Power Quality Enhancement using Shunt Active Power Filter Integrated with SMES coil

Integration of renewable energy resources into the grid and huge utilization of complex semiconductor based loads are the main sources of power quality issues. Mainly, this paper focuses on a shunt active power filter (SAPF) based power conditioning unit (PCU) for a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system for power quality improvement. The SMES coil is interfaced with the electric grid via its PCU for an efficient energy exchange. In this paper, the charging, discharging and storing characteristics of the SMES coil are investigated mathematically for a clear understanding. The DC-link voltage of the system is regulated to achieve a harmonic free source current, high-quality power flow in the grid, and to compensate unhealthy reactive power compensation. Further, an instantaneous symmetrical component theory (ISCT) based control technique is employed in the PCU of SMES system to fulfil the above-mentioned objectives. The DC-link voltage is regulated by discharging SMES coil energy very quickly so that the total power loss in the SMES system and detrimental stress on the system due to transients can be minimized. Moreover, MATLAB/Simulink environment is used for simulation activities.