This paper presents a new method to optimize locating and the size of fixed and switching capacitor banks based on Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA). The algorithm is proposed for radial and meshed networks in the presence of unbalanced and nonlinear loads. The objective function considers the minimization of the total energy loss costs and capacitor installation cost, network total harmonic...

Load currents through the power and distribution transformer and line impedances cause voltage drops, which reduce voltage magnitude at the loads. Voltage magnitudes at service locations must be maintained within specified ranges. This is accomplished in both fixed designs of the system (e.g., conductor selection, substation and distribution transformer tap settings, fixed capacitor banks) and ...

The lack of reactive energy flow control in distribution networks causes an increase of electrical losses and problems with the voltage profile. The main objective of this work is to develop a fuzzy control system for automatic capacitor banks applied to distribution feeders, which was focused on the improvement of the equipment performance allowing a better correction of the system reactive an...

Various inductive loads used in all industries deals with the problem of power factor improvement. Capacitor bank connected in shunt helps in maintaining the power factor closer to unity. They improve the electrical supply quality and increase the efficiency of the system. Also the line losses are also reduced. Shunt capacitor banks are less costly and can be installed anywhere. This paper deal...

This paper presents considerations on the switching frequency and duty cycle & operating equations of softswitching BUCK chopper. These considerations are discussed and applied to selected soft-switching families such as ZVS-QRC, ZCS-QRC, ZVS-QSW-CV, ZCS-QSWCC, ZVT-PWM and ZCT-PWM [1]. The limitations on switching frequency and duty cycle are derived in terms of: chopper input voltage (Vg), cho...

The black hole optimization (BHO) method is applied in this research to solve the problem of optimal reactive power compensation with fixed-step capacitor banks three-phase networks considering phase-balancing simultaneously. A master–slave approach based on BHO master stage considers a discrete codification and successive approximation flow slave stage. Two different evaluations are proposed m...

The effects of shunt compensation on power system transmission stability and modern approach of the reactive power control scheme have been investigated in this paper. Reactive power compensation is realized in shunt connection with two components: thyristor controlled reactor (TCR) and thyristor switched capacitor (TSC). A special attention has been given in the following paragraphs to a moder...

The widespread integration of photovoltaic (PV) units may result in a number of operational issues for the utility distribution system. The advances in smart-grid technologies with better communication and control capabilities may help to mitigate these challenges. The objective of this paper is to evaluate multiple voltage control methods and compare their effectiveness in mitigating the impac...