Wide Area Measuring System Signals Based Nonlinear Robust Adaptive DC Power Modulation Controller in AC/DC Interconnected Power System

The robust adaptive control law is proposed for a HVDC power modulation controller of the interconnected AC/DC power system. Based on the design idea of driving the center of inertia (COI) of different areas to a stable equilibrium point, the proposed controller is applied to damp inter-area oscillation of interconnected AC/ DC system using global signals of a wide area measuring system (WAMS). Designed by the back-stepping method, the robust adaptive control law is adaptive to the unknown parameters and is robust to model error, disturbances and different equilibrium points. Computer results show that the controller proposed is obviously superior to the conventional DC power modulation controller in damping inter-area oscillation and enhancing the power transfer limit. In addition, its performance can well adapt to the change of the equilibrium point. 設計了應用于交直流互聯電力系統的直流功率調制的非線性魯棒自適應控制器。該控制器基于驅動各互聯區域電網的慣量中心至統一平衡點的設計思想,采用廣域測量系統的全局信號,用以阻尼交直流互聯系統的區域間功率振蕩。采用反步法設計的自適應魯棒控制規律使控制器對未知參數具有自適應性,對模型誤差、擾動和平衡點變化具有較強的魯棒性。仿真結果表明,與傳統的線性直流功率調制控制器相比,該控制器對聯絡線的功率振蕩具有優良的阻尼性能,可顯著提高輸電極限,而且能很好地適應運行點的變化。link_to_OA_fulltex

Power system security enhancement by HVDC links using a closed-loop emergency control

In recent years, guaranteeing that large-scale interconnected systems operate safely, stably and economically has become a major and emergency issue. A number of high profile blackouts caused by cascading outages have focused attention on this issue. Embedded HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) links within a larger AC power system are known to act as a “firewall” against cascading disturbances and therefore, can effectively contribute in preventing blackouts. A good example is the 2003 blackout in USA and Canada, where the Québec grid was not affected due to its HVDC interconnection. In the literature, many works have studied the impact of HVDC on the power system stability, but very few examples exist in the area of its impact on the system security. This paper presents a control strategy for HVDC systems to increase their contribution to system security. A real-time closed-loop control scheme is used to modulate the DC power of HVDC links to alleviate AC system overloads and improve system security. Simulations carried out on a simplified model of the Hydro-Québec network show that the proposed method works well and can greatly improve system security during emergency situations.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Dynamic Studies of Multiterminal DC-AC Systems

In transient stability programs that use a static dc network representation, the procedure to determine the control mode of operation and the solution of the multiterminal dc system is complex and time consuming. A systematic approach that is based on a linear programming formulation is presented in this thesis. The constraints incorporated in the LB formulation automatically ensure that the solution obtained is feasible. It is shown that the method is not only computationally efficient but also versatile in its ability to handle many of the common control characteristics, such as those of the constant angle (extinction and ignition), constant voltage, constant power and current controls, voltage dependent current order limiter (VDCOL), end-stops, and also simulate the dynamics of power modulation and restart. As some applications require a three-phase detailed representation of the ac/dc system, a technique for detailed simulation of the dc converter and controls is also presented. The developed dynamic simulation program is used to investigate the problem of on-line network flow control using converter controls of a multiterminal dc system. In view of fast response of the dc powers to converter controls, a control method is proposed that extends the application of ac network flow control to dynamic situations. Possible applications of the method are to regulate power flows in a select group of ac lines, to smoothly steer the ac/dc system from its present state to some desired state and to enhance the dynamic performance of the ac system by controlling the transient changes in key or ’’backbone” ac lines

HVDC links between North Africa and Europe: Impacts and benefits on the dynamic performance of the European system

