Liliana Mineo

A Method to Evaluate Voltages to Earth During an Earth Fault in an HV Network in a System of Interconnected Earth Electrodes of MV/LV Substations

An easy and swift method to evaluate, in a system of interconnected earth electrodes, earth potentials on earthing systems of medium-voltage/low-voltage (MV/LV) substations, in an event of single-line-to-earth fault inside a high-voltage/medium- voltage (HV/MV) station, is presented. The advantage of the method is the simplicity of the mathematical model for solving complex systems of any size with a sufficient accuracy for practical purposes. This paper shows the results of simulations, performed on networks with different extensions and characteristics, organized in easy-to-read graphs and tables. A comparison of these results with the values obtained according to the procedure explained in the IEC-Standard 60909-3, and a study on the accuracy of the method has been made. Moreover, some considerations on the inclusion of earth electrodes of HV/MV stations within global earthing systems are done.

Energy Management Systems and tertiary regulation in hierarchical control architectures for islanded microgrids

In this paper, the structure of the highest level of a hierarchical control architecture for microgrids is proposed. Such structure includes two sub-levels: the Energy Management System (EMS) and the tertiary regulation. The first devoted to energy resources allocation in each time slot based on marginal production costs, the latter aiming at finding the match between production and consumption satisfying the constraints set by the EMS level about the energy production in each time slot. Neglecting the efficiency of the different energy generation systems as well as that of the infrastructure for electrical energy distribution, the problem dealt with by the EMS sub-level is linear and can be solved by well known Linear Programming optimization procedures. The tertiary sub-level, below the EMS, optimizes mainly technical objectives and requires the solution of the Optimal Power Flow problem. After a review of the state of the art on the topic, the higher control sub-levels are described and an application is proposed. The application shows the efficiency of Mixed Integer Linear Programming methods for cost minimization of the energy production systems for microgrids.

Efficient modeling of a combined overhead-cable line for grounding-system analysis

Simple compact models for combined overhead-cable lines supplying a substation are presented as an extension of a previous paper for grounding system analysis. The overhead line section can be equipped with uniform or combined ground wires, whereas the cable line section can consist of coated metal sheathed cables, with/without intermediate grounding, or uncoated metal sheathed cables in continuous contact with the earth. Besides the calculation of the earth current at the faulted substation, the proposed modeling method allows the evaluation of the leakage current at the transition station, where cables are connected to the overhead line, as well as at critical overhead line towers. In this manner, the effects of the so called ldquofault application transferrdquo phenomenon can be conveniently estimated at the design stage in order to assess the most appropriate safety conditions. Some numerical examples are given by applying a computer program based on the proposed methodology.

A statistical approach of cables ageing in MV lines on thermal and electrical combined stresses

The paper introduces a methodology that through a probabilistic characterisation of load for MV network, and implementing a life model for combined electric and thermal stresses, simulates the process of ageing of the insulating materials evaluating the expected life time of the cable. Such evaluation is necessary to the possibility of assuming less restrictive thermal overloading limits on electrical cables, with the consequential increase on reserve that cables could offer. A numerical example is reported to better explain the methodology

A multi-agent system reinforcement learning based optimal power flow for islanded microgrids

In this paper, a distributed intelligence algorithm is used to manage the optimal power flow problem in islanded microgrids. The methodology provides a suboptimal solution although the error is limited to a few percent as compared to a centralized approach. The solution algorithm is multi-agent based. According to the method, couples of agents communicate with each other only if the buses where they are located are electrically connected. The overall prizing system required for learning uses a feedback from an approximated model of the network. Based on the latter, a distributed reiforcement learning algorithm is implemented to minimize the joule losses while meeting operational constraints. Simulation studies with a small microgrids show that the method is computationally efficient and capable of providing sub-optimal solutions. Due to the limited computational complexity, the proposed method has great potential for online implementation.