Power Quality Enhancement of Sensitively Loaded Grids Connected to Textile Industry

Abstract

Ensuring high-quality power is an essential element to achieve seamless and effective functionality of industrial systems. However, weak grids with low power quality can lead to unstable power supply, equipment malfunction, and downtime, resulting in significant economic losses. The textile industry consumes a large amount of electricity and has a high demand for power quality due to its non-linear loads. These loads inject harmonics into the grid and cause voltage fluctuations and reactive power problems. Weak grids are a common problem in many developing countries, causing power quality issues that affect sensitive industrial equipment and lead to increased downtime, maintenance costs, and reduced productivity. The absence of a consistent and dependable power source with satisfactory quality is a significant challenge in the textile industry, where maintaining efficiency and productivity is crucial. Power Quality Conditioners like UPQC can regulate voltage, improve power factor and mitigate harmonics. The Model Predictive Controller (MPC) is a widely used control approach for regulating UPQC operations, which can optimize its performance by forecasting the forthcoming values of the control parameters.. The performance of UPQC with MPC is evaluated through simulation studies using MATLAB/Simulink software. This study addresses the research gap in the effectiveness of UPQC on weak-grid conditions and its implications on the mechanical parameters of industrial installations. The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of UPQC in improving power quality and reducing mechanical stresses on machines. The findings of this study are significant for the textile industry, where maintaining efficiency and productivity is crucial.