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Simulators for power plants can be used for many different purposes, like training for operators or for adjusting control systems, where the main objective is to perform a realistic behaviour for different operating conditions of the power plant. Due to an increased amount of variable energy sources in the power system, the role of the operators has become more important. It can therefore be very valuable for the operators to try different operating conditions like island operation. The aim of this thesis is to model the power system of a general combined-cycle power plant simulator. The model should contain certain components and have a realistic behaviour but on the same time be simple enough to perform simulations in real time. The main requirements are to simulate cold start, normal operation, trip of generator, a controlled change-over to island operation and then resynchronisation. The modelling and simulations are executed in the modelling software Dymola, version 6.1. The interface for the simulator is built in the program LabView, but that is beyond the scope of this thesis. The results show a reasonable performance of the power system with most of the objectives fulfilled. The simulator is able to perform a start-up, normal load changes, trip of a generator, change-over to island operation as well as resynchronisation of the power plant to the external power grid. However, the results from the changing-over to island operation, as well as large load losses during island operation, show an unreasonable behaviour of the system regarding the voltage magnitude at that point. This is probably due to limitations in calculation capacity of Dymola, and the problem has been left to further improvements due to lack of time. There has also been a problem during the development of a variable speed regulated induction motor and it has not been possible to make it work due to lack of enough knowledge about how Dymola is performing the calculations. Also this problem has been left to further improvements due to lack of time.

Behovet av elektricitet blir allt viktigare i dagens samhälle. Runt om i världen finns än idag platser där tillgängligheten till det fasta elnätet är begränsad. Oftast är det platser som ligger avlägset och terrängen gör det ekonomiskt oförsvarbart att ansluta sig till det befintliga elnätet. Det kan vara platser som fjäll, öar och skogsområden. På dessa platser används ett fristående elsystem som står för elförsörjningen. Det allra vanligaste systemet är ett hybridsystem som använder sig av två eller flera energikällor vanligtvis en förnyelsebar och en kompletterande fossil energikälla. Examensarbetet som görs i samarbete med Arise Windpower AB går ut på att energieffektivisera och undersöka ett befintligt fristående elsystem som används som vindmätarutrustning, SODAR. Detta ska göras utifrån tre huvudaspekter, lågt underhåll, låg driftkostnad och hög driftsäkerhet. Projektgruppen har genomfört en omfattande energianalys på systemet för att se vart i systemet man kan göra energieffektiviseringar. För att komma fram till systemets brister och ge förslag på olika åtgärder har projektgruppen besökt objektet för att få en överblick hur systemet är kopplat och vilka komponenter som ingår. Systemets energiflöde har noggrant mätts upp med flera olika verktyg och sammanställts i tabeller och diagram för att få en tydlig bild över energiflödet. För att genomföra detta har solcellernas teoretiska årsgenerering beräknas utifrån ett webbaserat kalkyleringsprogram. Dieselgeneratorns totala drifttid loggas i systemet och den informationen har projektgruppen tagit del av för att sammanställa och beräkna den tillförda energin.SODAR är ett meteorologiskt instrument för att mäta vindhastigheter och vindens karakteristik. En högtalare sänder ut akustiska ljudpulser och en mottagare analyserar retursignalen. En dator behandlar sedan signalen och beräknar vindhastigheten. SODAR används främst inom vindkraftprojektering men även på flygplatser för att mäta turbulensgraden i luften. Meteorologer använder sig av denna mätutrustning för att förutspå kommande väderleksrapporter med hjälp av vind, temperatur samt ändringar i luftens kemiska sammansättning. Vid förstudien av ett vindkraftsprojekt placeras en SODAR ut på den tänkta platsen under minst ett år för att få så tillförlitliga mätvärden som möjligt. Mätutrustningen är enkel att flytta då hela systemet är inbyggt i en vanlig släpvagn. Resultatet från analysen visade en låg batteriverkningsgrad. Huvudslutsatsen för att energieffektivisera systemet är att kontrollera batteristatusen samt optimera laddningsförloppet. Detta kan göras genom att reglera laddningsspänningen beroende på omgivningstemperaturen. För att uppnå ett billigare energipris i systemet kan SODAR:n kompletteras med ett småskaligt vindkraftverk alternativt en bränslecell istället för dagens dieselgenerator.

