ANALYSIS AND MITIGATION OF CAPACITOR BANK SWITCHING INRUSH CURRENTS USING IRON CORE REACTOR

Capacitor switching in power systems often induces high inrush currents which can compromise equipment reliability and reduce system longevity. This study investigates the use of iron core reactors as a mitigation strategy to suppress these inrush currents and enhance overall power system stability while previous studies have explored solutions such as air core reactors pre-insertion resistors and synchronous closing techniques with varying degrees of success the application of iron core reactors remains underexplored leveraging their high inductance and effective damping characteristics this work proposes the integration of iron core reactors into the switching circuit a comprehensive literature review identifies existing gaps and supports the rationale for this approach a detailed mathematical model is developed incorporating parameters such as reactor inductance capacitor ratings and system impedance to simulate the impact of the proposed solution the model predicts significant reductions in peak inrush currents and provides insights into optimal reactor sizing and placement contributing to improved operational reliability of power systems