POWERS IN NONSINUSOIDAL NETWORKS - THEIR INTERPRETATION, ANALYSIS, AND MEASUREMENT

A nonlinear or periodically time-variant load sometimes has to be considered not as the receiver, but as the source of energy, at least for some harmonic frequencies. This can be explained in terms of its equivalent circuit, usually composed of passive elements and harmonic sources which make the power phenomena in such a circuit much more complex than in a linear circuit. The necessity of comprehension of these phenomena stems from the fact that they determine the efficiency of the power transmission and the possibility of power factor improvement. They also affect the energy accounts. A method is suggested for the apparent power decomposition into components related to current components of distinctively different physical interpretation. A digital analyzer for measuring these powers is also described. © 1990 IEEE