Behavior of single-point harmonic producer indicators in electrified AC railways

Electrified railways are an example of AC single phase distribution networks. A non-negligible amount of active and nonactive power may be related to harmonics, especially for distorted highly-loaded systems. The paper considers the relevance of the harmonic power terms in order to identify distortion sources in a single-point perspective, in line with the approach of EN 50463 for the quantification of the power and energy consumption. Some single-point Harmonic Producer Indicators (HPI) based on harmonic active power direction and nonactive distortion power terms are reviewed and evaluated using pantograph voltage and current measured during several hours of runs in two European AC railways (operated at 16.7 and 50 Hz). The HPI based on active power shows to be consistent and provides detailed information of rolling stock characteristic components under variable operating conditions; those based on nonactive distortion power are global indexes and hardly can operate with complex harmonic patterns in variable operating conditions.