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Mokhtar Benasla, Tayeb Allaoui, Mostefa Brahami, Mouloud Denai, and Vijay K. Sood, ‘HVDC links between North Africa and Europe: Impacts and benefits on the dynamic performance of the European system’, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, November 2017. Under embargo. Embargo end date: 20 November 2018. The published version is available online at doi: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.10.075. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This manuscript version is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.In the last decade, there have been several initiatives for the deployment of cross-Mediterranean HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) links to enable the transmission of electrical power from renewable energy sources between North Africa and Europe. These initiatives were mainly driven by the potential economic, environmental and technical benefits of these HVDC interconnections. In previous studies on these projects, some technical aspects of critical importance have not been addressed or studied in sufficient detail. One of these key aspects relates to the impact and possible benefit of these HVDC links on the dynamic performance of the European system which is the major focus of this paper. Several issues relating to the dynamic performance of the system are addressed here. Based on the experience gained from existing AC/DC projects around the world, this paper shows that the HVDC links between North Africa and Europe can greatly improve the dynamic performance of the European system especially in the southern regions. In addition, some challenges on the operation and control of these HVDC links are highlighted and solutions to overcome these challenges are proposed. This review paper, therefore, serves as a preliminary study for further detailed investigation of specific impacts or benefits of these interconnections on the overall performance of the European system.Peer reviewe

DC modulation controller parameters tuning based on improved multi-signal Prony algorithm

To aim at the puzzle of DC modulation controller parameters tuning in large-scale AC/DC interconnected power systems, in this paper a multi-signal Prony algorithm is proposed which can simultaneously extracts oscillation modes from multiple signals compared with traditional Prony analysis method. In the algorithm, current setting value increment at rectifier side serves as system input, and AC liaison transmission line active power increment acts as the resulting output under consideration of systems initialization state. Through the improved multi-signal Prony identification on the output time-domain response data under specified input, an equivalent linear model with order reduced is obtained. Based on the identified results, the adjustments are then implemented on the controller parameters using the pole placement method. Through theoretical analysis and IEEE four generators system tests, the simulation results show that to add the DC modulation controller with parameters tuned by the improved Prony algorithm can significantly increase the oscillation damping of AC/DC interconnected systems, and improve the systems operation stability

Small signal stability analysis of a four-machine system with placement of multi-terminal high voltage direct current link

Inter-area oscillation caused by weak interconnected lines or low generator inertia is a critical problem facing power systems. This study investigated the performance analysis of a multi-terminal high voltage direct current (MTDC) on the damping of inter-area oscillations of a modified two-area four-machine network. Two case studies were considered, utilising scenario 1: a double alternating current (AC) circuit in linking Bus_10 and Bus_11; and scenario 2: a three-terminal line commutated converter high voltage direct current system in linking Bus_6 and Bus_11 into Bus_9. It was found that scenario 2 utilising MTDC link with a robust controller provided quick support in minimising the network oscillations following a fault on the system. The MTDC converter controllers’ setup offered sufficient support for the inertia of the AC system, thus providing efficient damping of the inter-area oscillation of the system

An investigation into the impact of HVDC schemes on Eskom HV network's transient stability.

M. Sc. Eng. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2015.Compared to high voltage alternating current (HVAC) lines, the response of HVDC schemes to system faults is faster and more controllable, thus making it more tolerable to system faults. Due to the inherent advantages of HVDC schemes over HVAC lines when it comes to bulk power transmission over long distances, it has become a common practice for power utilities to integrate HVDC schemes into their networks. The main objective of this research is to investigate the impacts that HVDC schemes may have on the transient rotor angle and voltage stability of Eskom’s main transmission system (MTS) network. Three test systems were used to carry out this research, namely: a two machines infinite busbar network (test network 1), a 30 machine 24 busbar network (test network 2) and Eskom’s MTS network (test network 3), with the emphasis being on test network 3. HVDC schemes may be used to improve the system synchronizing torque by making use of robust, fast, state-of-the-art control techniques with good communication systems, for DC power modulation at the converters. The HVDC controllers are used for temporary increment or decrement of DC power during system faults and transient periods. This restores the balance between the acceleration power gained by the generator during the fault and the system retarding power applied onto the generator. Previous research shows that the ability of a HVDC scheme to improve the transient stability of an AC system largely depends on the pre-disturbance conditions of the network and the robustness of the HVDC scheme controllers used. In this study, carried out using the DIgSILENT PowerFactory software tool, HVDC schemes of various configurations have been integrated at strategic locations of Eskom’s MTS network and time-domain dynamic simulation studies were carried out to determine how the HVDC scheme affects the network transient stability. This was done by assessing the obtained results on system fault levels, critical fault clearing times (CCTs), minimum and maximum voltage violations and thermal limit violations, against the requirements as stipulated in the South African Grid Code-The Network version. It was found that the integration of the LCC-HVDC scheme causes an improvement in the CCT of the generators, which indicates an improvement of machine transient rotor angle stability. In terms of transient rotor angle stability, the integration of the LCC-HVDC scheme meets the South African Grid Code (SAGC) requirements. The HVDC scheme does not have a significant impact on the network fault levels

