Weighting method to identify interharmonics based on calculating the bandwidth in group-harmonics

Abstract

Power converters produce a vast range of harmonics, subharmonics and interharmonics. Harmonics analyzing tools based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) assume that only harmonics are present and the periodicity intervals are fixed, while these periodicity intervals are variable and long in the presence of interharmonics. Using FFT may lead to invalid and undesired results due to the above mentioned issues. They can also lead to problems such as frequency blending, spectral leakage and the picket-fence effect. In this paper, the group-harmonic weighting (GHW) approach has been presented to identify the interharmonics in a power system. Afterwards, a modified GHW has been introduced to calculate the proper bandwidth for analyzing the various values of interharmonics. Modifying this method leads to more precise results in the FFT of a waveform containing inter harmonics especially in power systems with a fundamental frequency drift or frequency interference. Numerical simulations have been performed to prove the efficiency of the presented algorithm in interharmonics detection and to increase the accuracy of the FFT and the GWH methods.