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Protecting DC microgrids (DCMGs) from faults is critical due to the rapid current changes that occur in milliseconds. However, ensuring fast and accurate protection in DCMGs is more challenging than in AC systems. This study proposes a novel protection algorithm using traveling waves (TWs) for fault detection and localization. The high‐order synchrosqueezing transform (FSSTH) is applied to precisely identify TWs at the relay location. FSSTH offers a sharp time–frequency representation, enhancing the accuracy and speed of fault detection. This method can accurately detect transient phenomena like TWs in DCMGs, even with noise and variable fault resistance. By using the spectral envelope with FSSTH, ridges in time–frequency representations are extracted, improving fault diagnosis. The approach differentiates external from internal faults and recognizes fault direction by assessing TW polarity. Testing on two different DCMGs showed this algorithm's high efficiency and accuracy, with fault location errors ranging from 1 to 50 meters in low‐voltage and 13 to 64 meters in medium‐voltage DCMGs, even under challenging conditions like high resistance (up to 500 Ω) and low signal‐to‐noise ratio (5 dB). These results demonstrate the method's superior accuracy and robustness compared to existing techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faulty synchronizations of synchronous generators can cause significant detrimental effects, primarily due to a large current and high electromagnetic torque. These effects not only impact the generator but they can also extend to the prime mover and the step-up transformer. Furthermore, such events can trigger disturbances in the power system, potentially leading to system collapse if not promptly cleared. Although the autosynchronizers and synchro-check technologies are well established in the industry, faulty synchronizations, such as those caused by incorrect wiring during maintenance or commissioning operations, can go undetected by these systems. Existing protections do not allow for the detection of faulty synchronizations in a timely manner. This paper presents novel protection methods specifically designed for this issue: one based on instantaneous current value and the other on the instantaneous current-derivative value. These schemes are activated exclusively during the synchronizations process, allowing for faster fault detection compared to existing methods, thereby reducing the duration of harmful electrical and mechanical stresses after a faulty synchronization. The effectiveness of the proposed schemes has been validated through computer simulations of a 362 MVA turbo-generator from a thermal power plant and also through experimental tests on a 5 kVA synchronous generator using a specialized laboratory synchronization test bench, yielding promising results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of multi-terminal high voltage direct current (HVDC) power transmission systems is being adopted in many new links between different generation and consumption areas due to their high efficiency. In these systems, cable energization must be performed at the rated voltage. Healthy energizations at the rated voltage result in large inrush currents, especially in long cables, primarily due to ground capacitance. State-of-the-art protection functions struggle to distinguish between transients caused by switching and those associated with ground faults, leading to potential unwanted tripping of the protection systems. To prevent this, tripping is usually blocked during the energization transient, which delays fault detection and clearing. This paper presents a novel method for prompt discrimination between healthy and faulty energizations. The proposed method outperforms conventional protection functions as this discrimination allows for earlier and more reliable tripping, thus avoiding extensive damage to the cable and the converter due to trip blocking. The method is based on the transient analysis of the current in the cable shields, therefore, another technical advantage is that high voltage-insulated measuring devices are not required. Two distinct tripping criteria are proposed: one attending to the change in current polarity, and the other to the change in current derivative sign. Extensive computer simulations and laboratory tests confirmed the correct operation in both cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the high-frequency transformer losses attributed to eddy currents in both conductors and the core. A comprehensive model of a transformer winding is presented, meticulously incorporating skin and proximity effects. The winding resistance increase due to these effects is determined by applying analytical and finite element methods. The investigation highlights that eddy current losses in the magnetic core notably increase the resistance of each winding section in low frequencies. However, the impact of these losses diminishes as the winding length approaches the voltage wavelength at high frequencies. Consequently, the net magnetomotive force and flux in the core become negligible. As a result, the high-frequency impedance characteristics are remarkably similar for windings with and without a magnetic core. These findings are substantiated through rigorous simulations and empirical measurements.

Abstract Fast progress of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology has been considerable over the past decades. Emerging Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) provides power systems with promising solutions to integrate large‐scale renewable energy sources, as well as multiple asynchronous power grids. Consequently, implementation of a multi‐terminal HVDC transmission system has been easier using MMC converters. However, protection of multi‐terminal MMC‐based HVDC grids under DC fault conditions is a challenge for the industry. This study sheds light on concept of system‐level DC protection coordination for multi‐terminal HVDC grids. Although, there are different protection methods for HVDC transmission systems including multi‐terminal ones, there are no well‐defined protection coordination strategies for transmission links protection and belonging HVDC converters under DC fault conditions. The proposed protection coordination prevents unnecessary tripping of MMCs in the multi‐area HVDC grids and supports the system with minimum effect on healthy parts. For the first time, different HVDC Converter Tripping (HCT) profiles are presented based on a fully selective protection strategy and their characteristics are discussed comprehensively. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy for multi‐terminal MMC‐based HVDC grids. The proposed coordination can be applied to DC grid code requirements of meshed HVDC grids in the future.

With the expansion in recent power systems, the boost in renewable energy resources with multiple interconnections, overloading of existing power networks, increased load growth, and equipment failures, power system transient instability issues have exponentially increased. Transient stability in power systems is of particular importance even while performing the steady state analysis of a power system. Power system transient stability assessment is mandatory regularly for power system operation and has a major impact on power system planning. Potential risks of blackouts and failures in power systems can be avoided or minimized with the prompt prediction of transient instability. This research work presents a predictive approach for power system transient instability. The case study is a 735kV, 29-bus, 7-powerplant network involving precise modeling of generators. In particular, the proposed method is represented by different machine learning models through extraction and regression, in which the variables of the power-generating units are used as primary sources/features. Data cleaning and sorting out techniques are being used for refining data. Feature extraction has also been implemented for further cleansing of the data. The result is in the form of concrete and robust classifier models that can overcome power systems’ instability concerns through prompt prediction.

