Cosmin Koch-Ciobotaru

A protection strategy for fault detection and location for multi-terminal MVDC distribution systems with renewable energy systems

A fault location method and a fault clearance strategy are presented in this paper for medium voltage dc (MVDC) distribution system. MVDC systems are applicable for connection between microgrids (MGs) and integration of renewable energy systems (RESs) to distribution systems. Due to the specifications of fault current in dc systems, it is difficult to coordinate the over current (O/C) relays based on the time inverse grading. Hence, in this paper, a communication link between O/C relays is used to diagnose the fault location. On the other hand, the fault clearance is done by the operation of dc circuit breakers (DCCB) and isolator switches. In this protection strategy, O/C relays detect the faulty part using communication links and after the fault extinguishing by DCCBs, the dc switches isolate the faulty part. Finally, the sound parts of the system re-energize when DCCB are re-closed. Moreover, data transmission by communication links is based on the standard messages of IEC61850 protocol.

Second life battery energy storage system for residential demand response service

The integration of renewable energies and the usage of battery energy storage systems (BESS) into the residential buildings opens the possibility for minimizing the electricity bill for the end-user. This paper proposes the use of batteries that have already been aged while powering electric vehicles, during their main first life application, for providing residential demand response service. The paper considers the decayed characteristics of these batteries and optimizes the rating of such a second life battery energy storage system (SLBESS) for maximizing the economic benefits of the users energy consumption during a period of one year. Furthermore, simulations were performed considering real data of PV generation, consumption, prices taken from the Spanish market and costs of battery and photovoltaic systems.

Second life battery energy storage system for enhancing renewable energy grid integration

Connecting renewable power plants to the grid must comply with certain codes and requirements. One requirement is the ramp rate constraint, which must be fulfilled in order to avoid penalties. As this service becomes compulsory with an increased grid penetration of renewable, all possible solutions must be explored especially that large battery energy storage systems are still expensive solutions. Thus, in order to make battery investment economic viable, the use of second life batteries is investigated in the present work. This paper proposes a method for determining firstly, the optimal rating of a second life battery energy storage system (SLBESS) and secondly, to obtain the power exchange and battery state of charge profiles during the operation. These will constitute the cycling patterns for testing batteries and studying the ageing effect of this specific application. Real data from the Spanish electricity market for a whole year are used for validating the results.

Equivalent model of a synchronous PV power plant

The continuous integration of renewable energy sources into power systems has led to the construction of large power plants based on power electronics, with power ratings up to hundreds of megawatts, in order to accomodate technologies like solar PV and wind energy. Due to the size of these plants, they must provide support services for the grid and it is necessary to analyze the impact they have on power systems. Opposing to conventional power plants formed by a reduced number of synchronous generators in the range of several hundreds of megawatts, large power plants based on PV and wind energy are usually composed of a high number of individual generating units with power ratings of a few megawatts. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop aggregated models of power plants formed by multiple power converters to be used in the dynamic analysis of large power systems. This paper presents the control system of a 20 MW PV plant, derives an equivalent aggregated model and studies the performance of this model through simulation.

Adaptive power control of wave energy converters for maximum power absorption under irregular sea-state conditions

This paper proposes a novel wave energy converter (WEC) control technique based on an adaptive vector controller for maximum power absorption of the wave energy resource. The proposed controller arises as a suitable solution for a realistic wave energy converter deployment, as it serves from its own wave energy converter velocity to instantaneously determine the required power-take-off force needed for maximizing the power extraction from the waves. The adaptive characteristic of the wave energy controller is achieved thanks to the implementation of advanced signal monitoring and synchronization processes along with vector control algorithms. As a result, maximum power absorption can be instantaneously achieved regardless of the dominant characteristics of the irregular waves.

Distributed FLISR algorithm for smart grid self-reconfiguration based on IEC61850

This paper proposes a distributed algorithm for Fault Location, Isolation, and Service Restoration (FLISR) to be implemented as part of the intelligent software for controlling the operation of each circuit breaker. The paper proposes an event driven finite-state machine design that assures the self-reconfiguration of the distribution power grid when a fault occurs on a certain section of a feeder. The benefits of such an approach are first of all the modularity, as each breaker is controlled by the same algorithm and requires data exchange only with the neighboring protection devices. Secondly, by using the event driven technique, the FLISR algorithm is perfectly suited for taking advantage of the features and benefits defined by the IEC 61850 protocol. Using GOOSE messages for transferring status information between the neighboring circuit breakers, the proposed distributed algorithms act in a collective manner for reconfiguring the distribution grid.

Design of a centralized protection technique for medium voltage DC microgrids

This paper presents a communication-assisted protection technique for dc microgrids. The technique, consist of a centralized fault detection, by use of the differential method; and a fault isolation strategy by coordinated operation of dc breakers and isolator switches. Hardware in the loop simulation is used to evaluate the proposed protection.

Synchronous PV support to an isolated power system

The increase of renewable energy sources and distributed generation may have a negative impact on power systems, specially on weak ones. Therefore, their control systems are acquiring growing importance, with new proposals that aim to contribute to the control and stability of the power system as conventional generating units. This paper studies the effect that a PV system using a synchronous power controller may have on a small power system constituted by a diesel generator, two loads and the PV generating unit. The response of this power system to realistic disturbances is compared with the case where the PV unit is controlled to provide its maximum power production regardless of the state of the system.

Implementation of the differential protection for MVDC distribution systems using real-time simulation and hardware-in-the-loop

Development of Medium Voltage DC (MVDC) distribution systems require using proper protection schemes whereas due to the behavior of dc fault current, the conventional fault detection methods for ac distribution systems cannot provide a selective protection for these networks. In this paper, a differential based protection method using Ethernet communication has been implemented for a radial MVDC distribution system with integrated PV and WT. This method must be fast enough to detect the faults before involving the main converters and separate only the faulty feeder in order to increase the reliability of the power system. The experimental validation is performed by using Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) approach and communication based on the IEC61850 protocol. A real time simulator (OPAL-RT) and a development board (DK60) are used to evaluate the method and to calculate the time delay of this fault detection algorithm.