Harmonics in its simplest form is quite simply distortion, which can negatively impact an electrical system.
From a technical perspective, harmonics can be best described as the shape or characteristics of a voltage or current waveform relative to its fundamental frequency.
But what does that mean? Well, the ideal power source for all power systems are smooth sinusoidal waves. These perfect sinewaves do not contain harmonics. When waveforms deviate from a sinewave shape they contain harmonics. These current harmonics distort the voltage waveform and create distortion in the power system which can cause many problems, including overheating of components, equipment malfunctions, nuisance tripping of circuit breakers, telecommunications interference and more.
Clean Waveform versus Distorted Wave Form
MTE offers an array of harmonic mitigation solutions to increase productivity and system efficiency.