The Effect of Switching Capacitor Banks on Transient Phenomena in Electric Power Systems

This study evaluates the impact of switching capacitor banks on transient phenomena in power systems. Capacitor banks are often used to improve efficiency through power factor improvement and voltage stabilization, but switching can cause significant current and voltage spikes, called transient phenomena. These phenomena can disrupt electrical devices, degrade power quality, and damage sensitive components. This study analyzes the effects of several capacitor bank configurations, including a capacitor bank with a reactor and a capacitor bank with a solid-state (IGBT), on transient parameters such as current, voltage, duration, and transient frequency. The research methodology combines experimental and simulation approaches, with schematic diagrams illustrating the relationship between capacitor bank switching and transient characteristics concerning system parameters, such as current, voltage, active power, and reactive power. The results show that the standard capacitor bank produces a voltage spike of 289.87 V, a peak current of 43.83 A, a transient duration of 1.66 ms, and a frequency of 602.40 Hz. The addition of a reactor reduces the transient frequency to 100 Hz and the peak current to 8.48 A, but extends the transient duration to 10 ms. In contrast, solid-state (IGBT) shortens the transient duration to 1.25 ms at a frequency of 800 Hz. This study recommends configurations to minimize the negative impact of transients, thereby improving power system stability.