This thesis proposes two novel algorithms to analyze whether the power system loses synchronism subsequent to credible contingencies. The two algorithms are based on the concept of Lyapunov exponents (LEs) and the Prony analysis respectively. The concept of LEs is a theoretically sound technique to study the system stability of nonlinear dynamic systems. The LEs measure the exponential rates of divergence or convergence of trajectories in the state space. Considering the higher computational burden associated with the convergence of the true LEs, a modified algorithm is proposed to study the transient stability of the post-fault power system. It is shown that the finite-time LEs calculated by the modified algorithm accurately predicts the said stability. If the power system is transient stable, the rotor angle trajectories of the post-fault system exponentially decay with time. The damping ratios of the dominant oscillatory modes present in these power swings provide the indication on the oscillatory stability. The improved Prony algorithm presented in the thesis can be used to identify the oscillatory stability of the power system subsequent to a contingency. It is shown that that these new algorithms can be used in two applications in power systems, online dynamic security assessment and online oscillations monitoring. The proposed algorithm for rotor angle security assessment first uses the LEs-based algorithm to identify the transient stability. The stable cases are then processed by the improved Prony algorithm. The proposed online oscillations monitoring algorithm uses an event-detection logic and a parallel filter bank before applying the improved Prony algorithm on the measured response to extract the dominant oscillatory modes and to determine their frequencies and damping ratios. The suitability of the two algorithms for the aforementioned applications is investigated using different case studies. It is shown that the computational burdens of the two algorithms are acceptable for the online applications. Furthermore, the oscillations monitoring algorithm, extracts only the dominant modes present in the input signal, extracts both low-frequency inter-area modes and sub-synchronous modes, and performs well under noisy conditions. These features make it more appropriate for wide-area monitoring of power system oscillations using synchronized measurements. / February 2016

The strain on modern electrical power system operation has led to an ever increasing utilization of new Information Communication Technology (ICT) systems to enhance the reliability and efficiency of grid operation. Among these proposals, Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU)-based Wide-Area Monitoring and Control (WAMC) systems have been recognized as one of the enablers of “Smart Grid”, particularly at the transmission level, due to their capability to improve the real-time situational awareness of the grid. These systems differ from the conventional Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems in that they provide globally synchronized measurements at high resolutions. On the other hand, the WAMC systems also impose several stringent requirements on the underlying ICT systems, including performance, security, and availability, etc. As a result, the functionality of the WAMC applications is heavily, but not exclusively, dependent on the capabilities of the underlying ICT systems. This tight coupling makes it difficult to fully exploit the benefits of the synchrophasor technology without the proper design and configuration of ICT systems to support the WAMC applications. The strain on modern electrical power system operation has led to an ever increasing utilization of new Information Communication Technology (ICT) systems to enhance the reliability and efficiency of grid operation. Among these proposals, Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU)-based Wide-Area Monitoring and Control (WAMC) systems have been recognized as one of the enablers of “Smart Grid”, particularly at the transmission level, due to their capability to improve the real-time situational awareness of the grid. These systems differ from the conventional Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems in that they provide globally synchronized measurements at high resolutions. On the other hand, the WAMC systems also impose several stringent requirements on the underlying ICT systems, including performance, security, and availability, etc. As a result, the functionality of the WAMC applications is heavily, but not exclusively, dependent on the capabilities of the underlying ICT systems. This tight coupling makes it difficult to fully exploit the benefits of the synchrophasor technology without the proper design and configuration of ICT systems to support the WAMC applications. In response to the above challenges, this thesis addresses the dependence of WAMC applications on the underlying ICT systems. Specifically, two of the WAMC system data quality attributes, latency and completeness, are examined together with their effects on a typical WAMC application, PMU-based wide-area damping systems. The outcomes of this research include quantified results in the form of PMU communication delays and data frame losses, and probability distributions that can model the PMU communication delays. Moreover, design requirements are determined for the wide-area damping systems, and three different delay-robust designs for this WAMC application are validated based on the above results. Finally, a virtual PMU is developed to perform power system and communication network co-simulations. The results reported by this thesis offer a prospect for better predictions of the performance of the supporting ICT systems in terms of PMU data latency and completeness. These results can be further used to design and optimize the WAMC applications and their underlying ICT systems in an integrated manner. This thesis also contributes a systematic approach to design the wide-area damping system considering the PMU data latency and completeness. Finally, the developed virtual PMU, as part of a co-simulation platform, provides a means to investigate the dependence of WAMC applications on the capabilities of the underlying ICT systems in a cost-efficient manner. / <p>QC 20131015</p>