Abstract The protection of traditional high‐voltage capacitor banks relies on an unbalance relay which operates when an internal fuse is blown. However, the unbalance relay cannot indicate the cause of the fault. Thus, an operator wastes time and human resources investigating the fault issues. In this paper, a fault which occurred in a 230‐kV power system of Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand was observed by performing simulations using the Power Systems Computer Aided Design (PSCAD) program. The study system based on the double bus station and 72 MVAR capacitor banks was installed in the form of a back‐to‐back topology. Three scenarios were considered: normal condition, fault occurrence in one capacitor bank and fault occurrence in both capacitor banks. Current characteristics such as the current phase and difference in unbalance current were considered. In addition, discrete wavelet transform was applied to solve the ambiguity of current generated from the PSCAD. The authors’ results suggest that identifying fault events using a coefficient of wavelet is more efficient than relying on the current amplitude. The findings mentioned in this paper can be applied in a traditional power system protection scheme to enhance a system's reliability.

Fast progress of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology has been considerable over the past decades. Emerging Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) provides power systems with promising solutions to integrate large‐scale renewable energy sources, as well as multiple asynchronous power grids. Consequently, implementation of a multi‐terminal HVDC transmission system has been easier using MMC converters. However, protection of multi‐terminal MMC‐based HVDC grids under DC fault conditions is a challenge for the industry. This study sheds light on concept of system‐level DC protection coordination for multi‐terminal HVDC grids. Although, there are different protection methods for HVDC transmission systems including multi‐terminal ones, there are no well‐defined protection coordination strategies for transmission links protection and belonging HVDC converters under DC fault conditions. The proposed protection coordination prevents unnecessary tripping of MMCs in the multi‐area HVDC grids and supports the system with minimum effect on healthy parts. For the first time, different HVDC Converter Tripping (HCT) profiles are presented based on a fully selective protection strategy and their characteristics are discussed comprehensively. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy for multi‐terminal MMC‐based HVDC grids. The proposed coordination can be applied to DC grid code requirements of meshed HVDC grids in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Modular multi‐level converters (MMCs) are a mainstay in many HVDC transmission projects worldwide. Half‐bridge MMC (HB‐MMC) is mostly used in the current project. The large capacitor of sub modules (SMs) is often required in MMC to ensure the low voltage ripple. Here, the three‐stage switching MMC (TSS‐MMC) topology is proposed, which can greatly reduce the capacitor voltage ripple of SMs by dynamically adjusting the position of inductance on the upper and down bridge arms. The principle of reducing capacitor voltage ripple based on equal capacitance theory is introduced. The selection of the inductance value of each part in TSS‐MMC is introduced. The start‐up process strategy, capacitor voltage ripple reduction strategy in steady‐state operation, and DC fault ride‐through strategy of TSS‐MMC are proposed. The effectiveness and engineering practicability of the proposed TSS‐MMC is verified by transient simulation program built on PSCAD/EMTDC. The simulation results show that compared with MMC with circulating current suppressing controller (CCSC), it can effectively reduce the capacitor voltage ripple by over 50%. Furthermore, the total used inductance of TSS‐MMC can also be reduced. A comprehensive assessment of TSS‐MMC is also carried out.

The protection of traditional high‐voltage capacitor banks relies on an unbalance relay which operates when an internal fuse is blown. However, the unbalance relay cannot indicate the cause of the fault. Thus, an operator wastes time and human resources investigating the fault issues. In this paper, a fault which occurred in a 230‐kV power system of Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand was observed by performing simulations using the Power Systems Computer Aided Design (PSCAD) program. The study system based on the double bus station and 72 MVAR capacitor banks was installed in the form of a back‐to‐back topology. Three scenarios were considered: normal condition, fault occurrence in one capacitor bank and fault occurrence in both capacitor banks. Current characteristics such as the current phase and difference in unbalance current were considered. In addition, discrete wavelet transform was applied to solve the ambiguity of current generated from the PSCAD. The authors' results suggest that identifying fault events using a coefficient of wavelet is more efficient than relying on the current amplitude. The findings mentioned in this paper can be applied in a traditional power system protection scheme to enhance a system's reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A system's stability is affected by the generation types in the interconnected power system. For example, synchronous generators usually have high inertia sharing with the power system since they have rotating mass, and they usually have primary frequency response capability. On the other hand, renewable energy sources (RES) neither provide inertia to the system nor have a primary frequency response capability; hence, adding RES will impact the power system's voltage, angle, and frequency stability. Battery energy storage systems (BESSs) have many applications in the future electric grid. From the stability perspective, BESSs can be used to increase the power system's stability. A case study was conducted on the Rafha microgrid in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to inspect a BESS's influence on the Rafha microgrid's stability and the impact of changing the BESS's location, which might cause changes in the system stability after contingencies. In addition, we investigated which dynamic stability is affected if the BESS's capacity changes. The microgrid is tested using contingencies that affect the system's frequency, angle, and voltage stability using the power system simulator for engineering (PSS/E) software as a simulation platform. Finally, we investigated the technical impact of utilizing a BESS and its influence on economic operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Even though shunt compensation of transmission lines (TLs) is a common practice to limit the overvoltages stemming from the Ferranti effect, it may cause transient and steady‐state resonant overvoltages when one phase is left open due to the single‐pole‐open condition following the temporary phase‐to‐ground (Ph‐g) fault. Furthermore, the existing shunt reactors potentially increase the duration of the secondary arc current at the fault point and hence prevent offering fast single‐pole reclosing. To exploit the mentioned issues, in recent studies, a neutral reactor is introduced, which is installed in the neutral point of the shunt reactors; nonetheless, obtaining the appropriate amount of it is remarkably challenging. In this paper, an optimal neutral reactor (ONR) is determined based on an optimization problem, which minimizes the neutral reactor cost subject to limiting both resonant overvoltages and the duration of the secondary arc current. In modelling, the Laplace domain is employed rather than the phasor domain to consider both transient and steady‐state conditions since this technique allows having better control over transient overvoltages as well as transient secondary arc.

