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Dielectric testing techniques, in both time and frequency domains, are currently widely used by power utilities for assessment of the condition of transformer oil-paper insulation systems. However, it has been reported that results of these tests are highly influenced by the operating temperature during measurements. The distribution, migration and equilibrium of moisture between oil and paper in a complicated insulation system is highly temperature dependent. It requires adequate experience and proper understanding to interpret the dielectric response results in the presence of temperature variations and thermal instability. Proper analysis of the dielectric test result is only possible with an understanding of the physical behavior of the insulation system in response to temperature. A circuit model, which describes the dielectric behavior of the transformers main insulation system, has been investigated in this paper. The values of the parameters of the model have been identified from the dielectric tests. A correlation has been observed between the operating temperature and the equivalent model parameters that can be used as additional information for better interpretation of the dielectric test results. This paper thus reports a detailed study on the effects of temperature on dielectric measurements of a transformer under controlled laboratory conditions. Some results of practical on-site testing are also presented to demonstrate the possibility of errors that may be introduced in dielectric test results analysis unless temperature effects are taken into consideration.

Knowledge about moisture content in oil impregnated paper insulation is essential when estimating remaining lifetime of power transformers. Direct evaluation of moisture content is rarely possible due to inaccessibility of the internal insulation system in transformers. Therefore, various indirect estimation techniques are utilized. Frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS) measurements of transformer insulation belong to this group. To perform high quality interpretation of results of FDS measurements a good knowledge on dielectric responses in oil impregnated pressboard and paper is required, especially as it refers to their variation with water content and temperature. The aim of this paper is to provide an open access to the frequency domain spectra of oil impregnated paper and pressboard samples, which can then be used in modeling of the results of diagnostic measurements in power transformers.

Recently developed monitoring-systems show the need as also the possibilities for online- and offline-onsite-diagnostics. The limit in sensitivity for electrical pd-measurements according to IEC 60270 which is reached using filters for sinusoidal disturbances and compensation for corona impulses is still not satisfactory. The acoustic partial discharge measurement (pd-measurement) is also a well known and reliable method often used by transformer manufacturers in testing. In laboratory setups a gain in sensitivity of the acoustic in comparison to the electrical pd measurements could be established. This is reached by adapting the sensors to the propagation path, a modern but moderately priced acquisition hardware and the introduction of new signal processing algorithms. The developed sophisticated measuring systems show remarkable results in online acoustic pd-measurements onsite.

Many utilities still have paper-insulated pipe type cables in service. In the near future they may have to replace some of these systems due to local increases in electric power demand or aged cable insulation. In many cases the steel pipes are well protected against corrosion and thus suitable for further use. For retrofitting in such installations, XLPE-insulated cables offer several advantages. Felten & Guilleaume Energietechnik AG has developed a new three-core XLPE-insulated 64/110 kV cable with reduced insulation thickness (10 mm), that can be pulled into a pipe. In co-operation with VEW ENERGIE AG, the cable performance is being investigated in a field test, that started in October 1996. This long-term loading cycle test will last for three years. The test voltage, applied between conductor and earth, amounts to 127 kV. The temperature is measured with the help of an optical-fiber measurement system. This device is computer controlled and works as a remote monitoring system.

Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in using transformer monitoring systems. Some monitoring systems use models to predict the value of certain variables. One of the key variables to be monitored is moisture content in oil, as moisture has a high influence on transformer exploitation. In this paper, the theoretical foundation of a model for monitoring moisture in transformer oil is reported. The moisture model estimates moisture content in transformer oil under certain working conditions. Comparing the value of estimated moisture with the measured one, the model is able to detect failures producing an abnormal water content in the transformer. The model considers the equilibrium relations between paper and oil, the transients that take place until the steady-state equilibrium is attained, and the water increase caused by the insulating paper ageing. In addition, the model can alert to the possibility of oil saturation and the consequent free water formation in the transformer. In this paper, the theoretical foundation of the moisture model is described; in a companion paper, its experimental verification is reported.

For Part I see ibid., p.1417-22, 2005. In the companion paper, a model to detect failures leading to an increase of the water content in transformer oil was proposed. In this paper, the experimental verification of the model is presented. The model was tested in a 1500-kVA test transformer constructed as a reduced scale model of a 60-MVA 220-kV transformer. In order to load the transformer to have the capability of varying load and power factor over a wide range, the opposition method described in IEC 60076-2 Standard was used. Sensors to measure temperature and moisture in oil were installed in the test transformer. The model was adjusted and validated using a set of data corresponding to different operating conditions. The transformer was submitted to an accelerated aging process studying the model response in such a case. In order to verify the model's ability to detect failures, a water ingress in the transformer was simulated.

All electrical utilities deal with the task of determining the residual life of their in-service power transformers. Given the difficulties experienced with the use of first and second generations of markers (carbon oxides and 2-furfuraldehyde), several organizations are now considering the use of methanol for this purpose. Hydro-Quebec, which discovered this approach, uses this molecule on a regular basis to evaluate the state of the cellulose insulation of in-service power transformers and applies it to Electricite de France's nuclear power plant transformers. In this paper, some examples of the application of methanol in the field are presented against the information received from the early marker generations.

