Electromagnetic Analysis of the Bevel Edge Technique in High Voltage Shunt Reactors

This paper presents an electromagnetic analysis of the bevel edge technique (BET) employed to reduce core losses in high voltage (HV) gapped-core shunt reactors. The authors analyzed this BET employing three-dimensional (3-D) finite element (FE) simulations. The magnetic anisotropy and the magnetic nonlinear properties of the grain-oriented electrical steel are considered in the FE simulations. The authors validated their FE simulations by computing the core losses in a real 5 MVAr three-phase shunt reactor without BET and comparing them with the core losses measured in the laboratory. Once validating the FE simulations of the HV shunt reactor without BET, the authors analyzed the core losses in the same HV shunt reactor with BET. In addition, the authors analyzed the core loss effect produced by the bevel edge length in two real HV shunt reactors: a 25 MVAr single-phase shunt reactor and in the original 5 MVAr three-phase shunt reactor. Finally, the authors analyzed the bevel edge angle effect on the core losses of the 5 MVAr three-phase shunt reactor. Authors demonstrated and confirmed that the BET helps to reduce the core losses in HV shunt reactors. Finally, the authors concluded that the bevel edge length and the bevel edge angle have a slight impact on the core losses of the HV shunt reactors.