In conventional power systems, stability is ensured successfully because of large synchronous generators, where, during transient conditions, the inertia and dynamics of the synchronous generators help to retain stability. On the contrary, inverter-interfaced distributed energy resources suffer from maintaining stability because of their quick dynamics (opposite to the concept of inertia). Therefore, there exists a tradeoff between response and stability aspects and this is referred to as transient performance problem in microgrids. Conventionally, this problem is addressed from the controller side by increasing its bandwidth thereby leading to better disturbance rejection and immunity against parameter changes. Since the classification of the disturbances (as small or large) is not straightforward and uncertain, an increase in the controller's bandwidth beyond a certain limit is not possible. Therefore, it is understood that the transient performance improvement cannot be achieved from the controller alone. Hence, the chances of improving performance from other approaches in the case of grid-connected mode and advanced control strategies for the controller in the case of islanded mode need to be investigated. With this intent, a comprehensive investigation of state-of-the-art approaches and methods to improve transient performance in microgrids is carried out in this article. This work is carried out in three stages. Initially, it explores various technical challenges that are involved and possible approaches to address these challenges. Next, a critical review of each approach is carried out based on their philosophy to improve transient performance. Furthermore, a comparative analysis that projects the scope of each approach is elucidated. Finally, some future research directions are proposed to enhance the effectiveness of key approaches.

Modular multi‐level converters (MMCs) are a mainstay in many HVDC transmission projects worldwide. Half‐bridge MMC (HB‐MMC) is mostly used in the current project. The large capacitor of sub modules (SMs) is often required in MMC to ensure the low voltage ripple. Here, the three‐stage switching MMC (TSS‐MMC) topology is proposed, which can greatly reduce the capacitor voltage ripple of SMs by dynamically adjusting the position of inductance on the upper and down bridge arms. The principle of reducing capacitor voltage ripple based on equal capacitance theory is introduced. The selection of the inductance value of each part in TSS‐MMC is introduced. The start‐up process strategy, capacitor voltage ripple reduction strategy in steady‐state operation, and DC fault ride‐through strategy of TSS‐MMC are proposed. The effectiveness and engineering practicability of the proposed TSS‐MMC is verified by transient simulation program built on PSCAD/EMTDC. The simulation results show that compared with MMC with circulating current suppressing controller (CCSC), it can effectively reduce the capacitor voltage ripple by over 50%. Furthermore, the total used inductance of TSS‐MMC can also be reduced. A comprehensive assessment of TSS‐MMC is also carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though shunt compensation of transmission lines (TLs) is a common practice to limit the overvoltages stemming from the Ferranti effect, it may cause transient and steady‐state resonant overvoltages when one phase is left open due to the single‐pole‐open condition following the temporary phase‐to‐ground (Ph‐g) fault. Furthermore, the existing shunt reactors potentially increase the duration of the secondary arc current at the fault point and hence prevent offering fast single‐pole reclosing. To exploit the mentioned issues, in recent studies, a neutral reactor is introduced, which is installed in the neutral point of the shunt reactors; nonetheless, obtaining the appropriate amount of it is remarkably challenging. In this paper, an optimal neutral reactor (ONR) is determined based on an optimization problem, which minimizes the neutral reactor cost subject to limiting both resonant overvoltages and the duration of the secondary arc current. In modelling, the Laplace domain is employed rather than the phasor domain to consider both transient and steady‐state conditions since this technique allows having better control over transient overvoltages as well as transient secondary arc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The high current of hybrid DC circuit breaker (HCB) in the process of breaking generates strong transient magnetic field (MF), which may interfere with the normal operation of driver control units (DCUs). Therefore, the analysis for transient MF disturbance is of great significance. Due to the large space scale of HCB, with the large number of power electronic devices, the numerical calculation method has the disadvantages of large consumption of resources and slow calculation speed in solving the transient MF inside the HCB. In this study, the current generation mechanism of a 500 kV HCB is analysed, and the equivalent current path is obtained by considering the skin effect. Combined with the temporal and spatial distribution of transient current, the multi‐process transient equivalent model of transient MF calculation is established, and the model has the advantages of high precision and high speed. Then, the breaking experiment of HCB is carried out, and the transient MF near the DCU is measured. The experiment results verify the validity of the model. Furthermore, the disturbance of transient MF at the DCU of the transfer branch during breaking 25 kA current is analysed.

The major shortcoming in the extraction of electrical energy occurs due to partial shading over a limited area of vast spread solar panels underpinning reduction of efficiency. A number of panels are interconnected in series and parallel to form a photovoltaic (PV) array for large power plants and a shadow over a single cell deteriorates overall performance. As a consequence, several peaks are added to the P-V curve causing hotspots in PV panels, degradation of the PV system, and collapse of tracking algorithms. In order to minimize such issues in PV panels, an effective optimization technique is developed by reconfiguring the panels which are capable of reaching the full global power point in a PV system under partial shading conditions. The study proposes particle swarm optimization (PSO) using PV characteristics of Quaid-e-Azam Solar Plant (QASP) in Punjab, Pakistan1. In PSO, electrical connections of PV modules are changed keeping their physical locations unaltered aiming to improve the performance of the PV system. After reconfiguration, the algorithm finds the best combination of PV modules by equalizing the row currents followed by the comparison of row current, voltages, and power of panels. The proposed PSO is proved to be an efficient method for reconfiguring PV modules in very less computational time by increasing the output power of shaded modules.

