Effects of Power Quality Distortions on Electrical Drives and Transformer Life in Paper Industries: Simulations and Real Time Measurements

With the increasing of non-linear loads in electric power system, power quality distortion has become a serious issue in recent years. In paper and pulp industries, due to presence of concentrated high power non-linear loads such as electric drives, this problem is a greater concern. In this paper, the impacts of power quality distortions such as voltage sag and swell on the operation of electric devices in Mazandaran Wood and Paper Industries (MWPI) are discussed. Using the actual data, the effects of voltage sag on the main production line motor drive is investigated. In addition, the effects of harmonics on the distribution transformers such as increasing their losses and decreasing their life are analyzed