Calculating flicker propagation in a meshed high voltage network with interharmonics and representative voltage samples

The calculation of flicker propagation is vital in assessing power quality levels throughout the network. As an alternative to the established stationary flicker propagation methods, this paper introduces representative voltage samples that, together with flicker transfer factors, enable the calculation of flicker levels throughout the network at the same voltage level. The shorter 1-s voltage samples are extracted from the instantaneous voltages measured and can represent the longer operating periods of an arc furnace. The calculation of flicker levels with the use of voltage samples is practical and eliminates the need for flicker measurements in an arbitrary network node. Additionally, the flicker levels in nodes under the influence of flicker from multiple arc furnaces can be obtained without the use of superposition factors.

► Calculation of flicker propagation is based on voltage interharmonics. ► Representative voltage samples are extracted from longer instantaneous signals. ► Voltage samples represent a fingerprint of an arc furnace’s operating cycle. ► Calculation of cumulative flicker without the superposition factors is possible.