The protection of conventional high voltage capacitor banks relies on an unbalance relay. However, investigating the faults requires time and human resources. To address this issue, the characteristics of system parameters were analysed in this study by performing simulations using the power systems computer-aided design software. The simulations were modelled based on a 115-kV-system of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. The case studies involved faults in the transmission line, a single capacitor bank, and a back-to-back connected capacitor bank. Additionally, the influence of other factors on the system parameters was investigated, including the varying fault phase, location, and inception angles. Moreover, the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) was applied to analyse the system parameters comprehensively. The results indicate that the characteristics of system parameters in the case of faults occurring in a transmission line are unique when compared to those in the case of faults occurring in a capacitor bank. Furthermore, the discrepancy between the system parameters in the case of faults occurring in a single capacitor bank and two capacitor banks connected in a back-to-back topology was solved by applying DWT. Therefore, the study findings can aid in improving the efficiency of power systems and ensure their protection.

This paper proposes three techniques for locating lightning strikes in a 115 kV transmission system over 88.5 km, based on the arrival time of a transient wave obtained from a discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The first technique calculates the location based on the ‘type D’ travelling wave method. The second technique analyses the first arrival time and same reflected-back wave arrival time between two substations. In the third technique, two sensors are installed to record arrival times at each sensor. Case studies of direct lightning strikes to phase conductors (shielding failure) are simulated using the ‘Alternative Transients Program/Electromagnetic Transients Program’ (ATP/EMTP). The influences of three parameters are considered: inception angles, the phase of the conductor, and the position at which the lightning struck the transmission system. By performing an operation scheme for all techniques, a positive sequence current is calculated, using a three-phase current from the ATP/EMTP program which is converted using Clark’s transform. A positive sequence current is extracted to several scales using the DWT, and the orders of arrival times for both substations are determined. After the arrival times are obtained, each technique uses a different order of arrival time for calculating the lightning location. By comparing the average error among the three techniques, it is shown that the arrival time of the two sensors’ technique is less than that of the other techniques.

Uncertainties in power system studies are typically managed by Monte Carlo methods or by applying some worst case assumptions. As the number ofuncertainties increases, there is a need for methods that can estimate statistical parameters from a limited number of calculations. This paper utilizes a method called the Unscented Transform together with Cornish-Fisher expansion to estimate the 2%-value of switching overvoltages using only about one tenth the number of calculations as a Monte Carlo method, with similar accuracy. The uncertainties considered are the energizing instants of the three phases. The method is illustrated through EMT simulations in PSCAD and it is shown to provide a good approximation of the 2%-value in most of the studied cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standard 1.2/50 lightning impulse test has been important for factory testing equipment and evaluating their performance in electrical systems. In practice, however, such equipment is subject to non-standard waveform (NSW) of high frequencies, which may not be covered by standard tests. To overcome this difficulty, the present article outlines a method that simulates NSW in laboratory tests. Based on multiresolution wavelet analysis, the method considers the correlation between amplitude and entropy in the decomposition levels between waveforms. To that end, changes are proposed to the following parameters of standard impulse tests: amplitude, cut-off instant, and front time. The results show that, mostly, the combination of a lightning impulse waveform (LIW) with impulse waves cut at different times, sufficiently represent the NSW. Only when the NSW's density falls predominantly in a frequency range above 3.125 MHz, will there be need for a complementary LIW with a steep front time. The method's application allows manufacturers and concessionaires to subject the equipment to conditions that properly represent the NSW effects, through lightning impulse tests carried out at the factory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Emphasizing load modeling's critical role in TRV calculation, particularly in substations with short lines. • Discussing load modeling's influence on CB selection, a factor ovelooked in current standards. • Investigating the distinct effects of active and passive loads on TRV calculation in real sub-transmission systems. • Providing a comprehensive system modeling for TRV analysis, incorporating finite element models to compute stray capacitances. In this paper, the selection of circuit breakers for a densely-meshed sub-transmission system with relatively short transmission lines is investigated. The results highlight the significance of modeling the load at the end of lines for accurately calculating the transient recovery voltage (TRV) following the short-circuit current interruption. According to IEEE standards, assuming load modeling at the end of the transmission lines can result in a maximum discrepancy of 20 % in the calculated TRV. Supposing that the load modeling leads to a moderating effect on the calculated TRV, the difference is considered as a safety margin, and load modeling is ignored. Nevertheless, the results presented here illustrate that this assumption strongly depends on characteristics of the studied network and the load type. In a network possessing the characteristics outlined in this paper, even a passive load as small as 15 % of the nominal capacity can significantly moderate the calculated TRV, with impacts reaching up to 38 %. Conversely, modeling an active load may result in a more severe TRV than if it were disregarded. The simulation results indicate that for networks with transmission lines longer than 70 km, neglecting to model passive loads on the transmission lines still yields sufficiently accurate calculations of TRV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent work, a successful power transformer white-box model for the calculation