Harmonic source location and meter placement optimization by impedance network approach

The level of harmonic distortion on modern power systems is a concern as more non-linear devices are used in energy conversion. Therefore, locating the harmonic source is important to identify and to take appropriate actions for eliminating the distortion. Also meter placement is a crucial part of harmonic location problem. The placement approach should both provide limited number of meter locations and overcome misallocation of the source because of the difficulty in obtaining correct network impedances. Consequently, a harmonic source location method by using impedance network approach with a new optimal meter placement algorithm (OMPA) is proposed in this paper. The validation of OMPA for different levels of harmonic impedance errors is performed using Monte Carlo technique and the effectiveness of the algorithm is shown by using IEEE 30-bus test system.