Impact of the operation of Accelerator Power Supply on the Distribution Network

A 1 MW Accelerator Power Supply (APS) has been planned to be built at the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar as a project for the expansion of the nuclear fusion research facility. IPR is connected to the 132 kV grid through Ranasan Substation, Gujarat. Analysis has been performed to evaluate the impact on the HV input lines and 415 V distribution feeders due to the additional Accelerator Power Supply load. The envisaged loads are pulsating in nature, requiring frequent de-energization of the power supply followed by voltage re-application in about 50 ms. The anticipated voltage fluctuations (flickers) in distribution network due to pulsed loading has been investigated. Further, Accelerator Power Supply involves power electronic converters, saturated magnetic devices resulting in distortions of the supply current and polluting AC power system with a plethora of harmonics. A harmonic current analysis has been performed to estimate and compare with the requirements as per the IEEE Standard. This paper describes aspects of voltage flicker and harmonic currents due to the operation of APS on the existing power distribution network.