State estimation is widely used as a tool to evaluate the real time power system prevailing conditions. State estimation algorithms could suffer divergence under stressed system conditions. This dissertation first investigates impacts of variations of load levels and topology errors on the convergence property of the commonly used weighted least square (WLS) state estimator. The influence of topology errors on the condition number of the gain matrix in the state estimator is also analyzed. The minimum singular value of gain matrix is proposed to measure the distance between the operating point and state estimation divergence. To study the impact of the load increment on the convergence property of WLS state estimator, two types of load increment are utilized: one is the load increment of all load buses, and the other is a single load increment. In addition, phasor measurement unit (PMU) measurements are applied in state estimation to verify if they could solve the divergence problem and improve state estimation accuracy. The dissertation investigates the impacts of variations of line power flow increment and topology errors on convergence property of the WLS state estimator. A simple 3-bus system and the IEEE 118-bus system are used as the test cases to verify the common rule. Furthermore, the simulation results show that adding PMU measurements could generally improve the robustness of state estimation. Two new approaches for improving the robustness of the state estimation with PMU measurements are proposed. One is the equality-constrained state estimation with PMU measurements, and the other is Hachtel's matrix state estimation with PMU measurements approach. The dissertation also proposed a new heuristic approach for optimal placement of phasor measurement units (PMUs) in power system for improving state estimation accuracy. In the problem of adding PMU measurements into the estimator, two methods are investigated. Method I is to mix PMU measurements with conventional measurements in the estimator, and method II is to add PMU measurements through a post-processing step. These two methods can achieve very similar state estimation results, but method II is a more time-efficient approach which does not modify the existing state estimation software.

Power system stabilizers (PSSs) provide the most economical way to improve damping of electro-mechanical oscillations in electrical power systems. Synchrophasor technology enables the use of remotely measured signals in the PSS allowing for greater flexibility in the design of the PSS. Issues related to the transmission of remote signals should be addressed before implementing such systems in practice. This study investigates two of the data transmission issues: (i) delays, and (ii) data dropout; using a synchrophasor-based PSS designed for a two-area four-generator power system model. A time delayed system is modeled using discrete transformation and the effect of the constant delay on the control action of improving damping of an electro-mechanical oscillation is determined analytically. The effect of random delays and data dropout is investigated using non-linear simulations considering viable remedies to overcome these effects. This research also identifies effective means of using synchrophasor signals for improving the performance of PSSs. Primarily, this research introduces a novel control design algorithm based on eigenstructure assignment that could utilize remotely measured signals to design a robust PSS considering different operating conditions at the design stage. Remote signals could be used as additional inputs to the controller, which introduces extra degrees of freedom. In eigenstructure assignment, these additional degrees of freedom are used to assign eigenvalues and eigenvectors to have adequate damping performance of the system over different operating conditions. The algorithm is formulated as a derivative-free non-linear optimization problem and solved using a single step of optimization by eliminating the use of eigenvalue sensitivities. The proposed algorithm is tested for the 68 bus model of the interconnected New England test system and New York power system. Three different control configurations that use local and remote signals are considered in the design. The algorithm is solved using non-linear simplex optimization considering different initial points for seeking a global solution. Delays in the remote signals are also incorporated into the design. The designed controllers are verified in a non-linear simulation platform. Finally, the reliability of synchrophasor-based PSS is discussed in brief. / February 2016