<p>An on-line identifier using Functional Link Network (FLN) and Pole-shift (PS) controller for power system stabilizer (PSS) application are presented in this thesis. To have the satisfactory performance of the PSS controller, over a wide range of operating conditions, it is desirable to adapt PSS parameters in real time. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) transform the inputs in a low-dimensional space to high-dimensional nonlinear hidden unit space and they have the ability to model the nonlinear characteristics of the power system. The ability of ANNs to learn makes them more suitable for use in adaptive control techniques.</p> <p>On-line identification obtains a mathematical model at each sampling period to track the dynamic behavior of the plant. The ANN identifier consisting of a Functional link Network (FLN) is used for identifying the model parameters. A FLN model eliminates the need of hidden layer while retaining the nonlinear mapping capability of the neural network by using enhanced inputs. This network may be conveniently used for function approximation with faster convergence rate and lesser computational load.</p> <p>The most commonly used Pole Assignment (PA) algorithm for adaptive control purposes assign the pole locations to fixed locations within the unit circle in the z-plane. It may not be optimum for different operating conditions. In this thesis, PS type of adaptive control algorithm is used. This algorithm, instead of assigning the closed-loop poles to fixed locations within the unit circle in the z-plane, this algorithm assumes that the pole characteristic polynomial of the closed-loop system has the same form as the pole characteristic of the open-loop system and shifts the open-loop poles radially towards the centre of the unit circle in the z-plane by a shifting factor &alpha; according to some rules. In this control algorithm, no coefficients need to be tuned manually, so manual parameter tuning (which is a drawback in conventional power system stabilizer) is minimized. The PS control algorithm uses the on-line updated ARMA parameters to calculate the new closed-loop poles of the system that are always inside the unit circle in the z-plane.</p> <p>Simulation studies on a single-machine infinite bus and on a multi-machine power system for various operating condition changes, verify the effectiveness of the combined model of FLN identifier and PS control in damping the local and multi-mode oscillations occurring in the system. Simulation studies prove that the APSSs have significant benefits over conventional PSSs: performance improvement and no requirement for parameter tuning.</p>

Ontario, as the rest of the world, is moving towards a clean energy sector and green economy and to this effect, the Government of Ontario has set a goal of phasing out all coal-fired generation by the end of the year 2014. Wind energy is one of the most mature renewable energy technologies; it is clean and abundant. With Canada’s wind profile and wind energy potential, Ontario has focused on increasing the wind generation penetration in its electrical grid to compensate for the phasing out of coal-fired generation. In this thesis, long-term statistical trend analysis of wind generation patterns in Ontario is carried out, using wind generation data sets of Ontario wind farms during 2007 – 2010, on hourly, monthly, seasonal, and yearly time-scales. The analysis carried out, includes, long-term total wind generation capacity factor (CF) trends on yearly, seasonal, and monthly scales. To arrive at a better understanding of the wind generation intermittency and variability in Ontario, long term wind generation variability trends are presented. The correlation between the CFs of Ontario’s wind farms is determined using the Pearson Product- Moment Correlation Coefficient and examined against their distances from one another to understand the effect of geographic diversity for wind farms on total wind generation. The electricity system demand for on- and off-peak periods is analyzed to examine the contribution of wind generation during these periods. These analyses provide critical inputs and guidelines to planners and policy makers on the role that wind can play in the supply mix of Ontario when coal-fired generating units are replaced with wind generation. Expansion of wind generation capacity requires a closer examination of the location and quality of wind resources and a detailed understanding of its operational impacts on the transmission grid. A transmission network model is further developed in the thesis, for Ontario, based on the 500 kV and 230 kV transmission corridors with their planned enhancements for the three specific years under study- 2010, 2015 and 2025. The zonal supply mix of generation resources included are, nuclear, wind, hydro, gas-fired and coal-fired generation. An optimal power flow model is developed considering the future years’ demand and generation scenarios, and used in a deterministic case study. Subsequently, Monte Carlo simulations are carried out considering the variability and uncertainty of wind generation. Both case studies examine the effect of different wind generation penetration levels on the Ontario electrical grid and analyze long-term wind generation impacts. Wind generation is characterized by its variability and uncertainty. Hence, wind penetration in the electricity grid presents major challenges to power system operators. Some of these challenges are tackled by this thesis, such as the operating reserves required for different levels of wind penetration to maintain the system’s adequacy, the operating costs as a result of wind generation’s intermittent nature, and the impact on power losses as a result of wind generation’s dependability on its location. Moreover, the associated Green-House-Gas emissions with different penetration level are determined. The results quantify the impact of the different wind generation penetration levels on the Ontario’s power system.

Circuit breakers are used in a power system to break or make current flow through power system apparatus. Reliable operation of circuit breakers is very important to the well-being of the power system. Historically this is achieved by regular inspection and maintenance of the circuit breakers. An automated online circuit breaker monitoring system is proposed to monitor condition, operation and status of high and medium voltage circuit breakers. By tracking equipment condition, this system could be used to perform maintenance only when it is needed. This could decrease overall maintenance cost and increase equipment reliability. Using high accurate time synchronization, this system should enable development of system-wide applications that utilize the data recorded by the system. This makes possible tracking sequence of events and making conclusions about their effect on-line. This solution also enables reliable topology analysis, which can be used to improve power flow analysis, state estimation and alarm processing.