This paper describes the results of a long-term reliability test of a newly developed 500 kV DC oil-filled cable and accessories that transmit up to 2800 MW. This is the largest capacity ever used for submarine cables. The test line was 500 m and consist of submarine cables, land cables and several kinds of accessories. An optical fiber sensor was first installed in the oil duct of the cable to measure the conductor temperature directly under application of DC voltage. From 1994 to 1996, the authors carried out an accelerated electrical and thermal aging test equivalent to 40 years, a load cycle test, a polarity reversal test and a transient overloading current test. Satisfactory breakdown strength was confirmed in the residual test which followed the long-term test. These results have been instrumental to the decision to construct 500 kV DC commercial submarine cable lines.

This paper proposes a new modulated model predictive control method for the control of modular multilevel converters (MMCs) in voltage source converter-high voltage dc systems. The proposed method retains the advantages of the conventional finite control set-model predictive control methods by programing the nonlinear properties of the MMC into the design calculations while minimizing the ac line and circulating current ripples and steady-state error by generating modulated switching signals with a fixed switching frequency. In this paper, first, the predictive modeling of the MMC is provided. Next, the proposed control method is described. Then, the application of the proposed method to an MMC system is detailed. Finally, experimental results from an MMC system connected to a three-phase grid are provided to validate the theoretical outcomes.

Vibro-acoustic measurement on a transformer's on-load tap changer (OLTC) can provide indications on its mechanical condition. Recently, a joint vibro-acoustic and arcing measurement system has been proposed, which can correlate the vibro-acoustic signal to mechanical events of OLTC's operation. However, there are still considerable difficulties in extracting useful information from both vibro-acoustic signal and arcing signal in a synchronized manner without any distortions in the extracted signals. In this paper, Savitzky–Golay filter is introduced to process the signals acquired from a joint vibro-acoustic and arcing measurement system installed on in-service OLTCs. It proves that the Savitzky–Golay filter can process both vibro-acoustic and arcing signals induced by OLTC, extract essential information without any time delay from both types of signals, and retrieve voltage phase information from the arcing signal. The methodologies developed in this paper can improve the visibility of OLTC's mechanical operation for an effective online condition monitoring.

This paper 1) introduces a new approach for dependable and secure detection of loss-of-field (LOF) events based on estimating rotor signals, 2) implements digital algorithm of the corresponding LOF relay in an industrial hardware platform, and 3) evaluates performance of the LOF relay in a real-time-digital-simulator (RTDS) based control-hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) environment. The main features of the proposed relay as compared with the conventional approaches include 1) capability to discriminate between system disturbances and LOF events, and 2) dependability and higher speed of the LOF detection mechanism. To evaluate the proposed approach performance for various types of LOF events, a detailed excitation system is modeled and implemented in the RTDS-based CHIL environment. This paper also verifies superior performance of the proposed LOF relay as compared with that of a conventional impedance-based LOF relay, using the RTDS-based CHIL platform.

The Nelson River HVDC system currently consists of two thyristor-based bipole schemes: Bipoles I and II. Pole 1 in Bipole I was found to have suffered from a serious thyristor leakage problem (TLP) after 20 years in service. In order to understand, evaluate, and resolve this problem, a comprehensive study was conducted in 2013 at Manitoba Hydro, which involved thyristor voltage monitoring, leakage current measurements, and simulations. The study revealed that the majority of thyristors in two of the three valve groups at both ends were leaky (i.e., exhibiting increased leakage currents) to various degrees. This paper provides an overview of the TLP and related investigation. The effects and symptoms/behaviors of the leaky thyristors are illustrated with the study results for one of the worst valves at each end. The failure mechanism of the leaky thyristors is also discussed. This paper should provide a clear understanding of the TLP from the user's perspective. A question, however, remains with regard to the root-cause of the TLP. Further research is required to answer this question.

Power-electronic sources, such as Type 3 wind turbine generators and static synchronous compensators (STATCOM), interface to the grid through, partial- or full-scale, and power converters that have inherently fast switching capability to control their output current during short circuits. The short-circuit current is a function of the specific converter control algorithm and differs significantly from the conventional rotating machine sources without converter interfaces. Therefore, if a transmission-line protection scheme is designed for conventional sources, (not taking into account these differences in short-circuit current characteristics), reliability can be at risk. Using real-life short-circuit currents on lines supplied by sources having a power converter interface, this paper illustrates the reliability risk to conventional line protection schemes, in particular, to those which use negative-sequence quantities for the detection of unbalanced faults. This paper discusses the protection schemes, adopted by BC Hydro–a large Canadian Electric Utility, for transmission lines interconnecting Type 3 wind turbine and STATCOM sources. Their application for ground faults is independent of the converter control algorithm as long as the source is interconnected to the grid via a transformer which is a source of zero-sequence current.

