Power Quality Enhancement using Custom Power Devices

A Power quality problem is an occurrence manifested as a nonstandard voltage, current or frequency that results in a failure or mis-operation of end use Equipments. Utility distribution networks, sensitive industrial loads, and critical commercial operations all suffer from various types of outages and service interruptions which can cost significant financial 1oss per incident based on process down-time, lost production, idle work forces, and other factors. With the restructuring of Power Systems and with shifting trend towards distributed and dispersed Generation, the issue of Power Quality is going to take newer dimensions. The aim therefore, in this work, is to identify the prominent concerns in the area and thereby to recommend measures that can enhance the quality of the power, keeping in mind their economic viability and technical repercussions. In this paper three custom power controllers: DVR, DSTATCOM (modelled in MATLAB/Simulink), PWM Switched Autotransformer (modelled in PSCAD/EMTDC & MATLAB/SIMULINK) are presented. Comprehensive results are presented to assess the performance of each device to mitigate the Voltage sag and economical device is proposed.