Smart grid element: efficient controllable inductance with virtual air gap

Smart grid technologies require advances in various conventional solutions where efficient control of the inductance of reactors is of a significant interest for utilities. Novel solution is presented for inductance control of power reactors which is carried out by developing a virtual air gap (VAG) within the core. The impact of VAG on the magnetisation behaviour of the transformer core has been analysed by using simulation environment of finite-element method (FEM). Experimental investigation is carried out to observe the performance of VAG for intended inductance variation. Using proposed technique reactor inductance can be tuned in the range of 1 : 20 in less than a millisecond with a significant reduction in harmonics. Implementation of such fast, linear and magnetically controlled inductance along with suitable intelligence can be valuable to enhance smart grid technology for improved integration of renewables and grid optimisation.