An APF for Enhancing the PF of an Arc Welding Power Supply using an Optimized FO-PID Controller

This paper presents the analysis and design of a multifunctional system suitable to feed an arc welding machine. This system is able to ensure a good welding process without affecting the power supply quality of the grid, our study is focused on two side, on the grid side, an active power filter (APF) is coupled in parallel between the three phase full bridge diode rectifier and the grid. The utility of the APF to provide a unity power factor correction of arc welding power supply (AWPS). The predictive current control (PCC) and self-tuning filter (STF) are used to control the APF. On the arc welding machine side, an optimized FO-PID controller is used to control the welding current and voltage, by controlling the full bridge buck circuit, it offers many exceptional features, like rapid response to load and grid voltage variations, and inherent short-circuit current limit which results in an improved welding performance and weld bead quality. the performance of the proposed configuration are examined in regards to its power quality given by reading the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the grid current is 3.47%, ensuring the best regulation of the DC-link voltage of APF, and providing a good tuning of the welding voltage and current. The parameters of the FO-PID controller are extracted by a Grey Wolf Optimization approach (GWO). Simulation results are noticed satisfactory and prove the stability, accuracy and dynamic response of the synthesized optimized regulating system.