This objective of thesis is to derive the adaptive load shedding by artificial neural network (ANN) so that the amount of load shedding can be minimized. An actual industrial customer and Taipower system are selected for computer simulation to fit the ANN model. The mathematical models of generation, exciters, governors and loads are used in the simulator program. The back propagation neural method is considered for the neural network training of load shedding.To create the training data set for ANN models, the transient stability analysis is performed to fit the load shedding under different operation and fault condition. The back propagation method and L-M learning process are then used to fit the minimum load shedding without causing system stability problem. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed methodology for adaptive load shedding, three fault contingencies for both the industrial cogeneration system and Taipower system have been simulated. By compare to the conventional load shedding, it is found that the amount of load shedding can be minimized and adjusted according to the real time operation conditions of power systems.

The electric power systems in U.S. Navy ships supply energy to sophisticated systems for weapons, communications, navigation and operation. The reliability and survivability of the Shipboard Power System (SPS) are critical to the mission of a surface combatant ship, especially under battle conditions. In the event of battle, various weapons might attack a ship. When a weapon hits the ship it can cause severe damage to the electrical system on the ship. This damage can lead to de-energization of critical loads on a ship that can eventually decrease a ship’s ability to survive the attack. It is very important, therefore, to maintain availability of energy to the connected loads that keep the power systems operational. Technology exists that enables the detection of an incoming weapon and prediction of the geographic area where the incoming weapon will hit the ship. This information can then be used to take reconfiguration actions before the actual hit so that the actual damage caused by the weapon hit is reduced. The Power System Automation Lab (PSAL) has proposed a unique concept called "Predictive Reconfiguration" which refers to performing reconfiguration of a ship’s power system before a weapon hit to reduce the potential damage to the electrical system caused by the impending weapon hit. The concept also includes reconfiguring the electrical system to restore power to as much of the healthy system as possible after the weapon hit. This dissertation presents a new methodology for Predictive Reconfiguration of a Shipboard Power System (SPS). This probabilistic approach includes a method to assess the damage that will be caused by a weapon hit. This method calculates the expected probability of damage for each electrical component on the ship. Also a heuristic method is included, which uses the expected probability of damage to determine reconfiguration steps to reconfigure the ship’s electrical network to reduce the damage caused by a weapon hit. This dissertation also presents a modified approach for performing a reconfiguration for restoration after the weapon hits the system. In this modified approach, an expert system based restoration method restores power to loads de-energized due to the weapon hit. These de-energized loads are restored in a priority order. The methods were implemented using multi-agent technology. A test SPS model based on the electrical layout of a non-nuclear surface combatant ship was presented. Complex scenarios representing electrical casualties caused due to a weapon hit, on the test SPS model, were presented. The results of the Predictive Reconfiguration methodology for complex scenarios were presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the developed methodology.

Circuit breakers are used in a power system to break or make current flow through power system apparatus. Reliable operation of circuit breakers is very important to the well-being of the power system. Historically this is achieved by regular inspection and maintenance of the circuit breakers. An automated online circuit breaker monitoring system is proposed to monitor condition, operation and status of high and medium voltage circuit breakers. By tracking equipment condition, this system could be used to perform maintenance only when it is needed. This could decrease overall maintenance cost and increase equipment reliability. Using high accurate time synchronization, this system should enable development of system-wide applications that utilize the data recorded by the system. This makes possible tracking sequence of events and making conclusions about their effect on-line. This solution also enables reliable topology analysis, which can be used to improve power flow analysis, state estimation and alarm processing.

This dissertation addresses three different problems in power systems. The first problem is related to the fault location in complex topologies such as three terminal circuits with series compensation and mutually coupled line sections and distribution networks with distributed generation. Novel methods are presented by using traveling wave approach and wavelet transformation technique to overcome the difficulties introduced by the discontinuities and integrated components such as Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) protected series capacitors and distributed generation in complex topologies. Simulation results show good correlation between the actual and estimated fault locations for all the studied cases. The second problem concerns the calculation techniques of voltage profiles along transmission lines. A simple yet effective approach to accurately and rapidly obtain the voltage profile along a transmission line during fault transients is presented. The objective of the presented method is to eliminate the need to use wave equations and line parameters provided that an electromagnetic Transients Program (EMTP) type transients simulator is available for generating bus voltage transients for a given fault. This is accomplished by developing a time series model to estimate the voltage at an intermediate point along the transmission line. The model is formed for each intermediate point separately. Once the model is obtained it can be used to predict the transient voltage at that point along the line during any fault in the system. The approach can potentially be useful as a post processor to a transient simulator and can be used by developers of transient animations and movies for illustrating fault-initiated propagation of traveling waves in power systems. The third problem is the lack of powerful visualization and animation methods, which can help understanding the complex behavior of power systems during transients. The goal of this part of the dissertation is to develop new animation and visualization methods for power system electromagnetic transients for both educational and research purposes. Proposed approaches are implemented in different environments such as MATLAB and Microsoft Visual Studio to show the effectiveness of two and three-dimensional visualization of power system transients. The implementations of the proposed methods provide better understanding of the power systems during transient phenomena due to the faults or switchings.