Locating a fault in a series-capacitor-compensated transmission line (SCCTL) is a challenging task due to the action of a metal-oxide varistor a nonlinear element present as a part of the protection system of the series capacitor. In this paper, an accurate fault-location algorithm that uses synchronized measurements from both ends of the SCCTL is presented which provides fault-location results without using the model of MOV or natural fault loop for single-phase-to-ground, and double-phase-to-ground faults. Another salient feature of the proposed technique is that the subroutines for locating faults in different sections transmission line yield almost identical fault-location results regardless of which section the transmission line is faulted. The proposed technique could also be extended to the double-circuit transmission lines. First, the proposed technique is introduced and its features are elaborated through detailed mathematical analysis. Thereafter, a 500- $\text{kV}$ system with an SCCTL is designed in PSCAD, while the fault-location algorithm is modeled in MATLAB. The proposed algorithm is tested through simulations covering various fault scenarios in an SCCTL. For performance evaluation, the comparative analysis of the proposed technique with a well-known existing technique is performed in this paper.

Series compensated transmission lines challenge legacy protection schemes. In this paper, a dynamic state estimation based protection (EBP) method is proposed to address these challenges. The method requires GPS synchronized measurements at both ends of the line and a high-fidelity model of the protection zone. The paper presents the dynamic model of the protection zone and its impact on the performance of the protection scheme. Numerical simulations show that the method can correctly identify faults, independently of position and type. The paper also compares the proposed method versus legacy protection functions such as distance protection and line differential protection. The comparison shows faster detection of internal faults, immunity to current inversion caused by series capacitors (SCs) and improved detection sensitivity for high-impedance faults.

For the fast transient study of power transformers, several types of models are available that can be categorized into three groups: white box models, black box models, and gray box models. The identification of their parameters and their usages make the models different. Since white and black box models cannot cover certain cases, such as the failure analysis of a transformer with unknown geometrical data, a new type of model has recently become important for industry and academic researchers. This model, called the gray box model, is intensely analyzed in the current paper, both theoretically and experimentally. The gray box model conceptually lies between the black and white box models. The outcomes of this work have been verified using a suitable test object. The parameter identification of the model is performed by artificial methods. Some useful new ideas, including applying the Weibull Distribution function in inductance estimation and employing an exponential function for the series resistance of windings, are developed in this paper. The number of unknown parameters to be identified in the gray box model is reduced by applying these ideas, which makes the model more simple and feasible.

An effective computational tool for the simulation and design of voltage dividers has been realized. It takes advantage of a finite-element procedure for the accurate computation of the divider stray capacitances. These latter are then the input of a circuit solver procedure based on the modified node potential technique, which provides the divider frequency response. Furthermore, a test divider has been set up for the purpose of the tool validation. A very good agreement has been found between measured and computed results. This paper highlights that a correct representation of the resistors is necessary in the finite-element method (FEM) model, during the computation of the stray parameters. This issue has been clarified for the first time in this paper. In addition, a comparison between the FEM and boundary-element method has been carried out before the implementation of the numerical code, stating the superior effectiveness of FEM. The computational tool has been finally tested on a real voltage divider. Good results have been found in terms of computational accuracy. Limited discrepancies between measured and computed results have been found up to 10 kHz, with 5.7% for the scale factor and less than 24 mrad for the phase error.

In conventional HVDC systems where the harmonic filters and shunt capacitors are installed at the ac grid side, the converter transformers inevitably suffer the detrimental impacts caused by harmonic penetration. In this paper, combined with an inductive filtering method, a parallel delta-connected filtering-winding scheme for 12-pulse converter transformer units is proposed to reduce the harmonic currents flowing through the transformers and, thus, to attenuate the harmonic effects on them. This paper describes the presented transformer configuration in terms of the wiring scheme of the 12-pulse converter transformer unit and corresponding flowing paths of different harmonic currents with the orders of $3,6n\pm 1\left(\mathrm{n}=1,3,5,\ldots \right)$ , 11 and 13 in the filtering winding circuit. Then, the mechanism of the proposed scheme on harmonic suppression to the converter transformers is explained theoretically. In an attempt to validate the theoretical analysis, simulations based on PSCAD/EMTDC and experiments in a laboratory prototype system are performed to evaluate the harmonic eliminating performance of the proposed scheme.

Vibration measurement has been adopted in some utilities in Australia, Canada, and several European countries for online condition monitoring of the power transformer's onload tap changer (OLTC). By comparing measured vibration signals at different stages, it might be possible to assess changes of OLTC's condition. However, there are still considerable difficulties in correlating vibration signals to the events of OLTC operation, which may impair the capability of vibration measurement for OLTC condition monitoring. Therefore, arcing measurement is proposed in this paper to complement the vibration measurement. Arcing is provoked when the OLTC switching contact closes at a fixed tap position and can lead to electromagnetic signals flowing through transformer windings, finally reaching earth. The arcing measurement is achieved by using a high-frequency current transducer (HFCT) clamping on the transformer's grounding cable. The joint vibration and arcing measurement can provide a better means for interpreting events involved in OLTC operation and facilitating improved OLTC condition monitoring. Since HFCT measured arcing signals can be coupled with noise, a probabilistic wavelet transform is thus employed in this paper to extract arcing signals from noise. Field measurements on two different types of OLTCs are performed using the joint vibration and arcing measurement system to validate the proposed methodology.

