Design and Modeling of a Filter Assisted 6-Pulse VSC-IGBT Based D-Statcom for Reactive Power Compensation

Utilities are looking for cost-effective solutions to improve the grid's power quality and stability. Applications of FACTS devices provide a popular and proven solution to reactive power compensation, mitigating grid instability, improving power quality and voltage stability. Amongst a plethora of FACTS devices, shunt controllers are the most sought-after power controllers in which the power electronics-based Static Synchronous Compensators or STATCOM is the popular state-of-the-art technology. The increasing penetration of distributed RE (DRE) based electricity generation plays a crucial role in supplying power to loads in remote areas, especially where the main grid system is inaccessible. Such areas are frequently suffering the problems of reliable power supply, power quality, and voltage instability. The Utilization of smart inverters based on dynamic reactive power compensation by Distributed-STATCOM (D-STATCOM) has enabled to qualitatively improve the end-user requirements in the electricity distribution system. The design and behavior of a simple filter assisted D-STATCOM for reactive power compensation during variation of inductive loads is the topic of this paper. A cost-effective ±200kVAr D-STATCOM armed with a novel output filter and improved PI controller employing the pulse width modulated (PWM) technique to IGBT based Voltage Source Converter is proposed to compensate reactive power requirement of loads and to improve transient and dynamic stability, limiting harmonic distortion within standard IEEE-519 limits. The proposed STATCOM design is simulated in Simulink/MATLAB, which confirms its satisfying dynamic reactive power compensation capabilities and low level of harmonic distortion.