Active Power Filters for Nonlinear Load Applications

Abstract

This report is about the development of an active power filter used for filtering nonlinear current. The source of the nonlinear current is a fan system consisting of two parallel connected BLDC motors. A bi-directional power converter is designed analytically which is verified by simulations and a practical prototype. The outcome of the report is a simulation that is used to verify the performance of the active power filter and a cost and size analysis to compare a conventional passive filter used today with the active filter designed for this application. The final result was an active power filter that was 6:8 times more expensive in material cost and the same size as the conventional passive filter.