of electromagnetic transients has been presented. Although this model gives very satisfactory results, when applied to large transformers it requires a large number of auxiliary loops to model the damping. This can be problematic as it not only requires more computational effort, but the size of the input data may even preclude its use with ATP-EMTP and perhaps with other EMTP-based software that have limitations in this regard. In this work a new reduced model which enables its use with ATP-EMTP is presented. This model requires a much smaller number of circuit components than the original model, which allows the data size and simulation time to be substantially reduced without practically affecting the calculation results. This has been achieved through the reduction of the rank of the sub-matrices that characterize the inductive coupling between the main winding sections and the auxiliary loops used to model the damping. The new model has been validated by making comparisons of the frequency responses calculated using the new compact model with the ones calculated with the original model developed for the case study used by the CIGRE JWG A2/C4.52 to test the accuracy of various types of transformer models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) simulation tools are typically developed using conventional procedural programming languages. On the other hand, modern high-level and equation-based programming languages, such as Modelica, are currently available. Modelica allows formulating models that are easy to develop, maintain and understand by expressing what needs to be computed without stating how it should be computed. This paper presents a Modelica-based simulator for electromagnetic transients. It is demonstrated that this approach offers significant advantages for developing sophisticated models. Computational performance and accuracy are compared to a conventional EMT-type simulation tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the development of a model of an autonomous electric power system to study random processes of voltage, current and power changes in emergency and dynamic operation modes. A diagram for calculating short-circuit currents has been presented, which was focused on a typical wide range of autonomous power plants with three diesel generator units. Amodel of an autonomous power plant has been developed, allowing to solve the assignments of determining short-circuit currents and starting currents of electric power machines. The equivalent network of the studied power system for transient calculations has been presented. Thus, the voltage waveforms have been obtained. A comparative assessment of theoretical calculation methods and simulation analysis demonstrated a high degree of accuracy of the simulation results. The use of approach suggested in the article and the developed model allows to increase the accuracy of conclusions when testing the abruptly variable processes and to make the most reasonable choice of measures to improve the quality of electricity and the reliability of electrical equipment. In particular, simulation analysis and obtaining transient curves for starting powerful consumers allow more accurately choose the type of circuit breakers used and the related configuration parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fast development of renewable energies leads to an increase in the power electronics penetration in transmission systems. This is particularly true if one considers a 100% renewable energies power system, where wind and solar photovoltaic energies, which make most of the renewable energies connections today, are connected to the grid through power electronics converters. Because power electronics-based generators and synchronous machines-based generators have very different dynamic behaviours, some approximations usually used to run transient simulations of transmission systems might not be optimal for future grids. The systematic use of the phasor approximation applied to the power lines, implemented in most of the Transient Simulation Programs, is indeed not relevant any more. To avoid the use of Electromagnetic Transient simulations, that are resource-demanding and time-consuming, this paper presents a novel Model Order Reduction technique for large grids with a high penetration of power electronic devices. Compared to the classical phasor approximation, this event-based state residualization approximation allows accurate transient simulations and at the same time an optimal reduction of the number of the system’s state variables depending on the observed variables, the considered events and the tolerated approximation error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of experimental registrations and numerical simulations of the transient overvoltages caused by single phase intermittent arc earth fault in 35 kV network with isolated neutral. Experimental laboratory investigation is performed in order to implement appropriate arc fault model for arcs with low and discontinuous current. Single phase to earth arc fault is created in field in 35 kV network. Numerical model of the system is created in EMTP-ATP software. Overvoltage waveshapes and overvoltage factors are calculated and compared to measured values. Good agreement between the measured and calculated results is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The probability of faulty synchronization of a generator is very small, but not impossible. The main cause of a faulty synchronization is due to wiring errors caused during maintenance or commissioning when voltage transformer and synchronizing equipment are connected or reconnected wrongly. Faulty synchronizations of synchronous generators cause overcurrent and high electromagnetic torque values that can severely damage, not only the generators their selves, but also prime movers and step-up transformers. Moreover, they produce disturbances on the power system such as power oscillations and voltage sags that can end up collapsing the system if it is not cleared quickly. Despite that, conventional synchronous generator protection systems have not a specific function against faulty synchronizations. This paper presents and analyzes a new and specific protection method against faulty synchronizations. The method is based on an instantaneous low setting overcurrent protection that is only activated during synchronizations. Once the synchronization ends, the protection gets disabled in order to allow the increase of the generator power output. Consequently, it minimizes the damages and the disturbance in the power system through rapid detection and tripping. The method has been successfully validated by computer simulations for a thermal power plant 362 MVA turbo-generator, and by experimental tests on a 5 kVA laboratory generation unit.

