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Leading wind turbine manufacturers are running life extension programs for their installed wind farms which include fixed speed induction generator-based wind turbines (FSIG-WT). To accommodate the requirement of recent grid codes in these upgrades, this paper presents a new topological configuration to enhance the fault ride through (FRT) operation of FSIG-WT. The topology comprises ten semiconductor switches in total and performs shunt and series compensation concurrently in response to the dynamic grid conditions. A coordinated control strategy is developed for the proposed topology to ensure smooth steady state operation, enhanced transient response, and most importantly, FRT capability in adherence to the recent grid code requirements. In addition, the control strategy maintains the linear modulation range and uniform switching frequency across all the switches participating in series and shunt compensation. The validity of the proposed topology and the coordinated control strategy is verified through extensive simulation study under different operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inverter-based distributed generators (DGs) have been customarily used for voltage unbalance (VU) mitigation in microgrids. The sole dependency on DGs for VU mitigation may not be justified, particularly in islanded microgrids. Demand side management can be a potential candidate for VU mitigation in microgrids. Therefore, this paper presents a new VU mitigation scheme for an islanded microgrid by coordinating photovoltaic (PV) grid-tied inverters, and thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs). A negative sequence compensation loop working in parallel with a positive sequence compensation loop is designed for PV inverters for VU mitigation. Also, a voltage dependent model of TCLs, unlike the conventional one, along with the control strategy for VU mitigation is presented. The proposed control of TCLs not only minimizes VU, and hence, increases the dynamic reactive power reserve of the inverter based DGs, but also effectively maintains the customers’ thermal comfort. The proposed VU mitigation scheme is studied with comprehensive simulations in PSCAD/EMTDC, and is verified using a real-time digital simulator, OPAL-RT. Simulations and real-time results of the proposed scheme demonstrated the regulation of VU factor within the permissible range defined by IEC and CIGRE Working Group 36.07. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct power control (DPC) has gained much attention for medium-voltage applications due to its fast power control capability. However, a conventional static switching table based DPC can lead to unsatisfactory response when the converter is connected to an electric grid because it is commonly designed assuming ideal and constant voltages of the grid and the dc link. Therefore, the actual grid voltage and the actual converter dc-link voltage should be considered while designing the switching table. This paper proposes a novel dynamic switching table for the DPC, considering actual grid and dc-link voltages variation. The proposed dynamic switching table incorporates a new definition of power influence crossover angles of each converter space vector. The proposed scheme dynamically adapts the switching table by feeding forward the actual grid and dc-link voltages, and hence the converter's power is precisely controlled. The proposed technique is verified for the three-level neutral point clamped converters connected to a standard IEEE 9-bus test system. Moreover, the real-time simulations are performed in a real-time digital simulator, OPAL-RT. The obtained results verified the effectiveness of the proposed DPC strategy under different grid fault scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High concentrations of induction motor loads can impose stress on transmission and distribution systems, leading to voltage instability in some situations. Properly sized and coordinated reactive power sources will provide for improved operation. We present a strategy for finding an optimal mix (type, size, and location) of dynamic shunt reactive compensation devices. The planning strategy is subject to satisfying steady-state, dynamic and transient performance criteria such as fault-induced delayed voltage recovery limits, as well as criteria related to single ( N–1) contingency and load disturbance events. Shunt reactive power compensation devices considered include mechanically switched capacitor banks, static reactive power compensators and static synchronous compensators. The proposed strategy employs a large number of multitimescale time-domain simulations suitable for use with high performance computing clusters and a genetic algorithm to solve the mixed-integer nonlinear programming formulation using parallel computation capabilities. The method is applied to a New England IEEE 39-bus system with assumed high penetration of induction motors. A comprehensive study shows that performance enhancement and significant cost reduction can be achieved using an optimum combination of various shunt compensator technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a new fault ride-through (FRT) configuration for a fixed-speed induction generator-based–wind turbine (FSIG–WT). It utilizes a nine-switch converter (NSC) to enable shunt and series compensation in response to the system dynamics and grid faults. The steady-state control strategy and transient-management scheme are developed to ensure proper performance in steady-state, dynamic operation as well as enhanced FRT capability of the FSIG–WT. In addition to that, the developed control strategy tackles the balanced and unbalanced operation of the electric grid with an enhanced positive- and negative-sequence compensation control scheme. The recently reported grid synchronization scheme, namely, the frequency-locked loop (FLL) is implemented to achieve fast phase detection and transient response. Consequently, the performance of the FLL has been compared with the multiple reference–frame–phase-locked loop (MRF–PLL) to demonstrate its superior performance for enhancing transient response. The proposed topology, FLL, and control strategies are verified through a comprehensive simulation study to demonstrate the enhancement of the transient response and FRT capability of FSIG-WT in adherence to grid-code requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper introduces a novel framework of coordinated voltage and frequency control strategy for islanded microgrid (MG) operation. The proposed control schemes rely on local measurements as communication-free control approach. Therefore, the distributed controllers of the MG components have been deployed based on their slow, medium, and fast dynamic responses to maintain the voltage and frequency in adherence to IEEE Standards 1547 and 929. The various voltage and frequency control responses associated with reactive power management scheme are efficiently utilized based on well-defined states of operation and transient management scheme. In each state, the roles of each device for voltage and frequency regulations are defined with its regulation capability, and response time based on its local measurements. Consequently, the fast reactive power compensation and rapid frequency regulation are