Volume 9, Issue 2

This paper proposes a simple method of determining the distance to voltage collapse using some local information such as bus voltage magnitude and load current magnitude. First the voltage and current information are carefully processed to establish a voltage stability index (VSI) that varies almost linearly with load. The VSI is then used to estimate the distance to voltage collapse using linear extrapolation. The effects of generator reactive power limits, line tripping, non-uniform increase in load and additional shunt reactive power sources on the VSI are also investigated. The effectiveness of the proposed method of determining the distance to voltage collapse is then tested on the IEEE 30-bus system. The results obtained by the proposed method are also compared with the corresponding actual values found through repetitive power flow simulations and are observed to be in very good agreement.

Revealing of the mechanism of cascade processes has made it possible to work out an anti-emergency and self-restoration system. Its purpose would be to control automatically such a process and to attain the restoration of a power system's functioning from any stage of an emergency. The authors propose a method of preventive short-term sectioning by which a power system can be split into parts so as to unload the overloaded cross-section. This preventive short-term sectioning to the maximum extent preserves the carrying capacity of transmission lines. After the restoration of the normal operation in a separated region its reconnection proceeds by automatic synchronization, with which the emergency situation is eliminated.

Hot spot temperature (HST) is the most important parameter in the operation of power transformers. The HST has to be held under a prescribed limit. HST has a considerable effect on the insulation aging. Therefore detecting, monitoring and removing the HST could be a very important and necessary action for utilities. A new design of oil spraying and its effect, along with a thermal management in a transformer cooling system has been studied in this paper. The effect of oil fluid flow on the HST problem has been considered in this paper; and the calculations and simulation have been performed by Ants algorithm. The simulation results have been validated based on a 230/63/20 kV, 250MVA transformer at the Sari substation in Iran, and the results indicate that the new design could mitigate the limitations of transformer loading due to the HST problem. The Ants algorithm have been proposed and applied for accomplishing this task and to give an improved level of accuracy.

Electromagnetic interference is becoming an increasing concern, because of the high intensity of surrounding electromagnetic waves, mainly arising from communication signals and also due to widespread use of equipment that operates at radio frequencies. As a consequence, sensitive data acquisition equipment suffers from erroneous results. Operating such instruments in a suitable shielded environment can significantly reduce this electromagnetic interference. But to achieve good shielding in practice, construction-related problems are to be faced, especially in large spaces, where a single metal plate cannot cover the whole area. Unless special care is taken, electromagnetic waves can penetrate through the gap in the joints and defects like drill holes reducing the shielding effectiveness. Also, a single layer of shielding is not always effective as the quality deteriorates drastically even due to minor constructional defects as mentioned above. This paper describes real-life experiences, step-by-step, in the shielding of a spacious insulation diagnostic laboratory (with a target of at least 55 dB signal attenuation), firstly using a good conducting material, using two different methods for joining the sheets, and ultimately constructing a second layer of shielding using a magnetic material. To study the attenuation behavior of the laboratory with respect to electromagnetic waves, a device for the relative measurement of surrounding electromagnetic signal strength is developed. The signal levels are measured initially outside and then at different places inside the shielded laboratory. The results presented in this paper show (1) the variation of attenuation characteristics inside the shielded laboratory due to different methods adopted for joining the shielding sheets using a good conducting material, (2) the effect of a second shielding layer in the form of a box that was constructed using a magnetic material and placed inside the laboratory and (3) the improvement in attenuation behavior after the actual construction of the second layer of shielding using a magnetic material.

This paper presents an integrated boundary protection scheme for power transmission line systems. The scheme combines the latest developments in two areas of power system protection, the transient based protection and the integrated protection. In the proposed scheme, an integrated relay based on the boundary protection principle installed at a substation is responsible for the protection of all transmission lines associated with the substation. The relay is able to offer a fast trip for any fault on its protected line sections without the need for a communication link. The paper outlines the integrated protection system based on the substation communication network, and gives a description of the basic principle and algorithm of the boundary protection technique. Some typical simulation results are then used to demonstrate the performance of the scheme.

In this paper the performance of a synchronous generator – SVC system is evaluated using Individual Channel Analysis and Design (ICAD), a control-oriented framework suitable for small-signal stability assessments. The SVC is already a mature piece of technology, which has become very popular for providing fast-acting reactive power support. The great benefits of ICAD in control system design tasks are elucidated. Fundamental analysis is carried out explaining the generator dynamic behavior as affected by the SVC. A multivariable control system design for the system is presented, with particular emphasis in the closed-loop performance and stability and structural robustness assessment. It is formally shown in the paper that although the addition of the SVC with no damping control loop does not improve the dynamic of the system, its inclusion is very effective in enhancing voltage stability. Moreover, ICAD analysis shows that with the use of the SVC the dynamical structure of the system is preserved and no considerable coupling or adverse dynamics are added to the plant.

The power transformer is a complex and critical component of the power transmission and distribution system. System abnormalities, loading, switching and ambient condition normally contribute to accelerated aging and sudden failure. In the absence of critical components monitoring, the failure risk is always high. For early fault detection and real time condition assessment, an online monitoring system in accordance with the age and conditions of the asset would be an important tool. Power loss, heat generation and heat distribution evaluations in a large-scale oil immersed power transformer are presented here, along with the details of computer implementation and experimental verification.Core power losses are approximately constant with temperature variation or may decrease with that. Over the temperature range of 20 to 100°C the change in hysteresis loss Ph with temperature was negligible. Since the total core loss PT decreased with increasing temperature over this range, almost all the loss reduction was due to a reduction in the eddy current loss component Pe that was inversely proportional to the resistivity. Winding and oil temperature will increase with the load increasing and may create a hot spot. This is caused by degradation insulation and the loss of life in the power transformer.Hottest spot temperature and temperature profiles in radial and height coordinates were found using three different methods in this paper. The finite element method (FEM), finite difference method (FDM) and discrete furrier transform methods (DFT) are used to analyze algorithms in this paper. Computational results based on theoretical considerations and using the DFT method are shown to be in good agreement with FDM and FEM. Two mathematical formulae are proposed for temperature distribution in both radial and horizontal axes of core and windings. COMSOL for FEM, GEMINI for FDM and MATLAB for DFT are used.