STATCOM-based 48-pulses three level GTO dedicated to VAR compensation and power quality improvement

This paper deals with a novel technique for power quality improvement that considers an advanced STATCOM 48-pulse GTO voltage source converter. The technology of this converter is based on a phase shifting transformer (PST) and a three leg voltage source converter (VSC). The proposed concept enables the compensation of the reactive power by absorbing or generating a flow of current equivalent to the required reactive power. Furthermore, it enables the cancellation of the current harmonics. The performance of the proposed concept is simulated in the MATLAB environment considering a real-life case study.