This paper presents challenges and potential impacts of photovoltaic (PV) integration in the low-voltage downtown secondary networks (downtown networks). In the conventional secondary networks, substation feeders are the sole source of electric power and establish unidirectional power to the downtown network. The network protectors prevent the flow of power from inside the network to the upstream feeder by disconnecting the circuit to protect the feeder transformer against upstream faults. The assumption of unidirectional power flow can be violated by PV generation due to the possibility of excess power inside the network. It is shown in this paper that a large number of network protector trips can occur and, thus, voltage collapse may follow even in low PV penetration levels. In addition, it is demonstrated that the reclose action of the network protector relays is adversely affected by the PV power. Other adverse effects of such distributed-generation units, such as voltage profile, line overloads, and flicker, are also briefly discussed. Finally, a solution is proposed, based on differential currents, to upgrade the network protector relays in order to avoid false trips due to excessive PV power. Part of the New Orleans downtown network is modeled and the study is performed through simulations.

Proliferation of distributed generations (DGs) and power-electronics-based loads is bringing about more harmonic-polluted power signals. While some failures may occur as a consequence of nonsinusoidal current or voltage waveforms, existing reliability models of protection relays have not taken the harmonic-related failures into consideration. This paper develops a comprehensive Markov reliability model to categorize the possible functional states of a component, say a transmission line, protected by a relay, operating in a harmonic-polluted environment. In order to make the proposed model practically tractable, it is further simplified in two ways, through merging the states of the same consequence. The first simplified model focuses on the power component reliability assessment; while the other is built for reliability analysis of a protection system. Calculation of transition rates and how the resultant model is mathematically evaluated are then discussed. Numerical analyses and outcomes are based on the real-world data taken from Canadian substations. Accordingly, the results and conclusions drawn in this paper would be interesting to both academia and industry. Moreover, the proposed reliability assessment methodology is readily applicable in scrutinizing the impacts of harmonic pollution on the protection devices of other power components.

Several methods of attenuation of very-fast transient overvoltages (VFTOs) in gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) are under development. An approach that is currently gaining high attention among researchers is based on the application of magnetic cores dissipating the energy associated with VFTO due to eddy current losses and magnetic hysteresis losses. This paper presents an advancement in this approach by introducing a new material type (denoted in this paper as “nanoflakes”). This new material comprises macro pieces of nanocrystalline ribbons (with the size ranging in square millimeters), acquired from crumbled nanocrystalline cores of a standard design. The material is characterized by relatively high magnetic permeability, poor electrical conductivity, and high saturation flux level. The material is suitable for application as a coating layer applied to the surfaces of an inner and/or an outer GIS conductor, as a fill-in material in the GIS shielding elements, or as a standard shaped core. This paper presents the material major features, outlines its development process, and reports on validation of the material effectiveness in real VFTO conditions. The validation is based on the measurement of VFTO attenuation in a full-scale 550 kV GIS test setup.

This two-part paper is intended to clarify definitions in dual transformer modeling that are vague, provide accurate modeling guidelines, clarify misconceptions about numerical instability, provide a unified dual model for a specific type of transformer, and introduce new paths of research to the power systems/electrical machinery community for low-frequency transients. Part I discussed the topology of duality-based models and some important issues, such as the most common approaches to derive dual models and their variety, the equivalence of negative inductance and mutual couplings to represent the leakage inductance of three-winding transformers, and the numerical oscillations caused by the use of nontopological models. This part of the paper discusses and compares white-, gray-, and black-box models. The paper also reviews hysteresis models (static and dynamic) and highlights the differences between the air-core inductance and saturation inductance. The available dual models for the representation of the transformer tank are then presented. A unified and accurate model of a three-phase core-type transformer adequate for all low-frequency transients is presented. Finally, concrete guidelines are presented for the appropriate selection of the model topology and parameters for different low-frequency transient studies.

Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) have become the converter topology of choice for voltage-source converter-high-voltage direct-current systems. Excellent work has previously been conducted to develop much needed average value models (AVM) for these complex converters; however, there a number of limitations as highlighted in this paper. This paper builds on the existing models, proposing numerous modifications and resulting in an enhanced MMC-AVM, which is significantly more accurate and which can be used for a wider range of studies, including DC faults.

In China, two modular multilevel converter (MMC) projects were recently commissioned, and another two are currently under construction. The real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test bench played an important role in validating the manufacturer's controllers. The full detail MMC model does not fit with the HIL test bench, which has to solve the circuit containing numerous switches and handles a large amount of inputs and outputs at a small time step for real-time simulation. The main challenge is to find a method to model and simulate the MMC systems with sufficient detail, accuracy, and speed. This paper presents an equivalent circuit method for the HIL test bench. The circuit inside the submodule is represented by mathematical equations, implemented in CPU or a field-programmable gate array, and solved in parallel to achieve real-time performance. This method-based test bench is used in those MMC projects in China and connected to the manufacturer's controllers for HIL tests. The model accuracy and simulation speed achieved by this method met the requirements of the HIL tests. In this paper, various scenarios are tested in an MMC HVDC study system. The results achieved by the proposed method have high agreement with those of a reference model in EMTP-RV.

