HARMONIC MEASUREMENTS, ANALYSIS, AND POWER-FACTOR CORRECTION IN A MODERN STEEL MANUFACTURING FACILITY

Maximizing electric power transfer directly affects the productivity o f an electric are furnace operation, Are furnaces and rolling mill loa ds operate at power factors that result in penalty charges and lower b us voltages, In addition, the nonlinear characteristics of the furnace arcs and rolling mill drives generate significant harmonic currents t hat flow through the plant and utility power system, These harmonic cu rrents cause system voltage distortion and power loss in the system, a nd can interact with power factor correction capacitor banks leading t o equipment failures. This paper presents the analytical technique use d to correct power factor in a modern steel manufacturing facility, Th e study included field measurements, harmonic analysis, and filter des ign work to reduce the amount of harmonic distortion in the plant, The modeling of are furnaces and rolling mills for a harmonic analysis st udy is also discussed, The solutions recommended in this paper to incr ease power factor and reduce harmonics can be applied to other steel m anufacturing facilities to improve power quality and therefore plant p roductivity.