A new instantaneous power theory-based three-phase active power filter

The active power filter has been proved to be an effective device to mitigate harmonic current and/or voltage distortions produced by nonlinear loads as well as to compensate reactive power. In the past some active power filters were designed based on the conventional instantaneous reactive power (IRP) theory. However, these types of filters can only compensate reactive power for the load. If the load generates harmonic current or is unbalanced, the conventional IRP theory-based active filter cannot compensate the harmonic distortion and does not function properly. In order to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional IRP theory, a new instantaneous power theory-based algorithm is proposed for the control strategy of the active filter. In this paper the implementation of a 10 kVA prototype active power filter which is developed based on the proposed control algorithm is present. Simulation and experimental results with varied source and load conditions are described to confirm that the new proposed control strategy achieves better performance for the active power filter than those obtained by using conventional IRP control strategies