Mitigating noise at a liquid bulk storage facility
A vast liquid bulk storage facility provides some 1.3 m cubic metres of bulk liquid energy product storage capacity. This vast project pushes the limits of building and engineering feasibility. Audible noise would sometimes come from drives at the substation – even when they were in standby mode. One type of drive was creating noise in the other types of drives. These drives improve energy efficiency and reduce operational costs by allowing precise control over motor functions, which is essential in large industrial settings.
HyTEPS performed a one-week Power Quality measurement as well as several hours of oscilloscope measurements at the liquid bulk storage facility.
“Our goal was to identify the root cause of the noise, quantify the cause of disturbance and provide advice on mitigation measures,” explains HyTEPS’ Technical Engineer. “Measurements, performed under different scenarios, indicated that drives from Company B were producing noise, based on the main switchgear voltage, which then fed into passive components at Company A’s drives. It turned out that electrical noise from RTO operation was caused by rapid switching at the RTO (Real-Time Operating) converter), often used in control systems. Disturbances caused drives to absorb and release higher currents, altering their normal operation and creating noise in the cabinet.”
“We proposed a variety of solutions to offer a cleaner, more steady voltage waveform resulting in less harmonics. By accurately identifying the presence and magnitude of switching frequencies and their harmonics, it became possible to implement targeted mitigation strategies. It was great to help reduce electrical noise and improve the overall stability of the power supply. By being able to address Power Quality issues related to switching frequencies, systems can operate continuously far more efficiently, which is beneficial to cost.”