The world of power systems is ever changing; ever evolving. One such evolution was the advent of Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs). With the introduction of PMUs in the field, power system monitoring and control changed for the better. Innovative and efficient algorithms that used synchrophasors came to be written. To make these algorithms robust, it became necessary to remove errors that crept into the power system with time and usage. Thus the process of calibration became essential when practical decisions started being made based on PMU measurements. In the context of this thesis ‘calibration’ is the method used to estimate a correction factor which, when multiplied with the respective measurement, negates the effect of any errors that might have crept into them due to the instrument transformers located at the inputs of a PMU or the PMU device itself. Though this thesis mainly deals with the calibration of instrument transformers, work has been done previously for calibrating other components of a power system. A brief description of those methods have been provided along with a history on instrument transformer calibration. Three new methodologies for instrument transformer calibration have been discussed in details in this thesis. The first method describes how only voltage transformers can be calibrated by placing optimal number of good quality voltage measurements at strategic locations in the grid, in presence of ratio errors in the instrument transformers and Gaussian errors in the PMUs. The second method provides a way to calibrate all instrument transformers (both current and voltage) in presence of only one good quality voltage measurement located at the end of a tie-line. This method assumes that all the instrument transformers have ratio errors and the PMUs have quantization errors. The third method attains the same objective as the second one, with the additional constraint that the data obtained from the field may be contaminated. Thus, the third method shows how calibration of all the instrument transformers can be done with data that is intermittent and is therefore, the most practical approach (of the three) for instrument transformer calibration. / Master of Science

Monitoring and protection of power systems is a task that has manifold objectives. Amongst others, it involves performing data mining, optimizing available resources, assessing system stresses, and doing data conditioning. The role of PMUs in fulfilling these four objectives forms the basis of this dissertation. Classification and regression tree (CART) built using phasor data has been extensively used in power systems. The splits in CART are based on a single attribute or a combination of variables chosen by CART itself rather than the user. But as PMU data consists of complex numbers, both the attributes, should be considered simultaneously for making critical decisions. An algorithm is proposed here that expresses high dimensional, multivariate data as a single attribute in order to successfully perform splits in CART. In order to reap maximum benefits from placement of PMUs in the power grid, their locations must be selected judiciously. A gradual PMU placement scheme is developed here that ensures observability as well as protects critical parts of the system. In order to circumvent the computational burden of the optimization, this scheme is combined with a topology-based system partitioning technique to make it applicable to virtually any sized system. A power system is a dynamic being, and its health needs to be monitored at all times. Two metrics are proposed here to monitor stress of a power system in real-time. Angle difference between buses located across the network and voltage sensitivity of buses lying in the middle are found to accurately reflect the static and dynamic stress of the system. The results indicate that by setting appropriate alerts/alarm limits based on these two metrics, a more secure power system operation can be realized. A PMU-only linear state estimator is intrinsically superior to its predecessors with respect to performance and reliability. However, ensuring quality of the data stream that leaves this estimator is crucial. A methodology for performing synchrophasor data conditioning and validation that fits neatly into the existing linear state estimation formulation is developed here. The results indicate that the proposed methodology provides a computationally simple, elegant solution to the synchrophasor data quality problem. / Ph. D.

