Arun G. Phadke

Synchronized phasor measurements and their applications

Phasor Measurement Techniques.- Phasor Estimation of Nominal Frequency Inputs.- Phasor Estimation at Off-Nominal Frequency Inputs.- Frequency Estimation.- Phasor Measurement Units and Phasor Data Concentrators.- Transient Response of Phasor Measurement Units.- Phasor Measurement Applications.- State Estimation.- Control with Phasor Feedback.- Protection Systems with Phasor Inputs.- Electromechanical Wave Propagation.

Synchronized phasor measurements in power systems

The use of time synchronizing techniques, coupled with the computer-based measurement technique, to measure phasors and phase angle differences in real time is reviewed, and phasor measurement units are discussed. Many of the research projects concerned with applications of synchronized phasor measurements are described. These include measuring the frequency and magnitude of phasor, state estimation, instability prediction, adaptive relaying, and improved control.<<ETX>>

A New Measurement Technique for Tracking Voltage Phasors, Local System Frequency, and Rate of Change of Frequency

With the advent of Substation Computer Systems dedicated to protection, control and data logging functions in a Substation, it becomes possible to develop new applications which can utilize the processing power available within the substation. The microcomputer based Symmetrical Component Distance Relay (SCDR) described in the references cited at the end of this paper possesses certain characteristics which facilitate real-time monitoring of positive sequence voltage phasor at the local power system bus. With a regression analysis the frequency and rate-of-change of frequency at the bus can also be determined from the positive sequence voltage phase angle. This paper describes the theoretical basis of these computations and describes results of experiments performed in the AEP power system simulation laboratory. Plans for future field tests on the AEP system are also outlined.

Synchronized Phasor Measurement Applications in Power Systems

Synchronized phasor measurements have become a mature technology with several international manufacturers offering commercial phasor measurement units (PMUs) which meet the prevailing industry standard for synchrophasors. With the occurrence of major blackouts in many power systems around the world, the value of data provided by PMUs has been recognized, and installation of PMUs on power transmission networks of most major power systems has become an important current activity. This paper provides a brief introduction to the PMU and wide-area measurement system (WAMS) technology and discusses the uses of these measurements for improved monitoring, protection, and control of power networks.

Phasor measurement unit placement techniques for complete and incomplete observability

This paper presents techniques for identifying placement sites for phasor measurement units (PMUs) in a power system based on incomplete observability. The novel concept of depth of unobservability is introduced and its impact on the number of PMU placements is explained. Initially, we make use of spanning trees of the power system graph and a tree search technique to find the optimal location of PMUs. We then extend the modeling to recognize limitations in the availability of communication facilities around the network and pose the constrained placement problem within the framework of Simulated Annealing (SA). The SA formulation was further extended to solve the pragmatic phased installation of PMUs. The performance of these methods is tested on two electric utility systems and IEEE test systems. Results show that these techniques provide utilities with systematic approaches for incrementally placing PMUs thereby cushioning their cost impact.

State Estimlatjon with Phasor Measurements

The recent introduction of microprocessors into substations for protection and control makes it possible to measure positive sequence voltage phasors and positive sequence transmission line current phasors in real time. It is necessary to synchronize sampling clocks in various substations in order to put the phasors on a common reference. Techniques for synchronizing sampling along with a method for obtaining positive sequence phasors from samples are reviewed. Although it is possible to use these direct measurements in conventional state estimation algorithms, considerable advantage accrues if the state estimation is reformulated in terms of direct measurements of phasor voltages and currents. The resulting estimation algorithm involves an admittance like matrix with the sparsity of the admittance matrix. The new matrix is real rather than complex even for small X/R ratios for the lines. The algorithm requires no assumptions as to decoupling, flat voltage profiles, small resistance, etc. The algorithm converges in one step with the same amount of computation as one iteration of existing estimators. Examples are given for the IEEE 118 bus system.

Wide-Area Monitoring, Protection, and Control of Future Electric Power Networks

Wide-area monitoring, protection, and control (WAMPAC) involves the use of system-wide information and the communication of selected local information to a remote location to counteract the propagation of large disturbances. Synchronized measurement technology (SMT) is an important element and enabler of WAMPAC. It is expected that WAMPAC systems will in the future reduce the number of catastrophic blackouts and generally improve the reliability and security of energy production, transmission, and distribution, particularly in power networks with a high level of operational uncertainties. In this paper, the technological and application issues are addressed. Several key monitoring, protection, and control applications are described and discussed. A strategy for developing a WAMPAC system in the United Kingdom is given as well.

Frequency tracking in power networks in the presence of harmonics

Three new techniques for frequency measurement are proposed. The first is a modified zero-crossing method using curve fitting of voltage samples. The second method is based on polynomial fitting of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) quasi-stationary phasor data for calculation of the rate of change of the positive sequence phase angle. The third method operates on a complex signal obtained by the standard technique of quadrature demodulation. All three methods are characterized by immunity to reasonable amounts of noise and harmonics in power systems. The performance of the proposed techniques is illustrated for several scenarios by computer simulation. >

An Alternative for Including Phasor Measurements in State Estimators

With the increasing use of real-time synchronized phasor measurement units, it is necessary to consider applications of these measurements in greater detail. One of the most natural applications of these measurements is in the area of state estimation. A straightforward application of state estimation theory treats phasor measurements of currents and voltages as additional measurements to be appended to traditional measurements now being used in most energy management system (EMS) state estimators. The resulting state estimator is once again nonlinear and requires significant modifications to existing EMS software. This paper proposes an alternative approach, which leaves the traditional state estimation software in place, and discusses a novel method of incorporating the phasor measurements and the results of the traditional state estimator in a postprocessing linear estimator. This paper presents the underlying theory and provides verification through simulations of the two alternative strategies. It is shown that the new technique provides the same results as the nonlinear state estimator and does not require modification of the existing EMS software

IEEE Standard for Synchrophasors for Power Systems

IEEE Standard 1344, Synchrophasors for Power Systems, was completed in 1995. It sets parameters required to ensure that phasor measurement will be made and communicated in a consistent manner. It specifies requirements for the timing signal used for phasor synchronization and the time code needed for input to a measurement unit. GPS is the recommended time source and IRIG-B is the basic format used for time communication. The standard requires correlating phasors computed from unsynchronized and synchronized sampling to a common basis. Timetagging accurately and consistently is essential for wide area comparison of phase. The standard specifies information exchange and control message formats. These include data output, configuration, and command messages. It includes 7 annexes that discuss the concepts covered in the body of the standard.