1. Definition of harmonics In the AC power grid, due to the operation of many nonlinear electrical equipment, the voltage and current waveforms are actually not complete sine waveforms, but non-sine waves with different degrees of distortion. Harmonic refers to the amount of electricity contained in the current whose frequency is an integer multiple of the fundamental wave, and generally refers to...

1. Nonlinear characteristics   The diodes, thyristors and other power electronic devices in rectifier equipment have nonlinear voltammetry characteristics. Take the diode as an example, when the input AC voltage is in positive half circle, the diode is positive and the current can pass through; At the negative half cycle, the diode is reversed off and the current is almost zero. This characte...

Quick Answer The biggest challenge with harmonics is that they usually do not cause immediate equipment failure. A power system may continue operating normally, while distorted current gradually increases losses, temperature rise, and stress on the entire power distribution system. For systems with rectifiers, UPS systems, battery chargers, variable frequency drives, and switching power supplies, ...