INSTALLATION, COMMISSIONING, AND OPERATION OF THE WORLD'S FIRST UPFC ON THE AEP SYSTEM

A. S .Mehraban American Electric Power J. PI. Provanzana American Electric Power Resources Service Company
A. Edris Electric Power Research Institute

C. D. Schauder Westinghouse Electric Corp.

Abstract: Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) is a technology-based solution envisioned to help the utility industry deal with changes in the power delivery business. The idea behind the FACTS concept is to enable the transmission system to be an active element, playing an active role in increasing the flexibility of power transfer requirements and securing the stability of the dynamics of integrated power systems. A major thrust of FACTS is the development of systems that control power flow by changing the impedance of a transmission line or phase angle between the ends of a specific line and also controlling the voltage at critical busses. The Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) is a novel concept which offers multiple compensation functions for power transmission system. The UPFC is capable of controlling the three basic transmission parameters (voltage, line impedance, and phase angle). Thus, the UPFC allows flexible control of both active and reactive power flows on transmission corridors. American Electric Power (AEP) has selected its Inez substation in eastern Kentucky for the location of the world's first UPFC installation. The UPFC is comprised of two 5160 MVA voltage-sourced GTO thyristor-based inverters, this installation is not only the first practical demonstration of the UPFC concept, but also by far the highest power GTO-based FACTS device ever installed. The two inverters can be decoupled and operated separately, one as a STAic COMpensator (STATCOM) and the other as a Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC). Normally, they will be operated as a UPFC to regulate terminal bus voltage an simultaneously control power flow. This paper focuses on the UPFC equipment, challenges and the significant achievements that were made during the construction, commissioning tests, and the UPFC operational experience. This project is a collaborative effort between AEP, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Keywords: Inverter, GTO, FACTS, STATCON, UPFC, VAR Compensator

In the UPFC, a STATCOM and an SSSC are simply connected at their dc terminals so that each can act as the appropriate real power source or sink for the other. The concept is that the SSSC will act independently to regulate power flow on the line, and the STATCOM will satisfy the real power requirements of the SSSC while simultaneously regulating the local bus voltage.

I I . PROJECT BACKGROUND
The Inez area, located in the south central part of the AEP System, was selected for the application of a UPFC because of the critical need to increase power transfer capability and provide voltage support [9,10]. The power demand of approximately 2000 MW in this area is served by long 138 kV transmission lines. Generating plants and EHV/138 kV stations are located only at its periphev. System voltages are supported by a Static VAR Compensator (SVC) installed in the early 1980's at the Beaver Creek 138 kV station and a large assortment of switched shunt capacitor banks located at several 138 kV and lower voltage subtransmission stations. Power flow on the long 138 kV lines feeding the area has surpassed the surge impedance loading of the lines during normal operating conditions. Thus there is only a very small margin for system contingencies and, despite the large number of capacitor banks in the area, voltage differences or gradients between the supply stations and the load stations are as high as 7-8 percent. Single contingency outages in the area will adversely affect the underlying 138 kV system, and in certain cases a second contingency would be intolerable. The Inez UPFC project is part of an AEP transmission upgrading program for the area that is being conducted in two phases: Phase I of the program, now completed, included the +I60 MVA STATCOM installed at Inez to provide voltage support and to coordinate the control of area capacitor banks. A 345/138kV, 600 MVA transformer bank has also been installed at BakerBig Sandy Station, and series reactors have been installed to constrain loading on thermally limited lines. Phase E, also complete, included construction of a new 32-mile high capacity double circuit line between Big Sandy and Inez Stations. This line has an ultimate thermal capability of carrying about 950 MVA. Additional capacitor banks have also been installed at Inez. The Inez UPFC was completed by the addition of the second inverter connected in series with the new Big Sandy-Inez line. The inverter will function to optimize utilization of the new high capacity line, especially under contingency conditions.

I. INTRODUCI'ION
The UPFC concept was proposed [1-3] as the natural extension of an emerging family of power electronic equipment, capable of inserting controlled synchronous voltage sources (SVS) either in shunt or in series with electric power transmission lines [4], for the purpose of optimizing power flow in transmission systems. The shunttonnected SVS is referred to as a Static Compensator or STATCOM, recently demonstmted for the fmt time in the U.S.A. in the +lo0 MVA unit installed at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Sullivan Substation [5-71. The STATCOM typically negotiates reactive power in shunt with the power system thereby allowing automatic regulation of the local bus voltage. A series-connected SVS is referred to in general as a Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC) 181. The SSSC can insert a synchronous voltage component in series with the line in phasequadram with the line current, thereby allowing the power flow on the line to be regulated. Altematively, either the STATCOM or the SSSC can be provided with a s o w or sink of real power at their dc teminals such as an energy storage device. Then the STATC0M.k capable of also exchanging real power with the local bus, and the SSSC is capable of injecting voltage at any phase angle relative to the line current, so that it can independently regulate the real and reactive power flow.

