Electrical Engineering ⇒ Topic : Fundamental Power and Harmonic Power

Fundamental Power and Harmonic Power

When a complex alternating voltage is applied to a circuit, the power associated with each circuit element is equal to the sum of the fundamental power and all the individual harmonic powers.In an a.c. circuit, the fundamental current and the fundamental voltage together produce fundamental power. This fundamental power is the useful power that causes a motor to rotate, for example. On the other hand, the product of harmonic voltage and the corresponding harmonic current produces a harmonic power. The harmonic power is usually dissipated as heat and does no useful work. Therefore,harmonic voltages and currents should be kept as small as possible