Standards for supraharmonics (2 to 150 kHz)

There is a serious interest from the international standard-setting community in knowledge about voltage and current distortion in the frequency range 2 to 150 kHz, referred to as supraharmonics. At the same time, research is ongoing at a number of locations, but the knowledge about supraharmonics remains limited. This paper compares some of the properties of harmonics and supraharmonics. An increase in supraharmonics for individual devices is observed in association with a decrease in harmonic emission (i.e. below 2 kHz). A proposal is made for setting limits in this frequency range. The proposal is based on existing standards and is meant to be for discussion. The authors strongly encourage an open discussion about the proposed limits. There are a number of differences between harmonics and supraharmonics that are not covered by the proposed set of limits. A substantial amount of further research is needed to extend the standard framework for supraharmonics such that this can be covered by standards.