Field installation and modifications of a 5-kV class adaptive VAr compensator

A 5 kV class adaptive VAr compensator (AVC) was designed, installed, and tested at a rock crushing plant where the reactive power is rapidly varying. Several novel circuits including optical triggering for the switching of the solid state devices are used in the AVC. The AVC provides reactive power support for cyclic loads, and maintains the power factor at unity at the point of installation without introducing transients to the system. During the field testing of the AVC, several modifications were made to ensure that the AVC operates accurately in a harsh industrial environment. The design, modifications and field test results of the AVC are presented in this paper.<
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