Flicker propagation in radial and interconnected power systems

Voltage fluctuations which cause lamp flicker tend to propagate from the point of origin to various parts of a power system exhibiting some level of attenuation depending on factors such as system impedances, composition of loads and frequency components of the fluctuating waveform. Maintaining the flicker levels at various busbars below the planning limits specified by the standards is crucial, and in this regard it is important to develop an insight into the manner in which the flicker propagates via systems operating at different voltage levels. This thesis presents flicker transfer analysis methodologies applicable for radial and interconnected power systems particularly considering the influence of induction motor loads on flicker attenuation. In the first phase of the work, development of the foundations towards flicker transfer analysis methodologies is carried out by investigating the stand-alone behaviour of induction motors that are subjected to regular supply voltage fluctuations. The electrical and mechanical response of induction motors to two types of sinusoidal fluctuations in the supply voltage where (a) a positive or negative sequence sinusoidal frequency component is superimposed on the mains voltage and (b) mains voltage amplitude is sinusoidally modulated are examined. State space representation of induction motors is used to develop a linearised induction motor model describing the response of the stator current and the rotor speed to small voltage variations in the supply voltage. The results from the model reveal that various sub-synchronous and/or super-synchronous frequency components that exist in the supply voltage as small voltage perturbations can influence the dynamic response of the machine in relation to flicker. In particular, oscillations in the electromagnetic torque and rotor speed arising as a result of the applied voltage perturbations are found to be the key influencing factors controlling the stator current perturbations. It has been noted that, the speed fluctuation caused by a superimposed positive sequence voltage perturbation tends to produce extra emf components in the rotor which in turn can reflect back to the stator. This concept of multiple armature reaction has been found to be significant in large motors especially when the superimposed frequencies are closer to the fundamental frequency. The second phase of the work covers the development of systematic methods for evaluation of flicker transfer in radial and interconnected power systems taking the dynamic behaviour of induction motors into account. In relation to radial systems, small signal models are developed which can be used to establish the flicker propagation from a higher voltage level (upstream) to a lower voltage level (downstream) where induction motor loads are connected. Although this method can be applied for regular or irregular voltage fluctuations, emphasis has been given to sinusoidal voltage fluctuations arising from conventional sinusoidal amplitude modulation of upstream voltage. Moreover, the method examines the propagation of sub-synchronous and super-synchronous frequency components that exist in the supply voltage as side bands and hence determines the overall attenuation in the voltage envelope. The contribution of induction motors of different sizes and other influential factors such as system impedance, loading level of the motor are examined. It has been noted that in general higher frequency components of the upstream fluctuating voltage envelope tend to attenuate better at the downstream. A method is also presented which allows aggregation of induction motors at the load busbars in relation to flicker transfer studies. In relation to interconnected systems, a frequency domain approach which can be used to investigate the flicker transfer is presented. This approach can be considered as an extension to the impedance matrix method as described in the literature and can overcome some of the limitations of the latter method. In the proposed approach, induction motor loads are modelled in a more realistic manner to replicate their dynamic behaviour, thus enabling the examination of the frequency dependent characteristics of flicker attenuation due to induction motors and the influence of tie lines in compensating flicker at remote load busbars consisting of passive loads. To verify some of the theoretical outcomes real time voltage waveforms captured from a large arc furnace site have been used, in addition to the experimental work using a scaled down laboratory set up of a radial power system

Flicker Transfer in Radial Power Systems

Loads which exhibit continuous and rapid variations in their current can cause voltage fluctuations that are often referred to as flicker. One good example for such loads is arc furnaces which are usually fed by dedicated feeders from the high voltage busbars in transmission systems. The flicker generated from such loads will propagate to the upstream HV point of common coupling (PCC), and from there to the downstream through the transmission and sub transmission systems. This paper demonstrates how the generated flicker is propagated from the HV PCC to the downstream in radial networks exhibiting different levels of attenuation depending upon the load composition of the downstream. Theoretical investigations on flicker transfer have been carried out using simple and more advanced modelling of loads and simulations of radial transmission and sub transmission networks having different load types. The behaviour predicted by the theoretical work is supported through field measurements that have been carried out in an actual network

Response of Mains Connected Induction Motors to Low Frequency Voltage Fluctuations from a Flicker Perspective

In radial power systems flicker transfer from a higher voltage level (upstream) to a lower voltage level (downstream) is seen to be significantly affected by the downstream load composition. Industrial load bases containing mains connected induction motors are known to be effective in the flicker attenuation process compared to residential load bases containing passive loads. For better understanding of the flicker attenuation influenced by induction motors their dynamic behaviour has to be closely investigated under fluctuating supply conditions. This paper presents the methodology and results of investigations undertaken to examine the response of an induction motor to small perturbations in the supply voltage using a transfer function approach (small signal modelling). The motor response established employing this approach is used to evaluate the effective impedance of the motor which in turn is used to explain the flicker attenuation at the point of common coupling (PCC) in a qualitative manner. Furthermore, the dependency of the effective impedance on the frequency of voltage fluctuations is also examined