Nonlinear control design for stressed power systems using normal forms of vector fields

Large stressed interconnected power systems exhibit complicated dynamic behavior when subjected to disturbances. This nonlinear complex behavior is not well analyzed with present tools, and a complete theoretical analysis of this is not feasible in large systems. In stressed power systems, due to the presence of increased nonlinearity and the existence of nonlinear modal interactions, there exist some limitation to the use of conventional linear control design techniques. Therefore there is a need to understand the nature of nonlinear modal interactions and their influences on control performance for optimal controller setting;This work deals with control design in power systems using the method of normal forms. The objective of this work is to understand the effect of the nonlinear modal interaction on control performance and to develop a procedure to design controls incorporating the nonlinear information. For power systems equipped with fast exciters, the exciter gains have crucial influence on the system dynamic behavior. In order to be able to tune the exciter gains for optimal system performance, one has to understand, how the system response changes with different gain settings. In linear analysis, this consists of determining the eigenvalues for various gains, and computing the sensitivity of the eigenvalues under gain variations. If one takes into account the influence of the second order normal forms on the system response, then the corresponding interaction coefficients and their sensitivity with respect to gain variations has to be studied as well. This is the topic of the study presented here;The concept of nonlinear participation factors, and sensitivity of the normal forms coefficient, together with linear participation factors and eigenvalue sensitivity are used to vary control settings. The control settings are varied to obtain improved stability and to reduce the nonlinearity in the system. The proposed procedure was applied to the 50-generator IEEE test system. The results on a test system, demonstrate the importance of including the effect of the second order nonlinear terms in the analysis. The results provided also indicate some of the shortcomings of the linear approach, and illustrate the nature of the added information provided by the higher order terms. The control modes interacting with the inertial modes are identified, and the use of the nonlinear participation factors provides information regarding the states participating in the interacting modes. The sensitivity of the nonlinear coefficients to the identified control parameters provides information on the changes to the settings to reduce nonlinearity and improve stability;In this work we conduct a detailed testing of the proposed gain tuning procedure on the same 50-generator IEEE test system to show the validation of proposed method and to observe the effects of controller setting changes. A metric to measure the effect of the control tuning on the nonlinearity introduced is used to select the appropriate control setting. In addition the results dealing with the design of the controller are given and verification of the controller design using nonlinear time simulation is provided

Analyzing dynamic performance of power systems over parameter space using the method of normal forms of vector fields

Today\u27s power systems have become more and more stressed due to the high utilization of available facilities. The complex dynamic behavior of large stressed power systems following disturbances can not be fully explained with present tools, such as linear eigen-analysis tools and nonlinear time-domain simulation methods. This research work applies a nonlinear analytical tool, the method of normal forms of vector fields, to help understand the complex transient oscillations in stressed power systems;The method of normal forms is a well-known mathematical tool to study systems of differential equations. The basic idea is to simplify the dynamical system by a sequence of nonlinear coordinate transformations. If there is no resonance in the system, then the nonlinear vector field can be turned into a linear one by the transformations. Previous work applied the second-order normal form transformation under non-resonance condition to power system dynamical equations. The nonlinear interaction among the fundamental modes was investigated. Based on these efforts, this work extends the application of normal forms to evaluate the dynamic performance of power systems taking into account changing operation conditions;As the resonance and near-resonance could occur in parameter space, a new normal form transformation under second order resonance condition is derived. The analysis shows that the high nonlinearity resulting from the resonance and near-resonance among poorly damped oscillatory modes and control modes is detrimental to the system performance. An approach to determine the resonance and near-resonance regions in parameter space is developed. The modes contributing to the detrimental behavior associated with the near-resonance region are identified by a procedure based on certain modal interaction indices. The state variables showing detrimental behavior are then determined using nonlinear participation factors. The accuracy of the prediction is verified by conducting nonlinear time-domain simulation. In order to compare the effect of nonlinear modal interaction quantitatively under different operating conditions, a new index in the state space of machine variables is developed. The nonlinear modal interaction together with the linear modal characteristics accounts for the dynamic performance of the system over a range of operating conditions. The method and procedures are tested and validated on a sample test system