Cette thèse porte sur la surveillance des perturbations de la qualité de l’énergie d’un réseau électrique via des techniques paramétriques de traitement du signal. Pour élaborer nos algorithmes de traitement du signal, nous avons traité les problèmes d’estimation des différentes grandeurs du réseau électrique triphasé et de classification des perturbations de la qualité d'énergie. Pour ce qui est du problème d’estimation, nous avons développé une technique statistique basée sur le maximum de vraisemblance. La technique proposée exploite la nature multidimensionnelle des signaux électriques. Elle utilise un algorithme d’optimisation pour minimiser la fonction de vraisemblance. L’algorithme utilisé permet d’améliorer les performances d’estimation tout en étant d’une faible complexité calculatoire en comparaison aux algorithmes classiques. Une analyse plus poussée de l’estimateur proposé a été effectuée. Plus précisément, ses performances sont évaluées sous un environnement incluant entre autres la pollution harmonique et interharmonique et le bruit. Les performances sont également comparées aux exigences de la norme IEEE C37.118.2011. La problématique de classification dans les réseaux électriques triphasés a plus particulièrement concerné les perturbations que sont les creux de tension et les surtensions. La technique de classification proposée consiste globalement en deux étapes : 1) une pré-classification du signal dans l’une des 4 préclasses établis et en 2) une classification du type de perturbation à l’aide de l’estimation des composants symétriques.Les performances du classificateur proposé ont été évaluées, entre autres, pour différentes nombre de cycles, de SNR et de THD. L’estimateur et le classificateur proposés ont été validés en simulation et en utilisant les données d’un réseau électrique réel du DOE/EPRI National Database of Power System Events. Les résultats obtenus illustrent clairement l’efficacité des algorithmes proposés quand à leur utilisation comme outil de surveillance de la qualité d’énergie. / This thesis deals with electric grid monitoring of power quality (PQ) disturbances using parametric signal processing techniques. The first contribution is devoted to the parametric spectral estimation approach for signal parameter extraction. The proposed approach exploits the multidimensional nature of the electrical signals.For spectral estimation, it uses an optimization algorithm to minimize the likelihood function. In particular, this algorithm allows to improve the estimation accuracy and has lower computational complexity than classical algorithms. An in-depth analysis of the proposed estimator has been performed. Specifically, the estimator performances are evaluated under noisy, harmonic, interharmonic, and off-nominal frequency environment. These performances are also compared with the requirements of the IEEE Standard C37.118.2011. The achieved results have shown that the proposed approach is an attractive choice for PQ measurement devices such as phasor measurement units (PMUs). The second contribution deals with the classification of power quality disturbances in three-phase power systems. Specifically, this approach focuses on voltage sag and swell signatures. The proposed classification approach is based on two main steps: 1) the signal pre-classification into one of 4 pre-classes and 2) the signature type classification using the estimate of the symmetrical components. The classifier performances have been evaluated for different data length, signal to noise ratio, interharmonic, and total harmonic distortion. The proposed estimator and classifier are validated using real power system data obtained from the DOE/EPRI National Database of Power System Events. The achieved simulations and experimental results clearly illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques for PQ monitoring purpose.

Over the last decade, power systems have evolved dramatically around the world, owing to higher demand, stringent requirements on quality and environmental concerns that are becoming increasingly critical. With the introduction of new technologies like large-scale renewable energy, wide-area measurement based on phasor measurement units (PMUs) and consumer interaction in the distribution system, the power grid today has become more potent than ever before. Most of the defining features of the smart grid today rest on the integration of advanced communication capabilities into the grid. While communication infrastructure has become a key enabler for the smart grid, it also introduces new and complex control challenges that must be addressed. As we increasingly rely on information transmitted to distant areas over communication networks, it becomes imperative to model the effects of the communication system on the stability of the power grid. Several approaches exist in control theory to study such systems, widely referred to as Networked Control Systems (NCS). Networked control theory provides mathematical tools for system stability analysis and control in the presence of communication delays, packet dropouts and disordering due to transmission of sensor and actuator signals via a limited communication network. In this thesis, a networked control framework for smart grids with integrated commu-nication infrastructure (ICT) is developed. In particular, a networked control systems perspective is developed for two scenarios - wide-area monitoring control, and coordinated control of distributed generation sources. The effects of communication delays and packet dropouts on power system stability are modeled in detail. In the wide-area monitoring control problem, system state measurements are trans-mitted from remote locations through a communication network. The system is modeled as an NCS and a control design approach is presented to damp inter-area oscillations arising from various power system disturbances in the presence of communication constraints. In the coordinated control scenario, a power system with geographically dispersed sources is modeled as an NCS. A networked controller is designed to stabilize the system in the presence of small signal disturbances when system measurements are subject to communication delays and packet dropouts. A realistic output feedback networked control scheme that only uses voltage measurements from PMUs is also developed for practical implementation. The networked controllers designed in this thesis are validated against controllers designed by standard methods, by simulation on standard test systems. The networked controllers are found to enhance power system stability and load transfer capability even in the presence of severe packet dropouts and delays. Several extensions and theoretical problems motivated by this thesis are also proposed.