I I I . DESCRIPTION OF THE UPFC INSTALLATION

a Power Circuit

As shown in the simplified one-line diagram in Figure 1, the UPFC

equipment comprises two identical GTO-thyristor-based inverters, each t f160 MVA. To " i z e the versatility of the installation, two rated a identical main shunt transformers and a single main series transformer have been provided. The transformers are connected to the inverters through buswork and manually operated disconnect switches as indicated in the simplified one-line diagram in Figure 1. With this arrangement, a number of power circuit configurations are possible. Inverter 1 can operate as a STATCOM with either one of the two main shunt transformers, while Inverter 2 operates as an SSSC. Altematively, Inverter 2 can be connected to the spare main shunt transformer and can operate as an additional STATCOM. With the latter configuration a formidable shunt reactive capability of 5320 MVA would be available.

0-780347544/98/$10.00

0 1998 IEEE

- 323 -

The power oircuit layout thus reflects AEP's emphasis on shunt compensahon as the top priority for this location.Under normal operating conditions the installation will be configured as a UPFC with the two inverters connected at their dc terminals. However, in the event that either inverter would be removed from service for any reason, the other inverter can be disconnected by means of dc-bus switches and can operate independently. Of course the single inverter can only negotiate reactive power under this stand-alone condihon, since there is no real power source or sink available at its dc terminals.

inverter design with fewer poles and a less complicated, lower current bus for connection to the output transformers. A simplified schematic of the inverter power circuit is shown in Figure 3. Each inverter uses twelve three-level poles (shown symbolically) with a nominal maximum dc working voltage of 24 kV. The valves in each pole switch at 60 Hz and the phase of the switching is strategically controlled from one pole to the next to facilitate harmonic elimination. The pole ac outputs are fed to an intermediate transformer where harmonics in the rectangular pole voltage waveform are removed by cancellation. The resulting 48-pulse voltage waveform is nearly sinusoidal and is coupled to the transmission line through a conventional main coupling transformer The total MVA rating of the intermediate transformer is approximately 50 percent of the main transformer rating.

TRANSFORMER

TRANSFORMER

Figure 1 Simplified One-Line Diagram of the Inez UPFC Installation

figure2

The anticipated maximum real power exchange between the inverters is 80 Mw, although they are designed to accommodate higher real power levels if necessary. Each inverter includes multiple high-power GTO valve structures feeding an intermediate (low voltage) transformer The inverter output is a three-phase voltage set of nearly-sinusoidal (48-pulse) quality that is coupled to the transmission line by a conventional (3winding to 3-winding) main coupling transformer. The inverter-side voltage of the main transformer is 37 kV line-line (for both shunt and series transformers.) The shunt-connected transformer has a 138 kV delta-connected primary, and the series transformer has three separate primary windings each rated at 16 percent of the phase voltage.
VOLTAGE

Layout of the UPFC Building

A Instalkrtion Layout

oc

Figure 2 shows the layout of the UPFC installation. The two inverters,
the control room, GTO gating power supplies, and auxiliary equipment associated with the cooling system are d accommodated in a 200' by 100' building. The building is generously sized and includes a visitors viewing gallery above the control room. The liquid to air heat exchangers for the cooling system are located outdoors along the back of the building together with the cooling system pumps. Purification equipment for the cooling watef is located indoors in the auxiliary equipment corridor at the back of the building. The two inverters are housed in a separate valve hall. The twelve poles for each inverter are arranged in four parallel vertical stacks, each three-high, with the common dc-bus and associated capacitors located at the ends of the poles toward the back of the building. The twelve ac output busses from the poles are brought to a uniform height above the topmost poles and then pass through the front wall of the building in parallel arrangement. These busses continue outdoors to the intermediate transformer, the main transformer, and vatious switchgear.
ONOFTHEPOWERELECTRONICS

Figure3
Simplified Power C i u i t Diagram The design of the three-level pole presented a significant technical challenge because of the high dc voltage and the relatively large number of high power circuit components that have to be accommodated. Both of these factors tend to increase the physical simof the pole, but at the same time it is essential to keep the stray inductance of the pole circuit low to avoid transient overvoltage during commutation of current from one path to another. The final design is a self-contained modular pole that has proved to be highly effective in all respects. Each 4500V. 4000 A GTO and its associated anti-parallel diode, snubber components, and heatsinks are mounted in a sub-assemby termed a "GTOmodule". Several of these GTO modules are connected in series to Constitute a single valve, and four such valves are mounted symmetricdy on a horizontal beam structure to make a pole. Eight GTO modules are used for each of the two valves connecting to the dc bus, and nine modules for each of the two remaining valves. These numbers include a redundant module in each valve, so that the equipment can continue to operate

a InverSerDesign and Test The inverter design is considerably different from that of the TVA STATCOM since a three-level pole structure is utilized anstead of a two level. The utilization of three-level pole results in a higher voltage