Orientador: Dalgerti Lelis Milanese / Banca: Júlio Borges de Souza / Banca: Milton Itsuo Samesima / Resumo: Realiza-se neste trabalho um estudo da Teoria da Potência Complexa Instantânea aplicada na máquina de indução trifásica, onde são mostrados os vetores espaciais instantâneos (VEI's), pois estes reduzem os parâmetros para estudo (o sistema trifásico é representado por um equivalente ortogonal). Através dos vetores espaciais instantâneos serão calculadas as grandezas de Buchholz-Goodhue para a determinação do aproveitamento da linha (melhoria do fator de potência) - que são recomendados pela norma IEEE 1459-2000. A máquina estará submetida a variadas condições de assimetria e desequilíbrio possibilitando a apresentação de novos parâmetros, que serão utilizadas para a compensação harmônica. / Abstract: It takes place in this work a study of the Theory of the Instantaneous Complex Power applied will be accomplished in the three-phase induction machine, where the instantaneous space phasors are shown (ISP's), because these reduce the parameters for study (the system three-phase is represented by an equivalent orthogonal). Through the instantaneous space phasors the parameters of Buchholz- Goodhue will be calculated for the determination of the use of the line (improvement of the power factor) - that are recommended by the norm IEEE 1459-2000. The machine will be submitted to varied asymmetry conditions and unbalance making possible the presentation of new parameters, which will be used for the harmonic compensation. / Mestre

abstract: On-line dynamic security assessment (DSA) analysis has been developed and applied in several power dispatching control centers. Existing applications of DSA systems are limited by the assumption of the present system operating conditions and computational speeds. To overcome these obstacles, this research developed a novel two-stage DSA system to provide periodic security prediction in real time. The major contribution of this research is to develop an open source on-line DSA system incorporated with Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) data and forecast load. The pre-fault prediction of the system can provide more accurate assessment of the system and minimize the disadvantage of a low computational speed of time domain simulation. This Thesis describes the development of the novel two-stage on-line DSA scheme using phasor measurement and load forecasting data. The computational scheme of the new system determines the steady state stability and identifies endangerments in a small time frame near real time. The new on-line DSA system will periodically examine system status and predict system endangerments in the near future every 30 minutes. System real-time operating conditions will be determined by state estimation using phasor measurement data. The assessment of transient stability is carried out by running the time-domain simulation using a forecast working point as the initial condition. The forecast operating point is calculated by DC optimal power flow based on forecast load. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Electrical Engineering 2017

The evolving complexity of electric power systems with higher levels of uncertainties is a new challenge faced by system operators. Therefore, new methods for power system prediction, monitoring and state estimation are relevant for the efficient exploitation of renewable energy sources and the secure operation of network assets. In order to estimate all possible operating conditions of power systems, this Thesis proposes the use of Gaussian mixture models to represent non-Gaussian correlated input variables, such as wind power output or aggregated load demands in the probabilistic load flow problem. The formulation, based on multiple Weighted Least Square runs, is also extended to monitor distribution radial networks where the uncertainty of these networks is aggravated by the lack of sufficient real-time measurements. This research also explores reduction techniques to limit the computational demands of the probabilistic load flow and it assesses the impact of the reductions on the resulting probability density functions of power flows and bus voltages. The development of synchronised measurement technology to support monitoring of electric power systems in real-time is also studied in this work. The Thesis presents and compares different formulations for incorporating conventional and synchronised measurements in the state estimation problem. As a result of the study, a new hybrid constrained state estimator is proposed. This constrained formulation makes it possible to take advantage of the information from synchronised phasor measurements of branch currents and bus voltages in polar form. Additionally, the study is extended to assess the advantages of PMU measurements in multi-area state estimators and it explores a new algorithm that minimises the data exchange between local area state estimators. Finally, this research work also presents the advantages of dynamic state estimators supported by Synchronised Measurement Technology. The dynamic state estimator is compared with the static approach in terms of accuracy and performance during sudden changes of states and the presence of bad data. All formulations presented in this Thesis were validated in different IEEE test systems.