The dc cables of the voltage-sourced converter-based HVDC link, including the modular multilevel converter (MMC) configuration, must be protected by surge arresters against transient overvoltages. The selection of the appropriate surge arresters requires a comprehensive understanding of the phenomena that cause the overvoltages and accurate calculation of energy discharged in the arresters. This paper investigates the mechanism that causes transient overvoltages, due to dc-side line-to-ground faults, in a cable-connected MMC–HVDC link. This paper also evaluates the impacts of various system parameters, for example, the prefault power transfer level, the MMC arm inductance, the transformer leakage inductance, the fault location, the ac system short-circuit capacity, the cable inductance, and the MMC blocking delay, on the peak transient overvoltages and the amount of energy discharge in the cable surge arresters. The transient overvoltage studies are also conducted when the dc cable is replaced by an overhead line. The studies are performed in the PSCAD platform. The studies conclude that the prefault power transfer level and the MMC blocking delay have the most significant impacts on the surge arrester energy discharge under dc-side line-to-ground faults in the MMC–HVDC link. The study results also provide essential information for the design of the MMC–HVDC link components.

In this paper, a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) operation scheme of the modular multilevel converter adopting clamp double submodules (CDSM-MMC) during a pole-to-pole dc fault is proposed. By analyzing the current paths of a CDSM, this paper proposes three new operation states of the CDSM, which allow the CDSM to provide bipolar voltages when the arm current that flows through it is negative. Through control of the CDSMs to operate in these new states along with the blocked state, the arms of the CDSM-MMC can operate alternately in two different modes, that is, the conducting mode and blocked mode even when the dc-link voltage drops to zero. Thus, the CDSM-MMC is capable of working as a STATCOM during a dc fault. Moreover, a control strategy of the dc-fault STATCOM operation mode is designed to control the reactive power provided by the CDSM-MMC, to limit the dc fault current, and to reserve and balance the energies stored in capacitors. Simulation results conducted in PSCAD/EMTDC demonstrate the validity of the proposed STATCOM operation scheme and control strategy of the CDSM-MMC during a pole-to-pole dc fault.

This paper presents the results of a comparative analysis among three methods for attributing responsibilities of voltage unbalance in the electrical network, namely, the IEC, three-phase power flow, and conforming and nonconforming currents methods. To do this, computational and experimental simulations are carried out based on employing a system comprised of a perfectly transposed transmission line and two loads that are not always balanced. The cases selected for this study also permit the identification of the main advantages and disadvantages of each method under evaluation. This work is characterized as a topic of great interest to the regulatory agencies responsible for establishing regulations, and for utilities and consumers. It is relevant because by using the methods investigated in this paper, the identification of the sources, which generates unbalance, the division of responsibilities, and the application of penalties due to limit transgression will be possible.

This paper presents a simple modulation index-dependent Thevenin equivalent circuit model of the voltage-source converters (VSCs) and the associated anti-parallel diode rectifier. The model derivation uses orthogonal transformation and a transformer analogy to transfer impedances to the dc side of the converter. The paper proposes a switched equivalent representation of a three-phase diode rectifier formed due to the antiparallel diodes when VSC switching is inhibited. The proposed model is implemented in Alternate Transients Program–Electromagnetic Transients Program and simulation results are compared with the switched model. The proposed model is shown to under predict the fault currents for pole-ground (PG) faults and to provide a nearly exact match for pole-pole faults. The rectifier equivalent provides increased accuracy in the transient region with the inclusion of the source inductance. A multiterminal dc (MTDC) system model is used to study effects of aggregation which gives increased accuracy of the equivalent circuit. It is shown that the MTDC system simulation with the proposed Thevenin equivalent is about 3 times faster than full-switched circuit simulation for a time step of 5 $\mu$ s. The MTDC system simulation with the Thevenin equivalent circuit is still accurate and 126 times faster when the time step is increased to 750 $\mu$ s.

This paper deals with those measures against overvoltage taken when protecting buildings occupied by people or animals. Such overvoltages can appear in the case of ground fault if the grounding system of the building is located within a potential funnel of a transmission tower's grounding system. This paper presents an entire concept regarding protection against any potential rise within the building. Computations of electrical potential on the grounding system having been performed using data obtained by measurements. This includes equipotential bonding, overvoltage protection of the building, and a transformer substation with metal–oxide varistors and gas-discharge arresters installed on the low-voltage line. A simulation model for the entire overvoltage protection based on known mathematical models has been merged within this paper. Adequate overvoltage protection elements were selected for protection against potential rises in the grounding systems of buildings on the basis of computation results.

This paper presents the analysis of possible transient overvoltages that can be generated during vacuum circuit-breaker (VCB) operation at the connection point of a photovoltaic powerplant. A typical switching event that is related to the VCB concerns energization and de-energization of the unloaded transformer. However, at the typical photovoltaic powerplant, the transformer is fed by an inverter equipped with LC (or LCL) filters that are necessary for limitation of harmonics and ripple in voltage and current. From the point of view of switching operations, the inductance and capacitance of the low-voltage (LV)-side connected filter affect the natural frequency of the transformer, which is reflected by different transient system response during VCB operation. In this paper, laboratory measurement of overvoltages generated during distribution transformer switching by means of VCBs is analyzed. The impact of the LC filter connected at the LV side on the overvoltages suppression was studied. Electromagnetic Transients Program–Alternative Transients Program simulations were conducted in order to verify the possibility of transients elimination by means of the additional series-connected RL choke at the transformer medium-voltage side.