ensured based on the inverter-based devices at challenging operating conditions. As a result, the proposed control strategy improves the voltage and frequency regulation, transient response, and MG stability. A comprehensive simulation study has verified the superior performance of the communication-free approach during steady state and in response to severe disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A variable frequency transformer (VFT) is being considered as a new alternative to the classical back-to-back high voltage direct current (HVDC) link for interconnection of two asynchronous networks. The VFT is a retrospective form of frequency converter using the wound rotor induction machine (WRIM), which converts the constant frequency input into a variable frequency output. The prime objective of VFT is to achieve controlled bidirectional power transfer between the two asynchronous networks. This paper presents a detailed working principle of VFT technology and proposes a new hierarchical control strategy for establishing the VFT connection with two power systems to achieve bidirectional power transfer between them. Also, to restrict the grid fault propagation from one side of the VFT to the other side, a series dynamic braking resistor based fault ride-through (FRT) scheme is proposed. The performance of the VFT during the synchronization process, steady-state, dynamic, and the grid fault conditions is evaluated using the real-time hardware in-loop (HIL) system. The plant is simulated in real time using OPAL-RT real-time simulator while the control algorithm is implemented in digital signal processor to carry out HIL study. All the important results supporting the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy and FRT scheme are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel system configuration for voltage source converter (VSC)-based high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission connected to a large-scale offshore wind power plant (WPP). The proposed scheme is reconfigured at the onshore end to achieve shunt and series compensation, which is named as ‘Unified-VSC-HVDC’ (U-VSC-HVDC). A mathematical model of the proposed configuration is derived to determine the rating of the employed series and shunt converters. To achieve a flexible control strategy for balanced and unbalanced fault conditions, the proposed transient management scheme employs positive and negative sequence controllers for the series compensation. The negative sequence voltage components are determined in such a way as to minimize power oscillations caused by asymmetrical faults, and hence to reduce DC link voltage overshoots. A test system comprised of a detailed representation of the proposed configuration is simulated and evaluated using PSCAD/EMTDC. A comprehensive study validates the capability of the proposed configuration and transient management scheme for achieving smooth power transfer and superior transient performance of the electrical grid. Also, it minimizes the possibilities of electrical network propagations in response to symmetrical and asymmetrical grid faults. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study presents a novel coordinated secondary voltage control (CSVC) and reactive power management scheme for efficient utilisation of distributed energy resources in a smart distribution network. The proposed controller is developed to achieve efficient voltage regulation and to maximise the dynamic reactive power reserve in a distribution network to react during system contingencies. The simulated distribution system, including an on‐load tap changer (OLTC) and distributed energy resources, is implemented using PSCAD/EMTDC. The CSVC is designed to provide slow and medium speed responses, using low‐pass filters for OLTC and diesel generators, respectively, and a fast response by utilising inverter‐based distributed energy resources. Therefore it applies a control strategy with different bandwidth dedicated by the decentralised voltage controllers and reactive power management scheme. The CSVC is used to enhance the bus voltage control by utilising the reactive power loading capabilities among distributed energy resources and on‐load tap changers of the substation transformer. A comprehensive simulation has verified the superior performance of the proposed coordinated secondary voltage control with the reactive power management scheme for enhancing the voltage profile and the fault ride‐through capability, ensuring higher dynamic reactive power reserves in a distribution network, and improving the transient stability margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants are being designed to support grid-voltage regulation. Based on transmission-level interconnection, this paper proposes a novel online supervisory voltage control (OSVC) strategy to improve network voltage profiles. The system structure includes the algorithms for reactive power allocation and online voltage tracking. The effectiveness of the proposed OSVC that improves the network voltage profile is verified by simulation in comparison with the conventional line-drop secondary voltage control and primary voltage control. Since the application relies on the measurement and communication network, the time delay is considered. Based on the available bandwidth of the wide-area measurement systems (WAMSs), the simulation shows the feasibility and success of utilizing the OSVC for real-world implementations. The study also indicates the transient response can be improved further by the proposed solution when high-bandwidth WAMS infrastructures are available in the future. Furthermore, the proposed control strategy is tested in a weak power network with the low-short circuit ratio and failure of communication. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper introduces a novel coordinated voltage-control (CVC) scheme for distributed generations (DGs) that relies on adaptively changing the roles (master or slave) of the devices [inverter-based DG, diesel generator, and online tap changer (OLTC)] within the smart grid, depending on system conditions. In addition, the proposed scheme imposes different control response and bandwidth on the devices to coordinate the reactive power among distributed generations (DGs) and OLTC steps. The main objective of the proposed method is twofold: 1) to maximize the reactive power reserve of DGs and, hence, facilitate reaction during contingency situations and 2) to provide voltage regulation during normal operating conditions. The simulated distribution system includes inverter-based DGs (photovoltaic and wind turbine), diesel generator, and OLTC and the potential of the CVC scheme is evaluated and analyzed in view of improving voltage profile, maximizing the reactive power reserve, enhancing fault ride through and improving the transient stability margin. The control algorithm is examined under steady state, load excursion, and three-phase-to-ground fault conditions. The results demonstrate the ability of the proposed CVC scheme to satisfy the targeted objectives with significant improvement in the maximum critical clearing time. The proposed scheme is independent of real-time measurements and is widely adaptive to the dynamics of power systems, thus making it quite suitable for utility implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]