Harmonizing Power Conditions for Better Melt Shop Results

When the normal 50 Hz or 60 Hz sinusoidal wave that feeds ordinary electrical appliances and equipment becomes distorted, it not only contains the original waveform, the fundamental, but also a series of higher frequency sinusoidal waveforms that are multiples of the original waveform frequency. Harmonic distortion could be defined as the deviation of the voltage and/or current waveforms from the fundamental waveform. In his essay — What You Should Know About Harmonics — Inductotherm Corp.’s Michael Looby explained what induction melting foundries must understand about the distortion in the electric field that may affect productivity and performance.