Optimal Parameter Selection of Automatic Voltage Regulator for a Large Power Plant based on Sensitivity Analysis

This paper aims at improving the excitation control system for the doubly fed induction generator-based wind farm (WF). The proposed decentralized coordinated neural control is consisted of two controllers, i.e., a multiple model predictive controller (MPC) and an artificial neural network (ANN) controller. The MPC is based on the interaction measurement model and designed to guarantee the performance of system-wide optimization around the chosen operating points, while the ANN controller is used to calculate the weights of MPC controllers and trained to guarantee the control performance over the full operating region. The proposed control strategy allows to reduce the computational cost, and at the same time to take advantage of the distributed nature of the power system. Moreover, a simple, generic hybrid power system is used to demonstrate transient stability contributions. The problems of large-scale WF integration and its impact on transient stabilities of power systems are discussed through the eigenvalue analysis and time domain simulation. The results show that system damping and transient stability of hybrid power system are considerably improved.

The stability of the electric power system is very important, because the stability of the system affects the quality and reliability of electrical energy supply. Many things can affect the stability of the system, one of which is a dynamic load that affects dynamic stability, dynamic stability can be defined as the system's ability to remain in synchronous conditions after the first swing (transient period) until the system reaches steady state condition, a power system is said to be in stable when all variables are stable, both bus voltage, rotor angle and generator rotor rotational speed. In this study the authors used the automatic voltage regulator (AVR) and power system stabilizer (PSS) controls to control the system's dynamic stability, hoping that after installation of these additional control devices the dynamic stability of the power system could be improved so that the system remained stable despite disturbances or load changes . Then a power system simulation was carried out using the MATLAB 2008a program, which proved that the installation of a power system stabilizer can reduce oscillation, in this case PSS works as an electric power controller or reactive power can be seen from the output voltage which only has overshoot 1.0169 before a load change and after being given a load change with the input step 25 overshoot increasing only 1.0215 for output the speed and angle of the generator rotor is less influential.

Braking resistor is a very powerful tool to improve transient stability in a power system. Usually, a fixed value of the braking resistor is considered for the transient stability analysis. However, when the braking resistor is in operation, temperature of the resistor material rises above ambient temperature which ultimately causes the resistance value to increase. This paper analyzes the effect of the temperature rise of the fuzzy logic-controlled braking resistor on the transient stability in a multimachine power system. The performance of the braking resistor scheme with fuzzy controller is compared to that of with conventional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. Simulation results of both balanced and unbalanced faults at different points in the system indicate that the temperature rise of the fuzzy logic-controlled braking resistors has little or almost no effect on the transient stability of the multimachine power system. Moreover, it is found that the performance of fuzzy logic controller is better than that of conventional PID controller. Thus, the proposed fuzzy control strategy provides a simple and effective method of transient stability enhancement.

With large wind energy integration into power systems, wind farms begin to influence power systems in a much more significant manner. As wind energy systems utilize different generator technologies from the one utilized in the conventional power plants, the steady-state, transient and small-signal dynamics, as well as, power system stability will thus be significantly affected. The impact of wind energy systems on the power system dynamics and stability is thus of practical importance. As there is a significant increase in installation of wind turbines equipped with doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) in recent years, a dynamic model of the DFIG wind turbine is firstly developed in this thesis. The model is validated against field measurement data, and the validation gives confidence about the accuracy and applicability of the developed model. DFIG wind farms consist of tens to hundreds of identical DFIG wind turbines increasing the complexity of the wind farm model and simulation time. A novel aggregation technique is developed in this thesis that incorporates a multiplication factor, namely mechanical torque compensation factor (MTCF), to the mechanical torque of the full aggregated wind farm model. The MTCF is initially constructed to approximate a Gaussian function by using fuzzy logic method. By optimizing the MTCF on a trial and error basis, less than 10 percent discrepancy is then achieved between the proposed aggregated model and the complete model. The proposed aggregation technique is then applied to a 120 MVA offshore wind farm comprising of 72 DFIG wind turbines and shows higher accuracy in approximating the wind farm dynamics as it appears at the point of common coupling (PCC) as compared to the full aggregated model. The proposed aggregated model computes faster than the complete wind farm model by 90.3 percent during normal operations and 87 percent during grid disturbances. To overcome the adverse effects due to the fluctuating nature of wind, two wind power smoothing methods are proposed using a fuzzy logic pitch angle controller for a smooth performance with a minimum drop in output power. One method performs partial smoothing with only 4.74 percent drop in the output power while the other method offers complete smoothing with a 8.28 percent drop in output power. The impact of wind energy integration on power system transient stability (PSTS) is studied quantitatively with the transient energy margin (TEM), which is calculated through the evaluation of the transient energy function (TEF). This study is carried out in two ways in the thesis. One is to analyse the impact of transient fault on the DFIG wind turbine as compared to SGs for different factors, like the fault clearing time, the grid coupling, the inertia constant and the voltage sag. The study reveals that transient stability of the DFIG wind turbine is hardly affected by the grid coupling, the inertia constant and the generator terminal voltage sag variations indicating its consistent transient performance within a wide range of these factors. The fault clearing time should be almost 11 percent faster for the system with the DFIG than the synchronous generator (SG). The other is to investigate the impact of the DFIG wind farm on the PSTS with the variation of different factors, which are the voltage sag, the fault clearing time, the load and the wind power penetration level. The study reveals that power systems integrated with DFIG wind farms are sensitive to transient events with high voltage sag, high fault clearing time, low load operation and high wind power penetration level. Machines at different locations individually possess distinct fault response and suffer from a large-scale power imbalance. As a result, reliable operation of DFIG wind farm integrated power systems demands upgraded equipment, such as advanced switchgear, fast breakers/isolators, efficient power reserve systems and advanced reactive power compensating device, etc.

