Search

This paper develops a comprehensive dynamic-phasor-based small-signal model for the modular multilevel converter (MMC) system under unbalanced grid conditions, which takes into consideration the dynamics of the MMC system under a balanced grid condition as well as the other emerging internal harmonics produced by the unbalanced grid components and more complex controllers. The small-signal model is validated by comparing the time-domain responses from a detailed electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation in PSCAD/EMTDC. Based on the eigen-analysis and PSCAD-based time-domain simulation studies, this paper reveals the poorly damped modes that cause unstable oscillations in MMC system under the unbalanced grid conditions. From the results, more poorly damped modes involved in the internal harmonics are emerging under unbalanced grid conditions compared with the modes under the balanced grid conditions, and can highly impact the system dynamic behaviors by the selection of the control parameters. It is also shown that, under the unbalanced grid conditions, the feasible region of the control parameters of the vector current control gets narrowed indicating the reduction of the stability margin, smaller (larger) value of proportional (integral) gain of the circulating current suppressing controller can enhance the system stability, and larger values of the proportional and integral gains of the negative-sequence current suppressing control can result in the harmonic instability of the MMC system. Besides, the parameters of multiple complex-coefficient filters for positive- and negative-sequence components extraction also have a big impact on the small-signal stability of the MMC system and are required to be properly selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the use of large electric grids in university electric power system courses. Since much actual power system information is not publicly available, the application of public domain synthetic grids developed by the authors is presented including a 2000-bus grid. Discussion of the educational applications utilized in a senior level class are given for power flow analysis and sensitivity, economic dispatch, contingency analysis, optimal power flow (OPF), security-constrained OPF, transient stability, and real-time dynamic operations. In each of these, the application of the large synthetic grids give students insights and experience with cases closer to actual power systems in complexity and size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a new adaptive approach to power system model reduction for fast and accurate time-domain simulation. This new approach is a compromise between linear model reduction for faster simulation and nonlinear model reduction for better accuracy. During the simulation period, the approach adaptively switches among detailed and linearly or nonlinearly reduced models based on variations of the system state: it employs unreduced models for the fault-on period, uses weighted column norms of the admittance matrix to decide which functions to be linearized in power system differential-algebraic equations for large changes of the state, and adopts a linearly reduced model for small changes of the state. Two versions of the adaptive model reduction approach are introduced. The first version uses traditional power system partitioning where the model reduction is applied to a defined large external area in a power system and the other area defined as the study area keeps full detailed models. The second version applies the adaptive model reduction to the whole system. The paper also conducts comprehensive case studies comparing simulation results using the proposed adaptively reduced models with the linearly reduced model and coherency-based reduced model on the Northeast Power Coordinating Council 140-bus 48-machine system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interarea power oscillation damping enhancement in large interconnected power systems is often accomplished using supplementary controls at the synchronous machines involved and with the use of flexible ac transmission system devices. The power system literature has demonstrated that wide area signals could be more effective than the local signals for these controllers. In some cases where phasor measurement units are used, all the required control signals may not be available. To alleviate these cases, control signals are obtained using estimated signals from a “dynamic state estimator,” and a robust supplementary controller is deployed. In this paper, the cited strategy is illustrated using a static var compensator. The feasibility of the proposed method has been demonstrated on the IEEE 50-generator test system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power system simulation is an important means to study the dynamic behavior, to ensure the safety and stability, and to optimize the operation of a power grid. Pure physical simulation and digital simulation have their own advantages and disadvantages. A three-phase four-wire hybrid simulation platform integrating the advantages of both the digital simulation and physical simulation is developed by combining the physical simulation system and real-time digital simulator. The platform is rated at 400 V and 50 kVA with the short-circuit capacity of 500 kVA and can supply ten times the rated current to support the simulation of various short-circuit faults. An improved interface algorithm based on an ideal transformer model is proposed to extend the stability region of a hybrid simulation. Hybrid simulation experiments are conducted under two cases, and the comparison with the digital simulation demonstrates the performance of this platform and the potential applied to a modern power system. This platform has been equipped in a key laboratory of smart power grid technology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

POWER plants are subject to introduce disturbances in the power grid, resulting from interactions with the dynamical behavior of the energy source subsystem. In the case of hydropower plants when used to compensate for variations of power generation and consumption, instabilities or undesirable disturbances may arise. They may be caused by phenomena such as part load vortex rope pulsations in the draft tube of Francis turbines. This may affect the dynamical behavior of the power plant and lead to troublesome interactions with the grid. This paper presents a case study of an existing hydropower plant that illustrates the effects of pressure pulsations due to vortex rope precession on the draft tube of Francis turbines. It also showcases possible solutions to the mitigation of the effects of this disturbing hydraulic phenomenon over the operation of the generators and electrical system. The investigated system is a 1-GW hydropower plant (4 × 250 MW units). The assessment of the power swings is performed through modal analysis combined with frequency-domain and time-domain simulations, which are then compared with onsite measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generic electrical simulation models of wind power generation have been developed as standards, such as the IEC 61400-27-1, to be used by wind industry, system operators, and academia for power system stability studies. In this paper, the IEC type 3 wind turbine model with wind turbine level voltage controller and with wind power plant level power factor controller is validated based on field measurements from a 52-MW wind power plant. In addition to the validation of the IEC type 3 wind turbine and wind power plant controller models, a comparison of the validation approaches, which are the full grid and play-back simulation, is provided together with a survey of the existing validation studies and recommendations for future modeling and validation tasks. The implemented IEC models are tuned to match the measurements accurately and the validated values for the control parameters of the reference wind power plant model are given. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a new approach in adaptive out-of-step (OOS) protection settings in power systems in real time. The proposed method uses extended equal area criterion (EEAC) to determine the critical clearing time and critical clearing angle of the system, which are vital information for the OOS protection setting calculation. The dynamic model parameters and the coherency groups of the system for EEAC analysis are determined in real time to ensure that the newly calculated settings suit with the prevalent system operating condition. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated in simulated data from a 16-machine 68-bus system model. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The increasing use of electronic converters is making possible the development of more sustainable, efficient, and reliable electric power systems, but it is also introducing new challenges that need to be addressed. Power system stability is one of them since the converter multiscale coupling between control loops and the mutual effects of multiple converters make the traditional approaches and specialized software available not fully adequate. In this context, this paper presents a software tool called CSTEP capable of carrying out small- and large-signal stability analysis for electric power systems strongly dominated by electronic converters. By utilizing the tool description, the paper provides the reader with a systematic methodology to obtain the system dynamic representation, and with some software tools for the analysis of the large and small-signal stability. Finally, the validity and functionality of CSTEP have been tested with the implementation of three use cases: a simple ac use case to illustrate the application of the system algorithm step by step, an IEEE 5-bus use case to validate the tool with already established commercial software and a more realistic system based on a medium voltage CIGRÉ benchmark to highlight the potential applications of the tool. The results show that, unlike existing tools that simplify or neglect the electric part of the grid (filters, line impedances, etc.), CSTEP can predict power system instabilities caused by the interactions of fast control loops of electronic converters with the electric part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The papers in this special section was conceived with an aim of stimulating forward-looking and transformative ideas and methods that can lead to significant advances in power system protection. Protection is one of the fastest operating functions of a power system, and critical to safety of equipment, and stability of the system. Designed and refined through more than a century of experience, insight, and technological advances, design and implementation of protection has kept power systems exceptionally reliable, considering the fact that the power grid is the largest nonlinear dynamic system in the world, a large part of which is continuously exposed to weather. In recent times, advances in sensing, communication, and computing have potential to refine, or even redefine the conception and implementation of power system protection. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]