Grid modernization and innovations in clean energy are leading to a rapid increase in the penetration of inverter-based resources (IBRs) like wind power and solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in the bulk power system (BPS). To study the implications on BPS dynamics and mitigate potential risks to grid reliability, the second-generation generic renewable energy system model has been developed earlier. However, this model has three modules with 86 user-defined parameters and eight control flags to facilitate the utility-scale solar PV plant operation in different control modes. It presents a major challenge to the transmission system planning engineers. There is a critical need to identify the key parameters of the dynamic model that are highly sensitive to grid events causing large-scale voltage and frequency disturbances. In this work, a sensitivity analysis based on modified Sobol’ method is proposed for identification of the key parameters in the utility-scale solar PV plant model. The total Sobol’ sensitivity index captures even the higher-order effects of the variations in the parameters. Validation of the identified key parameters was carried out on a modified IEEE 9-bus system and 200-bus synthetic grid using PSS®E for plant-level control and local coordinated control operation of the solar PV plant. The reduced set of parameters identified in this work offer help to utility grid planning teams while conducting dynamic studies to meet the interconnection requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several models were successfully developed to reproduce the dynamic behavior of ZnO surge arrester, but the accuracy and reliability of these models are only evaluated for residual voltage calculations. This paper presents a model developed with the specific goal of achieving reliable and accurate modeling of the energy absorbed by a ZnO surge arrester during impulsive transients. To develop and test the model, an experimental database was built, composed of responses of ZnO varistors to current impulses. The database contains the response of varistors of different classes and manufacturers, subjected to current impulses with different waveforms and amplitudes. Then, using system identification techniques, a mathematical model was proposed and validated. The proposed model was successfully tested on the same circumstances that traditional models are used and its performance was compared with the most relevant existing ZnO model. The results indicate that the developed model is an overall valid model for ZnO surge arresters and that energy calculations performed with it are more accurate and reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we discuss the relationship between subcycle and instantaneous power metrics in polyphase ac systems. While both approaches have very low computational cost, which makes them suitable for real-time control of industrial processes, the two-sample subcycle scheme offers several distinct advantages over the purely-instantaneous approach. In particular, we show that: a) the level of steady-state fluctuation of subcycle power metrics that use only two time-domain samples is significantly lower than that of purely-instantaneous metrics, and b) the subcycle scheme generates several additional power metrics, which can be used to detect onset of faults, and accurately determine their duration. We illustrate our points using both synthetic and (real-life) industrial examples. In addition, we examine the connection between the two-sample subcycle scheme and other near-instantaneous approaches, based on derivatives of currents and voltages. We again observe a significantly lower numerical sensitivity for the two-sample subcycle quantities. Furthermore, two-sample quantities have a unique feature that they can naturally be extended to more samples, with concomitant reduction in fluctuations, better accuracy and with only moderate increase in computational cost. We posit that the subcycle approach has promise in detection, control, and classification applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel variable-inertia emulation control (VIEC) scheme that enables voltage-source-converter based high-voltage DC (VSC-HVDC) transmission systems to flexibly support AC grid frequency stability like synchronous generators. The VIEC scheme allows us to extract the energy from the augmented DC capacitance for inertia emulation by controlling the DC voltage without affecting the stability of the AC system connected on the remote side. In particular, with the proposed VIEC scheme, the inertia time constant can be flexibly emulated and its value can be automatically adjusted according to the rate of change of grid frequency as well as grid frequency deviations. This leads to more effective inertial support across different timescales. Modal analysis is carried out to investigate the impacts of inertia and DC capacitance, and to obtain the optimal control parameters. The effectiveness and advantages of the proposed VIEC scheme are demonstrated on an IEEE benchmark system in the presence of faults and load changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure successful islanding of microgrids after a fault has occurred, the transient stability should be analyzed under a set of expected operating conditions during the design and operation of microgrids. Transient stability analysis is conventionally performed with time-domain analysis which is computationally expensive and does not quantify the stability margin. Energy-based methodologies can determine the stability margin, however existing methodologies require significant simplifications to be applied to the microgrid model. The energy-based stability analysis methodology proposed in this paper enables the analysis of high-dimension nonlinear microgrid systems and quantification of the stability margin within reasonable time. The performance of the methodology is validated by analyzing a case study microgrid and comparing the results to time-domain analysis and to a state-of-the-art methodology proposed in the literature. The results indicate that the proposed methodology has a significantly lower computational burden and similar accuracy compared to existing energy-based methodologies. The methodology is able to improve the probability of stable islanding of the case study microgrid from 74% up to 94% when only optimizing the design, and up to 100% when optimizing design and control actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White-box models are detailed models for the investigation of the internal behavior of transformers during dielectric design. A new model of this type with significantly improved characteristics is presented in this paper. The model has been developed in state-space form, which is more flexible than an equivalent circuit and also makes it possible to optionally hide proprietary information on internal voltages. The proposed parameter determination methodology is very robust and allows the adequate representation of the damping. The methodology for determining inductive impedances and capacitances as a function of frequency using the Finite Element Method is described first. Then the fitting of the impedances obtained in the frequency domain by means of rational approximation functions is presented, which is based on the Vector Fitting algorithm in combination with Particle Swarm Optimization. The state-space model is obtained next, which is then used to perform time and frequency domain calculations. This new model has been successfully validated by comparison with measurements on a large power transformer used as case study during the activities of the JWG CIGRE A2/C4.52. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the concept of the operating region of a virtual synchronous generator (VSG). The main objective of the operating region is to help take a decision on choosing proper VSG parameters. A VSG based on a diesel generator (Genset) model was used as the study case. The theoretical analysis examined the impact of relevant genset-based VSG parameters, such as droop factor, mdr, inertia, J, and damping, D, on the output electrical frequency. The main result of this analysis showed that it is possible to define inertia-damping surfaces which are parameterized upon different values of the droop factor. The operating region of the VSG is then defined as the locus of the triples (mdr, J, D) where the frequency transient response satisfies certain specifications in terms of peak frequency, peak time and rate of change. Experimental results showed that the VSG achieved a satisfactory performance for different values of speed droop during a transient and also in steady-state, validating the model of the genset. In comparison with simulation results, the measured peak frequencies deviated with a mean absolute error of 0.2 % and the steady-state frequencies with a mean absolute error of 0.12 %, validating the concept of the operating region.