This paper highlights an immediate need for renewable generation developers, manufacturers, utilities and industry standardization institutes to jointly address a challenge of capacitor switching transient immunity in inverter-based wind or solar farms. The need was identified from wide-area operation records which showed partial or full generation loss in coincidence with routine utility-owned capacitor switching. The lack of a clear industry guideline has caused confusion to all involved parties. This paper recommends all entities to address this challenge collaboratively through enhanced equipment specification, design, and test before a well-defined industry guideline becomes available.

Having unveiled the problems associated with distance protection of lines connected to full-scale converter-interfaced renewable energy power plants (CIREPPs) due to remote and intermediate infeed in Part I of this paper, Part II describes why the countermeasures currently deployed by commercial relays to tackle these problems in a conventional power system fail in the presence of a CIREPP. Then, a new formula to calculate impedance is devised for the phase element of the relay to prevent maloperation in the event of line-to-line to ground faults. In addition, a communication-assisted method with minimal bandwidth requirement is proposed for balanced and line-to-line faults. The issues that should be taken into consideration for single-line-to-ground faults are also discussed. The solutions presented in this paper are simple and independent of the host system grid code, and can be applied to industrial memory-polarized distance relays. A comprehensive performance evaluation is presented to verify the reliable operation of the proposed methods.

This paper focuses on the parameter estimation of transmission lines which is an essential prerequisite for system studies and relay settings. Synchrophasor measurements have shown promising potentials for the transmission line parameter estimation. Majority of existing techniques entail existence of phasor measurement units (PMUs) at both ends of a given transmission line; however, this assumption rarely holds true in nowadays power networks with few installed PMUs. In this paper, a practical technique is proposed for the estimation of transmission line parameters while the required data are phasor measurements at one end of a given line and conventional magnitude measurements at the other end. The proposed method is thus on the basis of joint PMU and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) measurements. A non-linear weighted least-square error (NWLSE) algorithm is employed for the maximum-likelihood estimation of parameters. The approach is initially devised for simple transmission lines with two terminals; then, it is extended for three-terminal lines. Numerical studies encompassing two- and three-terminal lines are conducted through software and hardware simulations. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of new technique and verify its applicability in present power networks.

A modular multilevel converter control system, based on converter energy storage, is proposed in this paper for two different control modes: active power and dc voltage. The proposed control system decouples the submodule (SM) capacitor voltages from the dc bus voltage. One of the practical applications is the management of active redundant SMs. A practical HVDC system with 401-level MMCs, including 10% redundancy in MMC SMs, is used for validating and demonstrating the advantages of the proposed control system. This paper also presents a novel capacitor voltage balancing control based on $\max$ – $\min$ functions. It is used to drastically reduce the number of switchings for each SM and enhances computational efficiency.

A new wind turbine transformers protection method against high du/dt switching transients taking place during a wind turbine operation is described. High-frequency transients, characterized by a high rate of voltage rise (du/dt) and overvoltage at the wind turbine transformer high-voltage terminals may be a result of operations of the turbine switchgear typically comprising a vacuum circuit breaker. The protection concept described in this paper is a follow up of research activities on a transients suppressing method dedicated for distribution transformers. The principle of operation of the protective device proposed and parameters optimization procedures for windmill transformers are provided in this paper. The performance of the device was verified by means of Alternative Transients Program–Electromagnetic Transients Program simulations. The physical device was built and experimentally verified by full-scale functional tests reflecting a real wind turbine power network.

This paper proposes a model predictive control (MPC) method for modular-multilevel-converter (MMC) high-voltage direct current (HVDC). To control the MMC-HVDC system properly, the ac current, circulating current, and submodule (SM) capacitor voltage are taken into consideration. The existing MPC methods for the MMC-HVDC system utilize weighting factors to configure the cost function in combinations of the SM capacitor voltage balancing algorithm, ac current control, and circulating current control. Because all combinations of the switch states are considered in order to minimize the cost function, their possible combinations increase geometrically according to the increase of the level of the MMC, which is a significant disadvantage. This paper proposes a new MPC method with a reduced number of states for ac current control, circulating current control, and the SM capacitor voltage-balancing algorithm. The proposed cost functions are divided into three types according to their control purposes. Each cost function determines the minimum number of states for controlling the ac current, circulating current, and SM capacitor voltage. The efficacy of the proposed controlling method is verified through simulation results using PSCAD/EMTDC.

