Circuit model of LED light bulb suitable for typical voltage THD on LV distribution networks

Abstract In lighting system design, the LED light bulb technology is gaining more and more advantages in comparison to other previous solutions. On the other hand, the designers of lighting systems have to face the specific problems created by this technology in terms of deterioration of the power quality on the mains. The knowledge of lamp electrical models is a key point for the optimal design of the lighting systems but such models are not provided by the manufactures. Moreover, the voltage on the mains may vary along the day due to the load fluctuation as well as due to the variation of the power generated by distributed renewable resources. Consequently, suitable electrical models have to be able at emulating the lamp behavior according to the voltage variability. The paper proposes an equivalent electrical circuit of LED light bulb. The components of the model are identified by means of simple electrical measurements. In particular, the circuit enables to emulate the current waveform in the case of network voltage variability. The validation has highlighted that the simulated currents waveforms have a good matching with the experimental data obtained in presence of distorted voltage on the mains (provided that the voltage THD is compliant with IEEE-Std-519). The validation has been performed also at voltage values different from the ones used for the components identification.