Electric Company Electrotek Concepts, Inc Knoxville, Tennessee San Ramon, California

M. Samotyj Senior Member, IEEE Electric Power Research Institute Palo Alto, California

Abstract -

This paper describes a concern for nuisance tripping of adjustable-speed drives caused by capacitor The switching on the utility distribution system. characteristics of the drive system, the customer electrical system, and the utility distribution system that affect this phenomena are analyzed using sensitivity analysis simulations. Possible solutions to the nuisance tripping problem are also presented.

Keywords: power quality, capacitor switching, adjustable-speed drive, transient voltage magnification

I "
Adjustable-speed drives (ASDs) are being applied in increasing numbers due to the improved efficiencies and flexibility that can be achieved. Smaller drives (less than 50 HP) using pulse width modulation (PWM) inverter technology are becoming particularly popular because they can be applied to virtually any induction motor and are simple to apply. Despite the many advantages provided by ASDs, there are still a number of concerns associated with their application. These concerns include harmonic distortion levels, component failures due to transient voltages, nuisance tripping, motor overheating, and audible noise.

One concern that has become quite widespread is nuisance tripping during capacitor switching events on the utility distribution system. Capacitor energizing operations cause a transient oscillation on the primary distribution system [1,2]. This transient does not usually cause problems on the distribution system unless there are special conditions that result in local resonances [3]. However, a companion paper [4] and previous publications [5] describes how the transient oscillation can be magnified at customer buses where low voltage power factor correction capacitors have been added. Even when customers do not have low voltage capacitors, ASDs that use voltage source inverters (such as PWM inverters) can experience nuisance tripping because of the large dc capacitors used to maintain a constant voltage for the inverter. The problem of nuisance tripping due to utiliry capacitor switching has been recognized [6] but there has been no effort to completely characterize the phenomena. This paper describes the basic phenomena and then presents the results of sensitivity analysis simulations performed to explore the various parameters which can affect the problem. The important parameters include the source strength at the switched capacitor, the switched capacitor bank size, the customer step down transformer size, the drive characteristics, and system loading. The simplest method to control the nuisance tripping is the addition of inductance in series with the individual drives. The effect of the series inductance on the dc transient voltage during capacitor switching is illustrated and conclusions related to the choke size requirements to avoid problems are presented. The measurements and simulations performed to characterize this phenomena lime been performed under Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) contract RP 2935-91 and RP 2935-13 [8].

91 WM 086-9 PWRD A paper recommended and approved by the IEEE Transmission and Distribution Committee of the IEEE Power Engineering Society for presentation at the IEEE/PES 1991 Winter Meeting, New York, New York, February 3-7, 1991. Manuscript submitted September 4 , 1990; made available for printing January 22, 1991.

CTERISTJCS
An ASD system consists of three basic componcnts and a control system as illustrated in Figure 1. The rectifier converts the three phase ac input to a dc voltage. Depending on the type of system, a reactor, a capacitor, or
0885-8977D1$01 .ooO1991 IEEE

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a combination of these is used to smooth the dc signal. The inverter circuit uses the dc signal to create a variable frequency ac signal to control the speed of the ac motor. A dc motor drive differs from this ASD configuration in that the rectifier is used to control the motor directly.

DC Llnk

system characteristics. VSI type drives require smoothing of the dc link voltage with a large capacitor for proper operation. For protection of the dc capacitor and the inverter components, the dc bus voltage is monitored and the drive is tripped when it exceeds a preset level. In many cases this level is around 760 Volts (for 480 Volt applications), which is only 117% of the nominal dc voltage. The drive controls can also be sensitive to momentary interruptions or voltage sags on the input voltage. This characteristic is very dependent on the specific controls involved but it is not uncommon for voltage sags lasting only a few cycles to cause drives to trip.