This paper investigates the transient stability of power systems co-dominated\nby different types of grid-forming (GFM) devices. Synchronous generators (SGs\nand VSGs) and droop-controlled inverters are typical GFM devices in modern\npower systems. SGs/VSGs are able to provide inertia while droop-controlled\ninverters are generally inertialess. The transient stability of power systems\ndominated by homogeneous GFM devices has been extensively studied. Regarding\nthe hybrid system jointly dominated by heterogeneous GFM devices, the transient\nstability is rarely reported. This paper aims to fill this gap. It is found\nthat the synchronization behavior of the hybrid system can be described by a\nsecond-order motion equation, resembling the swing equation of SGs. Moreover,\ntwo significant differences from conventional power systems are discovered. The\nfirst is that the droop control dramatically enhances the damping effect,\ngreatly affecting the transient stability region. The second is that the\nfrequency state variable exhibits a jump at the moment of fault disturbances,\nthus impacting the post-fault initial-state location and stability assessment.\nThe underlying mechanism behind the two new characteristics is clarified and\nthe impact on the transient stability performance is analyzed and verified. The\nfindings provide new insights into transient stability of power systems hosting\nheterogeneous devices.\n

A new measure of the relative transient stability of a multimachine power system based on the Lyapunov stability theory is introduced. Techniques of sensitivity analysis are used to determine numerically the influence of variations or errors in the estimation of the system parameters on the transient stability of a power system. In particular, data is presented for an application of these ideas to a one machine infinite bus system.

Introduction. In an electrical power system, the output of the synchronous generators varies due to disturbances or sudden load changes. These variations in output severely affect power system stability and power quality. The synchronous generator is equipped with an automatic voltage regulator to maintain its terminal voltage at rated voltage. Several control techniques utilized to improve the response of the automatic voltage regulator system, however, proportional integral derivative (PID) controller is the most frequently used controller but its parameters require optimization. Novelty. In this paper, the chaotic sequence based on the logistic map is hybridized with particle swarm optimization to find the optimal parameters of the PID for the automatic voltage regulator system. The logistic map chaotic sequence-based initialization and global best selection enable the algorithm to escape from local minima stagnation and improve its convergence rate resulting in best optimal parameters. Purpose. The main objective of the proposed approach is to improve the transient response of the automatic voltage regulator system by minimizing the maximum overshoot, settling time, rise time, and peak time values of the terminal voltage, and eliminating the steady-state error. Methods. In the process of parameter tuning, the Chaotic particle swarm optimization technique was run several times through the proposed hybrid objective function, which accommodates the advantages of the two most commonly used objective functions with a minimum number of iterations, and an optimal PID gain value was found. The proposed algorithm is compared with current metaheuristic algorithms including conventional particle swarm optimization, improved kidney algorithm, and others. Results. For performance evaluation, the characteristics of the integral of time multiplied squared error and Zwe-Lee Gaing objective functions are combined. Furthermore, the time-domain analysis, frequency-domain analysis, and robustness analysis are carried out to show the better performance of the proposed algorithm. The result shows that automatic voltage regulator tuned with the chaotic particle swarm optimization based PID yield improvement in overshoot, settling time, and function value of 14.41 %, 37.91 %, 1.73 % over recently proposed IKA, and 43.55 %, 44.5 %, 16.67 % over conventional particle swarm optimization algorithms. The improvement in transient response further improves the automatic voltage regulator system stability for electrical power systems.

This paper proposes a method to control the output power of a wind farm with the aim of improving the transient stability of a multi-machine power system. Doubly fed induction generators (DFIG) are considered for the variable speed wind farms. The variation of the frequency of the DFIG terminal bus is used to modulate the torque reference and thus the output power of the DFIG in the post-disturbance condition. This in turn modifies the electrical power of the nearby alternators and causes improvement of stability. The proposed control technique is validated in WSCC 3-machine 9-bus system and IEEE 16-machine 68-bus system. The study is carried out in PSCAD/EMTDC as well as in MATLAB platforms.