This thesis develops a robust methodology for on-line identification of power system dynamic signature based on incoming system responses from Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) in Wide Area Measurement Systems (WAMS). Data mining techniques are used in the methodology to convert real-time monitoring data into transient stability information and the pattern of system dynamic behaviour in the event of instability. The future power system may operate closer to its stability limit in order to improve its efficiency and economic value. The changing types and patterns of load and generation are resulting in highly variable operating conditions. Corrective control and stabilisation is becoming a potentially viable option to enable safer system operation. In the meantime, the number of WAMS projects and PMUs is rising, which will significantly improve the system situational awareness. The combination of all these factors means that it is of vital importance to exploit a new and efficient Transient Stability Assessment (TSA) tool in order to use real-time PMU data to support decisions for corrective control actions. Data mining has been studied as the innovative solution and considered as promising. This work contributes to a number of areas of power systems stability research, specifically around the data driven approach for real-time emergency mode TSA. A review of past research on on-line TSA using PMU measurements and data mining is completed, from which the Decision Tree (DT) method is found to be the most suitable. This method is implemented on the test network. A DT model is trained and the sensitivity of its prediction accuracy is assessed according to a list of network uncertainties. Results showed that DT is a useful tool for on-line TSA for corrective control approach. Following the implementation, a generic probabilistic framework for the assessment of the prediction accuracy of data mining models is developed. This framework is independent of the data mining technique. It performs an exhaustive search of possible contingencies in the testing process and weighs the accuracies according to the realistic probability distribution of uncertain system factors, and provides the system operators with the confidence level of the decisions made under emergency conditions. After that, since the TSA for corrective control usually focuses on transient stability status without dealing with the generator grouping in the event of instability, a two-stage methodology is proposed to address this gap and to identify power system dynamic signature. In this methodology, traditional binary classification is used to identify transient stability in the first stage; Hierarchical Clustering is used to pre-define patterns of unstable dynamic behaviour; and different multiclass classification techniques are investigated to identify the patterns in the second stage. Finally, the effects of practical issues related to WAMS on the data mining methodologies are investigated. Five categories of issues are discussed, including measurement error, communication noise, wide area signal delays, missing measurements, and a limited number of PMUs.

Today’s electrical transmission &amp; distribution systems, are facing a number of challenges related to changing environmental, technical and business factors. Among these factors are, increased environmental restrictions leading to higher share of production from renewable and uncontrollable sources as well as local environmental concerns regarding construction of new transmission and distribution lines. The re-regulation of the electricity market has created a dynamic environment in which multiple organizations have to coordinate and cooperate in the operation and control of the power system. Finally, the high rate of devel-opment within the ICT field is creating many new opportunities for power system opera-tion and control, thanks to introduction of new technologies for measurement, communi-cation and automation. As a result of these factors, Wide Area Monitoring and Control (WAMC) systems have been proposed. WAMC systems utilize new ICT based technologies to offer more accurate and timely data on the state of the power system. WAMC systems utilize Phasor Measure-ment Units (PMUs) that have higher data rates and are time synchronised using, GPS satel-lites. This allows synchronized observation of the dynamics of the power system, making it possible to manage the system at a more efficient and responsive level and apply wide area control and protection schemes. The success WAMC systems, on the other hand, are largely dependent on the performance of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure that would support them. This thesis investigates the requirements on, and suitability of the ICT systems that support WAMC systems. This was done by identifying WAMC applications and the elicitation of their requirements. Furthermore, a set of simulation projects were carried out to determine the communication system characteristics such as delay and the impact of this delay on the WAMC system. This thesis has several contributions. First, it provides summary and analysis of WAMC application priorities and requirements in the Nordic region. Secondly it provides simula-tion based comparison and evaluation of communication paradigms for WAMC systems. The research documented in this thesis addresses these paradigms by providing a compari-son and evaluation through simulation. Thirdly, the thesis provides insight to the possible sources of delay in WAMC architecture and the impact of these delays on data quality specifically data incompleteness. This provides insight on what applications are important to practitioners and what is the expected performance of these applications, as seen from the power system control and operation point of view.

The operation and control of the power system in an efficient way is important in order to keep the system secure, reliable and economical. With advancements in smart grid, several new algorithms have been developed for improved operation and control. These algorithms need to be extensively tested and validated in real time before applying to the real electric power grid. This work focuses on the development of a real time test bed for testing and validating power system control algorithms, hardware devices and cyber security vulnerability. The test bed developed utilizes several hardware components including relays, phasor measurement units, phasor data concentrator, programmable logic controllers and several software tools. Current work also integrates historian for power system monitoring and data archiving. Finally, two different power system test cases are simulated to demonstrate the applications of developed test bed. The developed test bed can also be used for power system education.