Figure 1 - ASD Components

There are a wide variety of specific configurations for the power electronics of an ASD. However, for most of the power quality considerations, ASDs can be divided into two basic types: 1. Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) Drives. These drives use a large capacitor in the dc link to provide a relatively constant voltage to the inverter. The inverter then chops up this dc voltage to provide the variable frequency ac voltage for the motor. These can be off the shelf drives and most commonly employ pulse width modulation (PWM) techniques to improve the quality of the output voltage waveform. These are by far the most common types of drives up to at least 100 HP. 2. Current Source Inverter (CSI) Drives. These drives are typically used for larger HP applications where custom designs can be justified. The dc link consists of a large choke to keep the dc current relatively constant. The inverter then chops up this current waveform to provide the variable frequency ac signal for the motor.
An important characteristic of the ASDs is their transient voltage withstand capabilities. Many ASDs are built around power semiconductor switches that have a peak inverse voltage (PIV) rating of only 1200 volts. On a 480 Volt distribution system, this PIV rating equates to 177% of normal system voltage. Most power semiconductor switch assemblies are equipped with onboard metal oxide varistors (MOVs) for protection. While the MOVs are effective for many low energy transients, they can be destroyed by magnified capacitor switching transients [4].
-2t

NT OVERVOLUGE CON-

Energizing a shunt capacitor from a predominantly inductive source creates an oscillatory transient voltage that can approach two times the normal peak voltage. This energizing transient (Figure 2) is important because it can excite an LC circuit, resulting in magnified transient voltages at remote locations. When customers apply low voltage capacitors for power factor correction, significantly higher transient voltage magnitudes can occur at the low voltage bus. This phenomena and the concern for both arrester duties and component ratings was described in a 4 ] . companion paper [

Capacitor Bus
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Figure 2 - Capacitor Energizing Transient

ASDs that have large capacitors in the dc link to supply voltage source inverters are particularly sensitive to these capacitor switching transients. There are two reasons for this sensitivity:
1. The dc capacitors form part of an LC circuit (with the inductance between the drive and the switched

The sensitivity of the drives to transient disturbances can also be related to the drive topology and the control

1625

capacitor) that can be excited by the capacitor switching transient. The result is a significant current surge into the dc capacitor, increasing the voltage on the dc link.
2. The drive controls are very sensitive to overvoltages on the dc link. In order to protect the dc capacitor and the inverter components, the controls are usually set to trip whenever the dc link voltage exceeds approximately 1.2 times the normal dc voltage.

This is because the transient current charges up the dc bus (Figure 4c) and the diodes in the rectifier front end cannot conduct again until the dc voltage decays.

ac Line Cumnt
100
50
n

25.0

3 -loo
The result is that small ASDs often trip when utilities switch capacitors on the primary distribution system.
l60

0.02

a 0 4

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0.12

nme (s)
The general circuit illustrated in Figure 3 was used to illustrate this concern and to evaluate the various parameters which affect the dc overvoltage that occurs during capacitor switching. The base conditions for this analysis are as follows:
n

Figure 4a - ASD Input Current

dc Bus Current
260
150

System Source Strength at the Substation = 200 MVA Switched Capacitor Bank Size = 3 MVAr Total Feeder Load = 5 M W Customer Transformer Size = 1500 kVA (6% Impedance) Customer Power Factor Correction = 0 kVAr Customer Resistive Load = 200 kW dc Capacitor Size = 400 ASD Choke Size = 0.5 mH

3
:

f %
5 0 O 0.02

0 . 0 4

0.08

0.08

ai0

0.12

Time ( s )

Figure 4b - ASD dc Output Current

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Distribution Feeder

dc Bus VQttqp

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Capacitor ~ 4 n k

T &
~~ ~ ~ ~~~~

Capacitor

Figure 3 - One Line Diagram for Example System

The effect of varying these parameters on the resulting transient voltages and currents are analyzed using the Electro-Magnetic Transients Program (EMTP). The circuit in Figure 3 is the basis for the EMTP model. Figure 4 provides typical waveforms for the base case conditions which illustrate the concern for the transient overvoltage on the dc link. Figure 4a illustrates the transient current on the ac side of the drive and Figure 4b shows the corresponding current on the dc side. Note that the transient lasts for only one half cycle of the oscillation frequency (300-800 Hz).

0.02

Figure 4c - ASD dc Link Voltage

The waveforms in Figure 4 illustrate the concern for transient overvoltage on the dc link. Typical drives applied on 480 Volt systems would have a dc overvoltage trip setting of approximately 760 Volts. The dc voltage in

Time (s)

0.04

0.08

0.08

a10

0 . 1 2

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Figure 4 reaches approximately 900 Volts, which would cause the drive to trip. This can be a very serious problem for many customers where the drives are applied in critical processes. The following sections illustrate the effect of the most important system parameters on this transient voltage.

