- A non sinusoidal waveform can be considered to be composed of several sinusoidal waveforms of fundamental frequency and other harmonic frequencies
- The frequency of nth harmonic is nth times fundamental frequency
- Even harmonics, such as 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.
- Odd harmonics , such as 3rd , 5th, 7th, etc.
- The r.m.s. value of nth harmonic is 1/nth of r.m.s. value of fundamental
Causes of harmonics generation
- Caused by the use of high flux densities in the core of the transformers
- If the core is of insufficient cross section, the core gets saturated
- Secondary waveform may be non sinusoidal because of magnetic core
- Hence the primary requirement of transformer is to provide a sinusoidal secondary voltage waveform which is achieved by
(b) Achieving operating point in the linear region of B/H curve.
Disadvantages of harmonics
- Harmonic currents cause additional I2R loss , core loss, magnetic interference with protective relays and interference in communication circuits
- Harmonic voltage causes increased dielectric stresses, interference with communication circuits and resonance between inductance of transformer winding and the capacitance of the transmission line.