Types of Harmonics?

I am not aware of any categories or classifications or types of Harmonics. However, harmonic currents are the integer multiple of the fundamental current frequency and so they are called 3^rd, 5^th, 7^th etc. harmonics. I am not sure you mean this by 'type of harmonic'.

It seems to me the method for measuring the harmonics is a kind of confusing and it may cause someone, especially to the beginners, to ask about the types of harmonics. There are three different methods used for measuring the harmonics. The three methods are:

(1) Crest Factor (CF): It is ratio of the Peak of wave form to the rms of wave form, a true sine wave has its value 1.414. A wave having the CF less than 1.414 tends to be flat-tapped, while a CF greater than 1.414 indicates a voltage that tends to be pointy. CF is also called Peak Factor. This method is generally used for the measuring of harmonics contained in the UPS output.

(2) Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): The total harmonic distortion is the square root of the sum of the squares of the harmonic voltages divided by the fundamental voltage. A true sinusoidal wave has this value 0. This method is used for measuring the harmonics introduced by the non-linear loads in power system.

(3) K-Factor: It is a weighting of the harmonic load currents according to their effects on transformer heating. A K-factor of 1 indicates a linear load (no harmonics), while K-factor 20 indicates large amount of harmonic content. This method is used to measure the thermal effect of harmonics on transformers.

Also see http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/51441

- MS