Hybrid Deep Neural Network Approaches for Power Quality Analysis in Electric Arc Furnaces

In this research, we investigate the power quality of the grid where an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) with a very high load operates. An Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) is a highly nonlinear load that uses very high and variable currents, causing major power quality issues such as voltage sags, flickers, and harmonic distortions. These disturbances produce electrical grid instability, affect the operation of other equipment, and require strong mitigation measures to reduce their impact. To investigate these issues, data are collected from the Point of Common Coupling where the Electric Arc Furnace is fed. The following three main factors are identified for evaluating power quality: apparent power, active and reactive power, and distorted power. Along with these powers, Total Harmonic Distortion, an important indicator of power quality, is calculated. These data are collected during the full process of producing a complete steel batch. To create a Deep Neural Network that can model and forecast power quality parameters, a network is developed using LSTM layers, Convolutional Layers, and GRU Layers, all of which demonstrate good prediction performance. The results of the prediction models are examined, as well as the primary metrics characterizing the prediction, using the following: MAE, RMSE, R-squared, and sMAPE. Predicting active and reactive power and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) proves useful for anticipating power quality problems in an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF). By reducing the EAF’s impact on the power system, accurate predictions will anticipate and minimize disturbances, optimize energy consumption, and improve grid stability. This research’s principal scientific contribution is the development of a hybrid deep neural network that integrates Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) layers. This deep neural network was designed to predict power quality metrics, including active power, reactive power, distortion power, and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). The proposed methodology indicates an important step in improving the accuracy of power quality forecasting for Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs). The hybrid model’s ability for analyzing both time-series data and complex nonlinear patterns improves its predictive accuracy compared to traditional methods.