Can Active Filters and Passive Capacitor Banks Work Together in a Hybrid System, And What Are the Benefits?

In the complex power network environment of modern industry, enterprises often encounter such a dilemma: On the one hand, inductive loads such as electric motors and welding machines consume a large amount of reactive power, which leads to a decrease in power factor and exposes the enterprise to the risk of fines from the power supply authority. On the other hand, non-linear devices such as frequency converters and rectifiers generate a large amount of harmonics, threatening the stable operation of sensitive equipment in the system. Facing these dual challenges of reactive power compensation and harmonic control, should enterprises choose the traditional passive capacitor banks or the emerging active filters? In fact, this is not a single-choice question.A better solution is to have the passive capacitor banks and the active filters work together in the hybrid system, each performing its own function and sharing the results.

Golder Partners: A Governance Portfolio with Clear Division of Labor

The active filter and the passive capacitor bank not only work together synergistically, but their combination can be regarded as the perfect pair for managing power quality. The core of this hybrid system lies in the effective collaboration between the active filter and the passive capacitor bank. The key lies in clear division of labor and precise actions. This active filter is like a quick-reacting special soldier, continuously monitoring the harmonic currents in the power grid and immediately injecting a compensating current of the same magnitude but in the opposite direction at the exact moment, thereby precisely canceling out the harmonics. Meanwhile, the passive capacitor bank is like a stable logistical force, providing the basic capacitive reactive power and raising the power factor of the system to the standard requirements. The active filter is responsible for dynamically eliminating harmonics while the passive capacitor bank is responsible for static compensation of reactive power. The active filter and the passive capacitor bank form an unparalleled portfolio for managing power quality, achieving perfect complementarity in function and jointly building a clean and efficient power grid environment for the enterprise.

Bidirectional Complementarity: The overall benefit of 1+1>2

The greatest advantage of this bidirectional reciprocal working mode where the active filter collaborates with the passive capacitor bank lies in achieving the optimal balance between cost and performance in a low-voltage reactive power compensation system. The active filter focuses on managing harmonics, which enables the passive capacitor group to operate in a clean and safe environment, completely avoiding the risks of capacitor bulging damage or even explosion caused by excessive harmonic current and voltage. This significantly extends the service life of the capacitor group, which is the core asset of the low-voltage compensation system. From an investment perspective, this is a very economical strategy. The APF is responsible for purifying the environment, allowing the capacitors to compensate safely in a clean and safe environment. This enables users to achieve the overall benefit of "one plus one is greater than two" by using the most reasonable total investment to solve the two major problems of insufficient reactive power and harmonic pollution.

The Solutions and Professional Commitment of Geyue Electric

At Geyue Electric, we have a profound understanding of the collaborative management of low-voltage reactive power compensation and can provide you with a fully integrated hybrid power quality management solution. Our core products include high-performance active power filters (APFs), which employ full digital control technology and can monitor the power supply in real time and quickly track and eliminate harmonics ranging from 2 to 50 cycles, ensuring the highest purity of the power network. Additionally, we offer the classic BSMJ series of square type self-healing shunt capacitors and the more superior BSMJ(Y) series of cylindrical type self-healing shunt capacitors, which are manufactured with high-quality metallized polypropylene films and possess excellent self-healing properties and a long service life, making themself the most reliable and cost-effective choice for basic low-voltage reactive power compensation.

Our company sincerely suggests that when dealing with complex power quality issues, you don't have to struggle between the two technical routes of active filters or passive capacitor banks. You can choose to be served directly by our Geyue Electric via info@gyele.com.cn. Our technical team is willing to use our professional technology and mature products to tailor a comprehensive solution that combines active and passive elements, and integrates governance and compensation, to ensure that your power grid is both powerful and pure.