Luke Beaudry, dv8 Energy
The percentage of oil wells using 3-Phase Electric motors controlled by Variable Frequency Drives is continuing to grow. As new wells come online they are also added to existing Utility feeder lines. As a result of increasing non-linear load density, utilities are gradually turning to stricter enforcement protocols. New utility interconnect permits may be withheld until the utility is satisfied that a new pad will comply with IEEE519-2022. Existing pads may trigger notices from a utility which can require compliance and outline punitive measures including disconnection if no action is taken. This talk will explain why VFDs cause harmonics, how increasing the number of VFDs on a utility feeder impacts the power quality on the feeder line, and how to address harmonics for new and existing pads. Passive filters, phase shifting techniques, active filters, active-front-end and matrix converters will be discussed and compared from a cost, performance and reliability perspective. Real world data from actual harmonics studies before and after mitigation will be presented.