Thyristor-controlled reactor
A thyristor-controlled reactor (TCR) is a shunt-connected inductor equipped with bidirectional thyristor valves, designed to provide stepless, dynamic control of inductive reactive power in AC electrical power systems.[1] By phase-angle controlling the firing of the thyristors—typically from 90° for full conduction to 180° for zero conduction—the TCR varies its effective reactance continuously, modulating the fundamental current and thereby absorbing variable amounts of reactive power from zero to its maximum rating.[2] This configuration, often implemented in a three-phase delta arrangement with split reactor windings to facilitate thyristor placement and harmonic cancellation, enables rapid response times on the order of one electrical cycle, making it a core component of static VAR compensators (SVCs) within flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS).[3] Developed in the 1970s following the invention of the thyristor in 1957, alongside advancements in power electronics, TCRs emerged as a solution for high-speed reactive power management in high-voltage transmission networks, addressing limitations of mechanically switched alternatives like fixed shunt reactors.[2] Their primary applications include voltage regulation, power factor correction, suppression of voltage flicker in industrial loads, damping of power oscillations, and enhancement of transient stability in interconnected grids.[1] However, TCR operation generates odd-order harmonics (predominantly 5th and 7th), necessitating integration with harmonic filters or passive components to comply with standards like IEEE 519.[2] Key advantages of TCRs lie in their instantaneous controllability and seamless integration into existing infrastructure, offering superior performance over thyristor-switched reactors (TSRs), which provide only discrete steps.[3] In modern systems, TCRs are often paired with thyristor-switched capacitors (TSCs) in FC-TCR configurations to achieve bidirectional reactive power flow, further improving power quality and system efficiency under varying load conditions.[2]Overview and History
Definition and Purpose
A thyristor-controlled reactor (TCR) is a shunt-connected inductive reactance in series with a bidirectional thyristor valve, designed to absorb variable inductive reactive power in alternating current (AC) power systems. The thyristor valve enables phase-angle control of the current through the reactor, allowing the effective reactance to vary continuously and providing stepless adjustment of the absorbed reactive power.[4][5] The primary purpose of a TCR is to deliver fast and dynamic control of reactive power, which helps maintain voltage stability in power networks, limits overvoltages on lightly loaded transmission lines—such as those affected by the Ferranti effect—and supports power factor correction for improved system efficiency. By modulating the conduction period of the thyristors, the TCR responds rapidly to fluctuations in system conditions, ensuring smooth reactive power absorption without discrete steps.[6][4] In the context of Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS), the TCR plays a fundamental role as a shunt compensator that continuously absorbs reactive power (vars) from zero to its rated maximum value, enhancing transmission line capacity and system reliability. The maximum reactive power absorption occurs under full conduction and is given byQ_{\max} = \frac{V^2}{X_L},
where V is the system voltage and X_L = 2\pi f L is the reactor reactance, with f as the fundamental frequency and L as the inductance. This capability allows TCRs to integrate into static VAR compensators for precise voltage regulation across varying load conditions.[4][7]