A novel approach for the calculation of transient fault current contributions from capacitive network components in HVDC cable networks during pole-to-ground faults is presented in this paper. Analytic approximations considering the skin effect and the resulting distortion of the waveshape of the fault surge are proposed. Only fault current contributions from capacitive components, such as dc capacitors and adjacent cable feeders, are taken into account in this paper, since they are dominant during the first few milliseconds and yield the highest rates of rise of fault current. The results of the proposed expressions are compared with a benchmark model implemented in PSCAD and exhibit an accurate representation of the time development of the fault current. The derived approximations may serve as a starting point for a short-circuit calculation standard for HVDC networks and the specification of HVDC circuit-breaker requirements.

A 240-MVA, 165-GRDY/20-kV generator step-up transformer was insulated with Envirotemp FR3 fluid. The transformer was energized during a cold temperature period in mid-December 2010. This is believed to be the largest generator step-up transformer filled with a natural ester fluid that was energized at low temperatures. The lack of cold start experience of natural ester-filled power transformers created questions and at least some uncertainty as to the outcome. This paper describes the instrumentation used and data collected during the cold startup procedure. In addition, a computational fluid dynamics analysis of this transformer design was performed that provided calculated temperatures and elapsed times until steady-state temperatures were achieved. Comparisons were made between the actual and calculated values. The results indicate that the cold startup procedures for a power transformer are the same whether filled with mineral oil or natural ester fluid of similar characteristics as used for this paper.

This paper describes the application of the finite-elements method for determining the distribution of losses over windings and a detailed thermal-hydraulic network model for determining the value of the hot-spot factor and the hot-spot temperature. The influence of nonuniform losses in the conductor of the windings and the influence of nonuniform cooling are clearly separated. A detailed discussion of the components included in the hot-spot factor is given in this paper, enabling proper understanding of this complex and important quantity. The case study transformer was a 100-MVA oil power transformer with oil-directed water-forced cooling. The method was applied within the scope of the project of increasing the power of a hydro power station by 12%. The task was to calculate the temperatures and to recommend whether the reconstruction of the transformer is necessary. The developed calculation method and software were hitherto used for transformer design (in the production or the reconstruction stage of transformers) and it is the first application to give an answer as to whether it is possible to increase the power of an existing transformer. In this specific application, necessary onsite measurements for determining the characteristics of the coolers were performed.

Over the years, there have been a number of cases where users experienced higher noise levels of transformers on-site versus what was measured in the factory acceptance tests. In some of these cases, measurements have shown that a power transformer can have significantly different noise characteristics (both noise level and frequency spectrum) on-site compared to what was measured in the factory. This difference can range from a few decibels to more than 10 dB in some cases. Some of these differences are found to be caused by local environmental factors that influenced the on-site measurements. Others were caused by operating conditions on-site that are different from those of the factory tests. This paper presents results of investigations and measurements performed, over the past several years, on the main contributors to this difference. For each of these contributors, data are presented that demonstrate the impact of this contributor as well as quantify typical magnitudes of this impact. It is hoped that the material presented in this paper will assist users in: 1) understanding some of the pitfalls of on-site measurement of transformer noise; 2) how operating conditions contribute to the noise performance of transformers on-site; and 3) how significantly higher on-site noise levels can, in some cases, indicate an issue with the transformer or any of its components/accessories. It is also hoped that the material in this paper will contribute to industry standards/application guides on noise determination and abatement.

A typical maloperation case of the differential protection utilized in the ultra-high voltage (UHV) voltage-regulating transformer (VRT) under inrush conditions is investigated in this paper. It indicates that the second harmonic restraint principle cannot identify the inrush current reliably under such conditions. This paper proposes a normalized equivalent instantaneous inductance (NEII)-based inrush blocking method, which improves the equivalent instantaneous inductance (EII)-based method in the UHV VRT protection. Although the EII-based method is capable of discriminating inrush currents and internal faults, some factors constrain its application, such as the field limitation of measuring the terminal voltage of the transformer and the difficulty of determining a reasonable threshold due to the diversity of transformer magnetizing characteristics. The proposed NEII-based method overcomes limitations of the EII-based method and can be adopted in UHVVRT protection. A number of simulation tests have verified the effectiveness of the proposed method.

This paper proposes a technique for preventing saturation in series transformers from dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) systems. The method consists in correcting the voltages which are injected through the transformers into the power system to compensate voltage sags. It restricts the compensating voltages during the sag whenever it predicts that a maximum limit for the flux linkage is about to be exceeded. The prediction is carried out at the beginning of a stabilized voltage sag. Moreover, the technique allows a certain level of sag compensation even when the estimated flux is expected to exceed the saturation limit. The voltage sag level and phase are computed through an adaptive recursive least squares (RLS). The RLS estimation incorporates a transient period before it achieves a stable state whenever there is a sag event. The DVR is not supposed to operate in this period. Therefore, this paper also outlines a simple procedure for detecting the RLS estimation stable level. Simulation of different scenarios of voltage sags and the results from the experimental implementation of a DVR show the effectiveness of the method.