The waveforms in Figure 4 were obtained by closing all three phases of the capacitor switching device simultaneously at the peak of the phase A voltage. This results in a maximum voltage on Phase A of the distribution system but is not necessarily the worst case for the transient that occurs at the customer bus. Figure 5 illustrates a distribution of transient overvoltages on the dc link for randomly varied closing instants of the capacitor switching device.
Distribution of dc Tmnsient omvdtpges

Figure 6 - Effect of Switched Capacitor Size on de Overvoltage

dc C -

The size of the capacitor used in the drive's dc link is also very important. As the size of the dc link capacitor is increased, the energy required to charge it up increases accordingly. The result is shorter conduction times during normal operations and lower transient voltages during the capacitor switching events being studied here. Figure 7 illustrates the effect of the dc link capacitor size for two different switched capacitor sizes. For the 3 MVAr capacitor used in the base case analysis, there is a resonance associated with a dc capacitor size o l approximately 100 @ (much smaller than actual capacitor sizes for most drives). With the 3 MVAr switched capacitor, drive tripping can be expected for dc capacitor sizes less than approximately 1000 pF. With the smaller 1200 kVAr switched capacitor, the drive is only likely to trip for capacitor sizes less than approximately300 pF.

Figure 5 - Distribution of dc Transient Overvoltages

The distribution in Figure 5 illustrates that the three phase simultaneous closing case results in close to the worst case transient on the dc link. Therefore, this base closing sequence will be used to analyze the other important parameters. The other important observation from Figure 5 is that approximately 65% of the capacitor closing cases (assuming random switch characteristics, which may not be valid for some switching devices) result in a transient on the dc link which could cause tripping of the drive.

1200 W k Ritfhed b n k Typic01Trip V o w

The switched capacitor size on the distribution system determines the frequency of oscillation (usually in the range 300-800 Hz) and also the energy available to excite LC circuits that include the low voltage buses. Figure 6 illustrates the effect of the switched capacitor size on the resulting dc link transient voltage magnitude. For these conditions, any capacitor 1200 kVAr or larger is likely to cause tripping of the drive,

Figure 7 - Effect of dc Capacitor Size on dc Overvoltuge

Unfortunately, the dc capacitor size is generally not published in the manufacturers literature for ASDs. The size can be determined by physically inspecting the drive and noting the sizes of the large capacitors used in the dc

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link. Typical sizes for small drives (less than 25 I-IP) are in the range 400- lo00 pF.

The discussion so far has been for the case without low voltage power factor correction capacitors. A companion paper [4] describes the transient voltage magnification that can occur when a customer has low voltage capacitors. Since the ASD dc link capacitor is effectively connected phase-to-phaseon the low voltage bus at any given moment in time (through the diode bridge), the transient magnification experienced on the low voltage bus will also be experienced on the dc link. A case with a 300 kVAr capacitor bank on the 480 Volt bus was used to illustrate this concern. Table I compares the transient voltages with and without the low voltage power factor correction. Note the increase in the 480 Volt transient and the dc link transient when the power factor correction is added. The effect of low voltage capacitors must be considered when developing a solution to the drive tripping problem. The most common solution involves the addition of a choke or isolation transformer in series with the drive (see next section). Table I shows that a choke size that could solve the problem for the base case conditions could be ineffective if low voltage power factor correction capacitors are added.

This detunes the circuit and prevents the magnification. Table I shows the effectiveness of a 300 kVAr filter as compared to just capacitors. It is important to note that this solution is generally not effective unless all of thc compensation is applied as harmonic filters. If part of the compensation includes capacitors without tuning reactors, the magnification problem can still exist. This is illustrated by the last case in Table I.

TIONS TO T W R I V E TBUJPING
Solutions to the drive tripping problem can be applied at one of three different levels:
1. The problem can be solved by controlling the capacitor switching transient on the utility distribution system. The parametric analysis illustrates that this can be accomplished by limiting the capacitor sizes on the distribution system. The capacitor switching transient can also be controlled using a synchronous closing control on a vacuum breaker [7] or with closing resistors in the switching 4 ] .Synchronous closing control has been device [ proven efficient for large substation banks and transmission system capacitors. These solutions have not typically been employed for feeder capacitors.

