Objective Comparison of Harmonic Power Flow Results: Methods and Software Tools

This paper provides an objective comparison of harmonic power flow (HPF) results, focusing on the methods and software tools used for harmonic analysis of distribution networks. Particular emphasis is placed on the influence of system element modeling on the accuracy of HPF results, including the modeling of linear and nonlinear loads, as well as the impact of the skin effect, harmonic current phase angles, and Thevenin equivalent impedance of the substation bus. Harmonic analysis was performed using the software tools ETAP, DIgSILENT, SINCAL, and PCFLO. The results obtained were compared with those derived using the decoupled HPF method. The testing was conducted on two widely used distribution networks: the IEEE 18and 33-bus. The results from various software tools demonstrated a high degree of agreement. The models of the tested IEEE systems, applied across different software tools, are publicly available at https://github.com/MilosFTN/Models-of-the-IEEE-18-and-33-bus-test-systems.