Voltage Balancing by Magnetically Controlled Reactors in Electric Grids Containing Unbalanced Loads

The problem of load balancing for railway traction substations is relevant in many countries of the World. This paper shows how dynamic reactive power compensation systems based on magnetically controlled shunt reactor technology with phase-wise design and control can be used to solve this problem. The advantages of this solution are fast response, high reliability, ease of use and relatively low cost. Connection diagrams and control algorithms for a dynamic voltage balancing system are shown in the paper, as well as results of EMT simulations demonstrating the efficiency of this type of equipment for voltage balancing at a 2 × 25 kV traction substation.