Assessing the transient behavior of electric power transmission/distribution systems, when they are subjected to major disturbances such as lightning discharges, is an essential procedure to ensure the operational security of these systems, in order to supply good quality power to all consumers. Electromagnetic transient studies are routinely performed in the planning and operation phases of these systems, by using world widely known computer programs, among which stands out the Alternative Transient Program (ATP), via its graphical interface ATPDraw. However, preparing files for running case studies by using ATPDraw can become a time-consuming and human error-prone task. To overcome this drawback, this paper presents a toolbox for automatic generation and execution of Alternative Transient Program input files based on information directly obtained from technical databases of distribution utilities. This toolbox aims to reduce modeling time and susceptibility to human errors in the process of describing the grid in the software input file, which constitute the biggest obstacles to the extensive use of this program in real electric transmission/distribution networks. For the toolbox validation, a comparison was made between the input file generated by the ATPDraw auxiliary graphic interface and the file generated by the proposed toolbox by using the IEEE 13-bus and IEEE 34-bus test feeders. Besides that, the simulation results of both feeders for both softwares were compared, so that the correct operation of the Alternative Transient Program automatic case creator and executor proposed in this article were proved. In addition, the automatic generation of ATP cases for larger grids is exemplified with the IEEE 123-bus test feeder.

This paper presents a study on ferroresonance occurring in a high voltage 400 kV transmission grid due to energization of power transformer under no-load conditions. The system scenarios analyzed in the present paper are considered as critical for development and modernization plans as currently announced by the national grid operator in Poland. The PSCADsimulation modelwas developed and applied for several study cases of a system with double-circuit arrangement of a transmission line. It is shown that the ferroresonant oscillations can be initiated by two-phase switching operation of a line circuit breaker. The impact of the double-circuit length on the ferroresonance mode and severity is demonstrated with the use of the Poincaré map analysis and Short Time Fourier Transform. It is demon- strated that the length of the transmission line that is mutually coupled in the double-circuit arrangement has a significant impact on the ferroresonance occurrence and on its mode. As the ferroresonance can pose severe threat to the power system components due to the severe overvoltage and overcurrent oscillations, the analysis presented in this paper demonstrates the necessity of the ferroresonance analyses for any re-designed transmission system.

Fast-front transients play an important role in the insulation design of any power system. When a stroke hits the shield wire or the tower of high-voltage overhead power lines, flashover may occur either along the span or across tower insulators, depending on the relevant voltages and insulation strength. As a result, backflashover may take place from the tower structure to the phase conductor whenever a huge impulse current flows along the tower towards considerably high footing impedances. For these reasons, tower modeling for transients studies is an important step in the insulation design, and also for lower voltage applications, where indirect lightning effects may play a predominant role. However, after decades of research on tower modeling, starting from the 1930s with the first model proposed by Jordan, no consensus has been reached neither on a widely accepted tower model nor on the quantitative effect of the tower models on insulation design. Moreover, the fundamental mechanisms at the base of the transient response of towers and the definition of some fundamental parameters have not been totally clarified yet. The aim of this review is to present the available tower models developed through the years in the power community, focussing mainly on lumped/distributed circuit models, and to help the reader to obtain a deeper understanding of them.

DC cables are supposed to withstand a number of operations involving supply-voltage peak-value time variations, such as energization, switch off and polarity inversion. It is known that voltage-supply time variations cause electric field transients in cable insulation that can last for a long time before steady-state conditions are achieved, and during this time the electric field distribution is not only driven by electrical conductivity, as in steady state, but also by permittivity, as in AC. This paper shows that highly energetic degradation phenomena, that is, partial discharges, PD, can occur during voltage transients that a DC cable has to withstand during life. This results in a cumulative damage which can cause premature insulation breakdown, at times well shorter than those expected based on a cable design which is PD free under steady-state conditions. Quantification of the damage caused by PD, based on aging and residual life models, is proposed in the paper, and it is shown that damage can be significant enough to pose a threat for cable life when operation transient rate is e.g., a few per day, and that the faster the slew rate of the supply voltage variation, the highest the cumulative damage due to PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of pilot tests performed on a real medium voltage (MV) underground network in Switzerland with the aim of assessing the performance of a fault location system. The deployed fault location platform is based on a very sensitive and precise acquisition system which is capable of capturing perturbations or events on a dedicated portion of a given MV network. Thanks to a post processing algorithm based on the tenets of time reversal theory, FasTR method, an accurate localization of relevant events can be worked. Due to the fact that each acquisition system shares a clock reference based on a GPS antenna, the localization accuracy is within tens of meters. To the best of the Authors knowledge, this is the first time that the FasTR-based fault location technique is validated through live tests. The pilot network is a three branch system part of live radial MV distribution feeder consisting of a total of 2.6 km long underground three-phase cables. The branched lines are composed of coaxial cables of different types. The tests involve solid- and resistive-type single-phase-to-ground fault occurrences triggered along one of the laterals when the network is operational. The obtained results demonstrated the capacity of an on-deck portable system to make an on-line accurate detection of transient faults in a complex network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a novel multi-rate algorithm for the co-simulation of power system transients using base-frequency dynamic phasor solver for frequency adaptive simulation of transient (BFAST) and electromagnetic transient (EMT) solvers. The BFAST solver alters its solution technique from dynamic phasors to EMT based upon the frequency contents of the waveforms being simulated. A changeover algorithm between the two solvers is also presented. The BFAST solver is then integrated with an industrial-grade EMT solver to develop a BFAST–EMT multi-rate co-simulator. The interface between the two solvers is established using transmission lines at the partitioning locations. The co-simulator combines the benefits of dynamic phasors, frequency adaptive simulation of transients, parallel processing, and multi-rate simulation. The study describes the several solution modes of the proposed co-simulator. Illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the accuracy and computational benefits of the proposed co-simulator.

In this paper, an accurate parameter identification algorithm is proposed for transient voltage profile calculation of the unknown transmission lines. This method is based on the virtual black-box method and uses single-ended data sampling, where the input data include voltage and current samples obtained by measuring at one end of the line in transient mode. A mathematical formulation is proposed to separate the sampled data and form a virtual black-box system with virtual inputs and outputs. The virtual black-box is designed, such that the system coefficients relating the virtual outputs and inputs are the known functions of transmission line parameters in the real world. The coefficient values are then calculated by employing the recursive least squares estimation method, which minimizes the sum of squared errors of observations. Using this method, transmission line parameters and transient voltage profile are calculated from only one terminal data with no need of measuring devices, data synchronization, and communication devices at both sides. The efficiency of the proposed method is tested and proved through the EMTP simulations.

