Water/Wastewater

Harmonic Solutions for Water/Wastewater Issues and Concerns

Power electronic loads such as drives, ozone generators and UV filtration equipment are common in water treatment plants due to their many benefits. But one drawback is that they can produce harmonic distortion. Harmonic distortion can cause overheating of cables, motors and transformers, damage to sensitive equipment, tripping of circuit breakers, blowing of fuses and premature aging of the facility. 

Equipment failures and disturbances are particularly challenging for water treatment plants. Operational problems caused by harmonic distortion can cause major problems. The impact also can be very costly, especially when processes are disrupted or shut down, reducing productivity, increasing repair and maintenance costs.

Remote pumping stations also potentially face harmonic issues because the majority of their electric power load comes from VFDs. Since pumping stations often are located in residential areas, the harmonic distortion they generate often can induce power system disturbances that affect nearby businesses and homes.

Reliability and up-time are critical for water treatment plants to serve their customers and communities. TCI offers enhanced power quality protection for a variety of water and wastewater treatment equipment including: VFDs, pumps, motors, control panels, PLCs and stand-by and distributed generation.

Case Studies

IEEE-519 Compliance

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has established a recommended practice, IEEE 519-2022, which sets reasonable limits for harmonic current and voltage distortion for electrical power systems. Water and waste water treatment plants must meet local requirements to achieve low harmonic levels to prevent disturbances to equipment in nearby residential properties.

What solution is the right one for you?

Our Application Specialists know your industry-specific processes and develop product concepts that optimally fit your application.

We always proceed as resource-efficiently as possible by maximizing plant efficiency, permanently reducing operating costs and sustainability protecting the environment.