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Enhancement of Power System Stability using Wide Area Measurement System Based Damping Controller
[Thesis]. Manchester, UK: The University of Manchester; 2011.
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Abstract
Contemporary power networks are gradually expanding incorporating new sources of electrical energy and power electronic based devices. The major stability issue in large interconnected power systems is the lightly damped interarea oscillations. In the light of growth of their incidents there are increased concerns about the effectiveness of current control devices and control systems in maintaining power system stability. This thesis presents a Wide Area Measurement System (WAMS) based control scheme to enhance power system stability. The control scheme has a hierarchical (two-level) structure comprising a Supplementary Wide-Area Controller (SWAC) built on top of existing Power System Stabilisers (PSSs). The SWAC’s focus is on stabilising the critical interarea oscillations in the system while leaving local modes to be controlled entirely by local PSSs. Both control systems in the two levels work together to maintain system stability. The scheme relies on synchronised measurements supplied by Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) through the WAMS and the only cost requirement is for the communication infrastructure which is already available, or it will be in the near future. A novel linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control design approach which targets the interarea modes directly is introduced in this thesis. Its features are demonstrated through a comparison with the conventional method commonly used in power system damping applications. The modal LQG approach offers simplicity and flexibility when targeting multiple interarea modes without affecting local modes and local controllers, thus making it highly suitable to hierarchical WAMS based control schemes. Applicability of the approach to large power systems is demonstrated using different scenarios of model order reduction. The design approach incorporates time delays experienced in the transmission of the SWAC’s input/output signals. Issues regarding values of time delays and required level of detail in modelling time delays are thoroughly discussed. Three methods for selection of input/output signals for WAMS based damping controllers are presented and reviewed. The first method uses modal observability/controllability factors. The second method is based on the Sequential Orthogonalisation (SO) algorithm, a tool for the optimal placement of measurement devices. Its application is extended and generalised in this thesis to handle the problem of input/output signal selection. The third method combines clustering techniques and modal factor analysis. The clustering method uses advanced Principal Component Analysis (PCA) where its draw backs and limitations, in the context of power system dynamics’ applications, are overcome. The methods for signal selection are compared using both small signal and transient stability analysis to determine the best optimal set of signals. Enhancement of power system stability is demonstrated by applying the proposed WAMS based control scheme on the New England test system. The multi-input multi-output (MIMO) WAMS based damping controller uses a reduced set of input/output signals and is designed using the modal LQG approach. Effectiveness of the control scheme is comprehensively assessed using both small signal and transient stability analysis for different case studies including small and large disturbances, changes in network topology and operating condition, variations in time delays, and failure of communication links.