Table I Effect of Low Voltage Power Factor Correction Capacitors on the dc Overvoltage 480 Volt Compensation
None None Choke Size 480Volt Bus (pu) dcBus (Volts)

0.5 mH
1.42 mH 0.5 mH 1.42 mH

1.55
1.52 2.28 2.27

907 780 1116 897

300 kVAr
300 kVAr

300 kVAr filter

(5th)

1.42 m H 1.42 mH

1.40
2.00

732 806

2. The problem can be solved by adding isolating inductance in series with the individual drives. This inductance can be in the form of a simple ac choke or an isolation transformer. The sizes are usually specified in 9 6 on a kVA or HP base. Figurc 8 illustrates the effect of choke size on the dc link transient for two different switched capacitor sizes. The base case included a choke of approximately 0.8%on a 10 HP base (0.5 mH). Without this choke, the dc link transients could be even higher than the values given. As the choke size is increased, the resulting dc link transient is reduced substantiallybecause the dc capacitor becomes effectively isolated from the ac bus at the transient frequencies. A choke size of 3% on the drive EIP base is usually sufficient to avoid tripping problems. The only cases where a larger size choke would be required would be for very large switched capacitors or if there is a magnification problem associated with low voltage power factor correction capacitors.

200 kVAr filter (5th)+100kVAr

One possible solution to avoid the magnification problem involves applying the low voltage power factor correction capacitors as harmonic filters (capacitors in series with tuning reactors) rather than just capacitors [4].

1628

3% on the drive HP base will generally be sufficient to avoid problems.

The tripping problem can be made worse by the addition of low voltage power factor correction capacitors. These capacitors can cause magnified transients on the low voltage bus which can result in component failures within the drive and higher dc link transient voltages. To avoid these problems, the low voltage power factor correction call be applied as harmonic filters instead of just shunt capacitors.

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11

REFERENCES
Figure 8 - Effect of Choke Size on the dc Overvoltage 3. The problem can be solved in the design of the drive. This can be accomplished by rating the components to withstand the dc link transient voltages. The capacitor and the inverter components would have to be selected accordingly and the dc overvoltage used to trip the drive would have to be raised substantially. The problem can also be avoided by better design of the dc link. Larger capacitors are less likely to have the tripping problem. Alternatively, the design can include a significant choke in the dc link which would eliminate the need for a choke on the ac side. Since these switching transients are considered normal on the distribution system, the best long term solution is to design the drives to handle these without interruption. 4. It is worth noting that MOV arresters are often employed to solve transient problems with sensitive electronic loads. However, MOV protective levels are in the range 1.6-2.0 pu. As a result, they cannot prevent nuisance tripping due to small increases in the dc voltage (i.e. 117%).
[11

H. M. Pflanz and G. N. Lester, "Control of Overvoltages on Energizing Capacitor Banks,''IEEE Transactions PAS, Vol. 92, No. 3, pp 907-915, May/June, 1973.

[2] E. W. Boehne and S. S. Low, "Shunt Capacitor Energization with Vacuum Interrupters - A Possible Source of Overvoltages,"IEEE Transactions PAS, Vol. 88, No. 9, pp 1424-1443, September, 1969. [3] C. G Troedsson, E. F. Gramlich, R. F. Gustin, and M. F. McGranaghan, "Magnification of Switching Surges as a result of Capacitor Switching on a 34.5 kV Distribution System," Proceedings of the American Power Conference, 1983. [4] G. Hensley, T. Singh, M. Samotyj, M. McGranaghan, and R. Zavadil, "Impact of Utility Switched Capacitors on Customer Systems, Part I Magnification at Low Voltage Capacitors," Submitted for the 1991 IEEE-PES Winter Power Meeting. [5] A. J. Schultz, I.B. Johnson, and N. R. Schultz, "Magnification of Switching Surges,"IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, Vol 77,February 1959, pp 1418-1425 [6] V. E. Wagner, J. P. Staniak, and T. L. Orloff, "Utility Capacitor Switching and Adjustable Speed Drives," Proceedings of the Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Conference, Detroit, MI, 1990. [7] R. W. Alexander, "Synchronous Closing Control for Shunt Capacitors,'' IEEE Transactions PAS, Vol. 104, No. 9, pp 2619-2626, September, 1985. [SI "Power Quality Considerations for ASD Applications", EPRI CU.3036,1991

CONCLUSIONS
Capacitor energizing operations on the utility distribution system can cause nuisance tripping of ASDs within customer facilities. Small drives using voltage source inverters are susceptible to this tripping problem because of the capacitors used in the dc link between the rectifier and inverter. The potential for nuisance tripping is dependent primarily on the switched capacitor size, the dc link capacitor size, and the inductance between the two capacitors. For normal conditions, the nuisance Yipping can be prevented by including a choke or isolation transformer in series with the individual drives. A size of