- 324 -

safely under all conditions with one failed module in every valve. The numbers were chosen on the basis of predicted peak voltage excursion, as well as consideration of reliability related to sustained dc blocking voltage. Thus the entire pole is self-contained with very few external connections. t h r e e to the dc bus, one to the ac output), It has four p6wer terminals ( cooling water inlet and return manifolds, the a fiber optic cable to the controls and a single pair of auxiliary power leads. The modularity of this pole design lends itself to manufacturing and testing, and special testing facilities have been developed for the modules and the poles. GTO modules are individually tested at maximum rated stress before assembly into the poles, then pairs of poles are tested together in a unique test facility where they are subjected to full power operating conditions. The tested poles are easily assembled into the final inverter structure with low assembly cost and high confidence in their functionality.
50 MlCROSEClDlV

One of the concems when constructing high-power valves from seriesconnected GTOs is that the individual devices should share the valve voltage equitably under both steady state and transient conditions. Individual GTOs differ especially in regard to their storage time at tumoff. These differences can result in the fastest device in a string experiencing the highest voltage following tum-off of the valve. To avoid this problem, the pole electronics senses the individual characteristics of each GTO and electronically compensates its gating command so that all devices in a string recover simultaneously. The effectiveness of this technique is illustrated in the oscillogram of Figure 4 ,showing the voltage distribution in a valve with nine GTOs in series following turn off of the valve. The total dc-bus voltage is 29kV, and the voltage across individual GTO modules is the difference between adjacent traces.

Figure 4 Voltage Distribution Across Nine GTOs in Series

b. Control System Both inverters comprising the UPFC are controlled from a single central h r e e cabinets. At Inez, these cabinets are control system housed in t located in the control room. Two of the cabinets house the relay interface and signal conditiomng, and a single main processor cabinet conmns the control electronics. The conceptual structure of the control system is shown in Figure 5. The actual control algorithms that govem the instantaneous operatlon of the two inverters are performed in the realtime control electronics which uses multiple digital signal processors. The real-time control communicates with the pole electronics mounted on each pole via the valve interface that is linked to the poles by fiber optic cables. The status processor is connected to every part of the system, including the cooling system and all of the poles by serial communications. During runtime it continually monitors the operation of all subsystems, collecting and analyzing status nformation. It is responsible for all startup and shutdown sequences and for organizing and annunciating alarm conditions. The status processor is serially connected to a graphical display terminal that provides the local operator interface.
The Inez UPFC installation has two shunt transformers and a single series transformer. There are thus several different ways in which the power circuit can be configured using disconnect switches as discussed previously. From the point of view of the control system, this means that different controls are required for each possible configuration, and, within a particular configuration, for each possible mode of operation. For safety, power circuit configuration changes w i l l only be permitted when the equipment is de-energized and isolated from the line. Mode changes. however, are permitted while the inverters are running. For example, the series-connected inverter could be switched between a voltage injection mode and an automatic power flow control mode at any time while it is running.

Figure 5 Control Block Diagram

Figure6

Shunt Intermediateand Main Shunt Transformers

e. Phase 1 Test Results

The fault capaciq on the 138 kV bus at the Inez substation is presently approximately 1300 MVA with all lines in senice, and considerably weaker with any line outage. This situation is expected to change when the Big Sandyhez line is completed and again in the future when new connections to the EHV system are made. It is thus difficult to exercise the STATCOM to its rated vat limits without producing very large voltage swings. To some extent it has been possible to work against the local capacitor bank in the inductive mode, but the voltage is low even with the capacitors connected and a very limited inductive range (about 60 Mvar) is achievable. In the capacitive mode a greater range is achievable. The voltage has been maintained at 1.02 p.u. with the capacitive var output of the STATCOM ranging from 80 to 105 Mvar. For a short time the STATCOM has been taken to about 140 Mvar capacitive, producing 1.06 p.u. voltage on the bus. Nevertheless, the observed performance of the STATCOM has been very good in all

Rgure7

IeSpeCts.