In this paper we present the dilemma dealing with the choice of speech segment duration and the calculation of speech signal quality in the packet telephone network of Electricity supply industry (ESI). The analyzed signal is packetized by one packet. The characteristic of this network is that disturbances of long duration in power system produce burst packet loss. The longer speech segments increase the packet delay, but decrease the number of lost packets in one burst, and vice versa. Here we present why it is better to choose speech segments of short duration. Also, we suggest the corrected method for the calculation of speech signal quality in packet network under the influence of long duration disturbances. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR32007 and Grant no. TR32051]

In terms of single-ended fault location for hybrid distribution lines, the most significant challenge is in the identification of the fault section and reflected wave from the fault point. Based on this, in this paper we introduce a new fault- section-location identification scheme for hybrid distribution feeders with only single-ended measurement. With the prior morphological spectrum-based fault-section identification technique, a location function is then built by the forward and backward traveling-wave components to describe the characteristic distribution of the traveling wave along the line. With the application of two-dimensional information (which is about time and space) of the traveling wave, it is simpler to locate the actual point of failure. The proposed scheme is investigated under different fault locations, fault resistances, sampling rates, fault inception angles, fault types, etc. The influences of immeasurable voltage traveling wave, adjacent sound lines, and measurable joint point are also investigated. Simulation results confirm the feasibility of the fault-location scheme for all test cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the distributed energy resources penetration level increases, the distribution system operator faces a challenging task of unintentional islanding detection. Besides islanding detection schemes are affected due to the presence of different types of distributed generation systems and smart inverters. The presence of these devices hinders the capability of islanding detection schemes. To mitigate these issues, this study proposes a practical methodology of variational mode decomposition‐based energy index for islanding detection. It decomposes the sampled voltage signal at the point of common coupling into four modes/intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Among these modes/IMFs, the energy index of mode two has been utilised to detect the islanding. It is an entirely intrinsic, adaptive, and variational method. The five bus and practical distribution systems have been modelled using PSCAD/EMTDC software while considering various components' practical aspects. The technique has been tested for the mixed type of distributed generation and various transient events. The test results reveal that the proposed method is capable of discriminating the islanding event from other disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large‐scale wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) based on doubly‐fed induction generators (DFIGs) are very popular in recent years due to the numerous technical and economic benefits. With the increasing penetration level of wind energy, the latest grid codes require the DFIG‐based WECSs to remain connected to the grid under grid fault scenarios and deliver the required reactive power into the grid. However, the direct connection of the stator of the DFIG to the grid makes it prone to grid disturbances, especially to voltage sag. This study proposes a modified demagnetisation control strategy to enhance the low‐voltage ride‐through (LVRT) capability of the DFIG under grid faults. The proposed control strategy is implemented in a coordinated approach by using the existing demagnetisation control and the addition of an external resistance in the stator side of the DFIG. The demagnetisation control damps the direct current component of the stator flux and the external resistance accelerates the damping of the transient flux by decreasing the time constant and hence, enhancing the LVRT capability of DFIG. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is demonstrated under both symmetrical and asymmetrical grid faults simulated system through MATLAB/Simulink®. The comparative results justify the merits of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an adaptive control strategy to improve the transient response of a stressed power system apparatus. This strategy, based on the set point automatic adjustment with correction‐enabled (SPAACE), is an auxiliary control method to enhance the set point tracking of an apparatus. SPAACE modifies the set point of the controllable apparatus using a feedback signal from its output to mitigate transients that can be caused by events such as faults, load variations, and large reference set point changes. In this work, an adaptive version of SPAACE (ASPAACE), which uses an adaptive dead‐zone band, adaptive scaling factor, and exponential prediction is introduced. Moreover, this study investigates the relationship between the natural frequency of the system and the prediction horizon of the ASPAACE controller. To demonstrate the performance of ASPAACE, different case studies are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high‐resistance faults at the far end are the most important factor that causes protection failure of HVDC transmission lines. In the initial stage of the transmission lines fault, the transient information of power grid is abundant, and the sequential overlapping derivative (SOD) transform can emphasise the characteristics of the high‐frequency transient signal and its sudden change direction, amplify fault characteristics, and eliminate noise as far as possible, which is of great benefit to identify the high‐resistance faults at the far end. A fault identification method based on the SOD transform of voltage transient is proposed. In this method, the initial fault voltage travelling wave is processed by the SOD transform, and the initial fault voltage is a travelling wave is quickly detected. The set value of SOD transform is obtained according to the traversal simulation fault location, thus the identification criteria of internal and external faults are obtained. The simulation results show that the method can accurately identify the high‐resistance faults at the far end, and it is hardly affected by transition resistance and fault distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work a dedicated encoding algorithm is presented for current and voltage transient signals digitalized from electrical networks. New models for dynamic bit allocation based on adaptive and fixed spectral envelope estimation models for transformed coefficients are proposed. The fixed profiles adjust the number of bits to be used by the wavelet transform decomposition level, which is used in the transformed vector quantization. The models proposed to estimate the adaptive spectral envelope have the transformed spectrum segmented by subbands or by decomposition levels of the wavelet transform. The dynamic bit allocation is implemented according to the signal spectral behavior. The quantized coefficient vector is encoded using an entropy coder, and it is asynchronously packaged in a compressed file. A parametric configuration for optimization algorithm is also proposed for the fixed spectral profile models in order to improve performance. Simulation results are presented using a signal data bank with a set of reported events of electric power networks. Performance comparisons with other work are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the progressive penetration and usage of renewable sources and loads based on power electronics, medium voltage direct current (MVDC) distribution system is getting broad attention. Direct current circuit breakers (DCCBs) are of vital importance for the reliability and flexibility of power system. With features of low cost and micro‐operating losses, multi‐port hybrid DCCB with negative voltage source (NVS) has been proposed by the authors and might be a better choice. To further promote its industry application in MVDC system, interaction characteristics between DCCB and power system are investigated in this study. The structure of multi‐port hybrid DCCB is briefly introduced. Then, considering the diversified working conditions, e.g. single fault, multiple faults and switching load current with random direction, the cooperation sequence of components in multi‐port DCCB under all these working conditions is proposed, respectively. Then, based on simulation model established in PSCAD/EMTDC, transient current/voltage distribution pattern inside multi‐port DCCB and its mechanism are discussed, and simulation results have verified the superiority and effectiveness of multi‐port hybrid DCCB with NVS in MVDC system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]