This paper presents a practical assessment and validation for the new proposed approach based on the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) to obtain the frequency response from online transient signals for an actual transformer. Apart from the mathematical procedure, an electronic system was also designed and implemented in order to inject superimposed controlled pulses to the power system (50/60 Hz) wave. The results show improved performance of the wavelet transform compared to the Fourier transform, for transient signal analysis to be applied on a nonintrusive transformer monitoring approach. Particularly, this new approach enables overcoming some problems related to the signal filtering and the signal processing in an online frequency-response analysis transformer diagnosis. This paper is presented in three parts. Part I showed the main theoretical basis of this approach. The current Part II shows a practical assessment based on tests performed in a three-phase transformer of 1150/345 V-5 kVA and in a single-phase transformer of 13200/240 V-15 kVA. Part III shows the performance of this new approach on transformers being diagnosed under real conditions.

Inrush currents in transformers can have very disruptive effects, such as voltage sags, false tripping of the protective devices, and mechanical stresses in the transformer windings. This paper shows that there are operating situations that may cause a transformer to draw abnormally high inrush currents. Examples include the normal operation of offline uninterruptible power-supply (UPS) systems, interruptions, voltage sags, and notching. These conditions may produce inrush-like currents of more than twice the value of the “normal” maximum inrush caused by energizing at voltage zero-crossing. For this condition, the term “phase-hop” is used in this paper. Laboratory experiments were performed on four different transformers (1 kVA) with varied characteristics and show the impact of phase-hop in the magnitude of inrush currents. The experiments are also used to validate the Electromagnetic Transients Program model used for the analysis of multiple cases. In addition, the behavior of the magnetic flux in a transformer under phase-hop is investigated and compared with different operating conditions using finite elements. The results of this paper have implications in transformer design and in the operation and design of UPS systems to prevent the damaging effects of phase-hop.

An unbalance voltage between a positive pole and negative pole will exist for a long time in an ungrounded modular multilevel converter (MMC) HVDC transmission system. A zig-zag transformer has been proposed to construct an artificial neutral point and keep voltage balance between the positive pole and the negative pole. An efficient grounding system consists of the zig-zag transformer and the neutral grounding resistor. In this paper, the different impedances, including positive-, negative-, zero-sequence impedance, and dc current impedance, have been analyzed, respectively. Then, the computer simulations have been performed to evaluate the characteristic of the zig-zag transformer under normal voltage, zero-sequence voltage and unbalanced dc voltage, respectively. The simulation results show that 1) the zig-zag transformer can effectively balance the unbalanced voltage in dc side of the MMC under different work conditions; 2) the zero-sequence impedance is low and zero-sequence current is convenient for the detection of a single-phase fault; 3) the power consumption of the neutral grounding resistor is of a light rating, and the cooling of the resistor is unnecessary. The method presented in this paper proves to be an efficient grounding method for the MMC-HVDC transmission system.

This paper presents the concept of complementary measurements with the use of two methods that allow for a more detailed assessment of the mechanical condition of a transformer's active part. These methods are frequency-response analysis (FRA) and vibroacoustic method (VM). The VM was interpreted separately in steady and transient conditions, thus allowing, together with the FRA measurements, the determination of possible source of vibrations. This paper presents a theoretical introduction, experimental measurements performed on a real transformer with introduced controlled deformations and, finally, an example of a practical application.

Plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging equipment incorporates protection that ensures that grid disturbances do not damage the charger or vehicle. When the grid voltage sags below 80% of nominal, undervoltage protection is likely to disconnect the charging load from the grid. Most PEV charging will occur overnight, when non-PEV load is at a minimum. This paper argues that PEV voltage-sag response, when synchronized across large numbers of PEVs, could result in the loss of a significant proportion of the total load. It is shown that this load loss can lead to unacceptably high voltages once the initiating event has been cleared. This paper explores the nature of this voltage-rise phenomenon. Analysis tools are developed to assist in determining PEV loading conditions that demarcate acceptable postdisturbance voltage response from unacceptable outcomes. Two examples, based on standard distribution test systems, are used to illustrate PEV-induced overvoltage behavior, and demonstrate applications of the analysis tools.

The geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) produced in power systems during magnetic storms are a function of the electric-field amplitude and direction, and the characteristics of the power system. This paper examines the influence of a number of power system characteristics, which include the resistances and structures of the conductors; the length of the transmission lines; the number, type, and resistances of transformers, the substation grounding resistances, and the topology of the network. It is shown that GIC grows with increasing line length but approaches an asymptotic constant value, and a more relevant parameter than the individual line length is the length of the entire system. This paper also derives the effective GIC for a conventional transformer and an autotransformer, and analyzes the behavior of GIC when the network topology changes illustrated with the GIC-Benchmark Model. The results of these studies provide a guide to estimating GIC impacts on a power network.

In this paper, an adaptive pole-shift control technique for a FACTS device, namely Thyristor Controlled Series Capacitor (TCSC), is presented. Adaptive pole-shift techniques have been successfully implemented for power system stabilizer applications in the past, but one of the difficulties in extending such a technique for transmission line control devices has been its inability to handle large disturbance conditions such as three-phase faults. In recent literature, random walk technique has been suggested during the system identification process, to overcome this problem. This paper presents a simple parameter constrained RLS identification procedure to track the large disturbance conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is demonstrated using (i) a three-area six-machine power system with a TCSC, and (ii) a IEEE 12 bus power system configuration with a TCSC.