Performance of the water cycle algorithm in optimal economic design of passive power filter

Abstract Harmonic distortion in power systems, caused mostly by nonlinear loads, results in significant power quality (PQ) issues such as higher losses, lower power factor (PF), and equipment malfunctions. Passive power filters (PPFs), which use tuned combinations of inductors and capacitors to attenuate specific harmonic frequencies, are widely used because of their lower cost and simpler design compared to active filtering systems. This paper proposes an optimal design of a single-tuned passive filter (STPF) based on the Water Cycle Algorithm (WCA). The optimization procedure employs a single-objective optimization strategy in which voltage total harmonic distortion (VTHD) minimization, power loss (Ploss) minimization, and PF maximization are investigated separately. At the same time, the remaining performance indices are imposed as constraints to ensure compliance with IEEE 519–2022 standards. The suggested method is assessed using two industrial case studies with varying system parameters and harmonic behavior. Simulation findings show that the WCA-based optimization surpasses the MIDACO technique on all assessed criteria. In the two case studies, VTHD values were lowered to 1.29% and 0.86%, respectively, while PF increased to 99.22%. The overall active Ploss was reduced to 5.76 kW, compared to 6.12 kW using MIDACO. Comparative investigation verifies WCA-based optimization’s efficiency, robustness, and speedier convergence, indicating that it is a potential approach for optimal filter design in power systems. In addition to technical performance, a thorough economic study was done to analyze the financial viability of the proposed STPF design, showing its potential for significant cost-effectiveness and practical implementation benefits.