Can installing harmonic control equipment save electricity?

When analyzing whether harmonic control equipment can save energy, we need to focus on two core points:

1： Only wasted electricity can be saved;

2： Only the extra electricity bills paid can be saved.

Below, we will analyze these two core points

1. By harmonic control, the reactive power component is reduced, which can also reduce the apparent power (apparent current) between the user transformer and the load, thereby reducing the user's investment in the equipment. A very simple example, for example, your previous transformer required 500KVA to meet the requirements. After reducing harmonics, 315 may be sufficient, while other components such as cables and circuit breakers can be relatively reduced. So, is the actual investment also reduced?

2. Places with high harmonics can easily have adverse effects on equipment, especially electronic devices and compensating capacitor banks. Severe cases can cause electronic devices to malfunction and damage to compensation capacitor banks. I have seen transformer accidents caused by excessive harmonics.

3. If the reactive power component is too large, the power supply bureau will impose fines. It's also an investment.

For example, the widely recognized energy-saving method for motors is frequency conversion technology. If frequency conversion speed regulation is not used, the adjustment of fluid flow is through valve regulation, and the loss on the valve obviously causes great waste. If the flow is adjusted by reducing the speed of the fan and water pump, the loss on the valve can be eliminated, thereby saving electricity.

So, can harmonic control save electricity? Let's analyze using the two core points given above.

1、 First, analyze clearly what waste is caused by harmonic currents? The energy waste caused by harmonic currents is mainly the loss of the line, including the loss of transformers. This part of the loss is reflected as active power on the meter. If this loss is reduced, the reading of the electricity meter can be reduced, thus saving electricity costs.

2、 Has the power company charged a fee for low power factor caused by harmonic currents, similar to charging a power factor adjustment fee? The fact is, the power company did not charge this part of the fee. Therefore, controlling harmonics cannot save more electricity costs.

Harmonic control can reduce the loss of power lines, thereby saving some electricity costs. The prerequisite here is to reduce the harmonic current on the line in order to achieve the goal of reducing line losses. Therefore, harmonic filters must be installed at the harmonic source. If only a filter is installed at the lower end of the transformer, it will not have the effect of power-saving.