In this paper we present a robust nonlinear excitation controller of synchronous generator connected through one transmission line to an infinite bus (SMIB) to enhance transient stability. Simulation results show that transient stability of a single machine infinite bus power system under a large sudden fault can be improved.

Wind generation is increasing rapidly in the grid, which has greater impacts on the power system than ever. The impacts are more serious under grid fault. The low‐voltage ride through (LVRT) controls of doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs) may change characteristics of synchronous generators (SGs) and threaten the transient stability of power system. However, the influence on the transient stability and even the controllable powers of a DFIG has not been considered in the existing LVRT method. The contributions of the reactive power supplied by a DFIG in the oscillation process of power angle of SG were analysed. The controllable range of powers of a DFIG was researched with consideration of the rotor speed limit. An LVRT control method of a DFIG based on the controllable range was proposed to improve the transient stability of power system. Simulations show that the proposed method could enhance the power angle stability of power system under the condition of avoiding overspeed and out of service of DFIG.

This study presents the design of intelligent coordinators for the automatic voltage regulator (AVR) and power system stabiliser (PSS) in a multi‐machine power system. The intelligent coordinators are designed to update the gains of AVR and PSS in severe disturbances to guarantee the stability of the studied power system. Three potent intelligent coordinators are proposed: (a) fuzzy logic coordinator, (b) artificial neural network coordinator, and (c) brain emotional learning coordinator. Since the intelligent coordinators are based on the knowledge of the experts, desirable scaling factors are considered in the output signals of the coordinators to achieve optimal results. The scaling factors are optimised using a new evolutionary approach known as the sine–cosine algorithm. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed intelligent approaches, the performances of coordinators are analysed on a two‐area four‐machine power system. A range of power system signals, such as rotor speed, terminal voltages, acceleration power and rotor angle of generators are demonstrated to approve and compare the performance of the intelligent coordinators. The simulation results indicate that the intelligent coordinators can guarantee the stability of the power system and satisfy performance objectives, such as desired transient and steady‐state errors.

Power system stabilizer (PSS) and flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) damping controller to improve the stability of the power system has been widely used. A coordinated control method based on the combined computational evolutionary theory is proposed to overcome some of damping controllers simultaneously so as to keep the allowable level of power system damping. It works by making full use of favorable interaction between the controlling and minimizing adverse interactions so that the power system oscillations can be suppressed effectively. Proportional integral derivative (PID) controller tuning based power system stabilizer types PSS3B (PIDPSS3B), static var compensator (SVC) and automatic voltage regulator (AVR) presented in this paper. PID controller gain parameters such as proportional, integral factor, differential coefficient and get AVR selected and optimized by BF-PSOTVAC. The integral time absolut error (ITAE) standards of optimization design as objective function. The results of simulations show that performance index of system the proposed method is 42.7890. The BF-PSOTVAC method has the capability to damping optimally and suppresses error to minimum.

This paper presents a dynamic model of the equivalent Great Britain (GB) 36-zone power system, which can be used for reliable and realistic assessment of emerging load frequency control mechanisms. Flexible architecture of the presented dynamic test system permits a broad range of security of supply and small-signal stability studies for design of future power grids. It can be particularly useful for academic research, but also for undertaking feasibility studies in power industries. The proposed dynamic test system, which is obtained through network reduction of the original full-scale GB transmission power system developed by National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO) Company, provides detailed information about the GB power system. In this regard, the required data and modelling approaches to develop the 36-zone system are provided in detail. The presented dynamic test system represents the system topology, impedance characteristics and electromechanical oscillations of the original GB power system however, it is not an exact equivalent of the master GB system. Illustrative dynamic models of the key system components, including synchronous generators, automatic voltage regulators, power system stabilizers, hydro and steam turbines models along with speed governing systems are presented. Dynamic behavior of 36-zone test system in response to infeed loss contingencies is investigated. Particularly, the impact of changes in the system inertia on the system electromechanical modes is examined using the modal analysis approach. In this context, the mode shape concept is employed to determine dominant generators and contribution of different zones in the low frequency oscillations. Moreover, time-domain simulations are undertaken to validate the modal analysis results. Additionally, the condition of different zones from the viewpoint of frequency nadir and maximum rate of change of frequency for various contingencies and extreme cases are examined.

This paper investigates the impact of the voltage source converter (VSC) current controller of a converter driven synchronous generator on the transient stability of a power system. The transient disturbance which the power network is exposed to is that of a three-phase short circuit. The transient response of the power system is firstly observed with system controllers' i.e. Automatic voltage regulator (AVR) and Speed governor and without system controllers while the current controller was inactive. The transient response of the power network is then analyzed under similar power system control scenarios with the VSC current controller engaged. The results highlight how the VSC current controller improves on the power systems transient stability.

Excitation control for improving transient stability limit and voltage regulation with dynamic loads