Reactive Power Evaluation for Non-Sinusoidal Single Phase Systems

In this paper, an elaborate study on the evaluation of reactive power is presented for non-linear single-phase electrical systems. The study covers prominent power theories proposed over the last century and compares the definitions of reactive power with the standard accepted definition today and the elemental power measured across the reactive elements in the circuit. The paper proposes a power theory called the instantaneous phasor components theory for the most accurate evaluation of reactive power for non-sinusoidal systems. The analysis is carried out using detailed simulation studies for various possible relevant electrical circuits. With the help of experimental studies, the paper validates the compensation abilities of the proposed theory by designing an active compensator for a non-sinusoidal system to achieve a sinusoidal and unity power factor source current.