ELIMINATION OF HARMONIC INDUCED VIABLE BIFURCATIONS WITH TCSC FOR AC-FED ELECTRIC ARC FURNACES

Abstract

AC-fed electric arc furnaces (EAFs) are known with their unbalanced, excessively nonlinear and time varying load characteristics. The nonlinear oscillations produced by EAF operation cause several problems to interconnected feed system. Injection of harmonics/interharmonics and rising flicker effects on the feed system are two of major problems produced by EAF. These nonlinear effects result into quasistatic changes in the feed system parameters (L - R). In last decade many studies have been reported that such quasistatic changes in the feed system parameters result in viable bifurcation formations which strictly cause sudden and drastic changes on system behaviors. This paper presents an analytical control procedure to eliminate viable bifurcation points on L - I and R - I curves that cause sudden resonant peak arc currents. After control procedure, stability margins of EAF are extended into larger levels and viable bifurcation points on the feed system parameter have been eliminated. During study, possible roles of small parameter changes of uncontrolled EAF around bifurcation points and controlled EAF have been traced over time series analysis, phase plane analysis and bifurcation diagrams. A wide collection of useful dynamic analysis procedures for the exploration of studied arc furnace dynamics have been handled through the AUTO open-source algorithms.