Front View of Inverter Poles V. P W E 1 STATCOM INSTALLATION TEST AND COMMISSIONING

a . Equipment
Figure 6 shows UPFC building and the main and intermediate shunt n the yard outside the building.. The UPFC transformers installed i equipment is delivered to site in modular pre-tested subassemblies, which simplifies installation and minimizes efforts at the site. Once the UPFC building was erected and sufficient building suppoa services were installed, the remainder of the equipment was installed in parallel efforts along with the supporting station equipment and the magnetics in the yard. The inverter pole assemblies are pre-tested as single-phase H-bridge assemblies before delivery to site. The inverter dc equipment such as the dc bus and dc capacitor banks are installed first followed by the poles which effectively plug into docking buses on the dc side. Figure 7 shows the ac end of the installed inverter poles. Once the poles and UPFC controls were installed, a series of electrical and precommissioning tests were conducted to verify the communications and connections between the inverter equipment, cooling system and the tend UPFC controls.

b. Commissioning
An important advantage of GTO-based inverter equipment is that it can be commissioned off-line to a large extent because it does not depend on the presence of line voltage for commutation (as does a conventional SVC). The STATCOM was energized by means of a temporary highvoltage dc power supply connected to the dc bus before connecting to the line. This test allowed the voltage to be raised slowly while normal l l aspects of the inverter inverter gating was in progress, and a performance were carefully verified. In particular the waveform consauction through the intermediate and the main transformer was checked, as well as the sense and functionality of all analog feedback signals. M e r i n g at full voltage under this condition it was possible to close onto the transmission line with a high degree of confidence, and the current control and voltage control functions were successfully enabled.

Figure8
Measured STATCOM 18OMVAR Step Response

To illustrate the underlying dynamic response, a set of waveforms were recorded for a case where the STATCOM was asked to step fium 0.3 p.u. inductive to 0.8 pa. capacitive var output. In this case automatic voltage controls were disabled and the stepped reference was injected into the STATCOM current control system. The result is shown in Figure 8. This step produced a swing of about 180 Mvar with about 14% change in bus voltage. It is particularly significant that the STATCOM is seen to operate well under these weak system conditions, since the previous STATCOM application at TVA was on a relatively strong bus.
a ! Phase 2

After the basic on-line operation of the STATCOM was established, extensive commissioning tests were performed to record the behavior of the equipment under various conditions. During these tests, the STATCOM operated in automatic voltage control mode, and waveforms were recorded over a wide range of operating points. Several large step changes in voltage were commanded and local capacitor banks were switched in and out. Outages of two local transmission lines were initiated and the tests were repeated for each of these conditions. During these latter tests the system impedance was considerably increased. but the STATCOM continued to provide stable and effective voltage control.

The progress made in Phase I has prepared the way for Phase Il of the project. since the series-connected inverter will be identical to the shunt inverter. Funhermore the central control electronics and software for the control of the full UPFC were installed in the first phase. The full UPFC control system and UPFC power circuit TNA model underwent tests with f the AEP system at Hydro-Quebecs REQ an extensive TNA model o facility in Montreal during the fall 1997. The TNA tests successfully demonstrated the UPFC operation. Significant progress was made in I998 during thc commissioning tests at AEFs Inez substation which culminated in both successful UPFC and

- Test R e d s

- 326 -

SSSC operation. Since this is the very first t i m e an inverter has been successfully connected in series to a utility transmission line, all of these test results are the first time these capabilities have been successfully demonstrated anywhere in the world. The tests showed that the equipment is operating per requirements. The test sequence first verified the series bypass protection scheme, which is critical for inverter protection in the event of fault in AEP's power system or in the UPFC inverter equipment. The sucwsful implementation of the protection scheme has been the most difficult challenge to date, since the series inverter must rapidly reconfigure the firing pattem of the inverter valves to go into bypass protection mode before the fault c m n t exceeds the tum-off capability of the GTOs. The test sequence then verified the series transformer by verifying proper waveform construction at the output terminals over the full seriesinjected voltage range into the open line. The series inverkr was then inserted in the line to line at zero voltage, but wrying the line current. Once these tests were complete, the UPFC tests were conducted. The UPFC controlled power on the Big Sandy line while regulating Big Sandy line to 1PU voltage. Operating conditions permitted power to be increased from Big Sandy to the Inez bus over a 200MW range in incremental steps. Once this capability was demonstrated, the UPFC successfully controlled the power from Big Sandy to Inez from essentially 200MW down to zero in one step and then back up to 200MW in one step. The SSSC (Static Series Synchronous Condenser or "Stand-Alone Series") mode was also successfully tested up to 100% injected voltage.

A. (Ben) S . Mehraban received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from University of Missouri in 1969 and 1971, respectively and MBA degree from Ohio University in 1984. After working for several power companies, in 1980 he joined AEP where for the last 17 years he has been responsible for design. engineering, and installation of various &ammission projects ranging from distribution to EHV, including 765 kV. He is currently project manager for the Inez UPFC installation.

John E. Provanzana eamed a bacheloor's degree in electrical engineering form Manhatten College and a master's degree in electrical engineering from Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute. He eamed an advanced professional degree in organizational development from the New York University Graduate School of Business Administration. Mr. Provanzana has 30 years of experience in electrical engineering. As General Manager, he is responsible for development of all aspects of AEPs RESCo's engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) activities, including the engineering, design, and construction of substations, transmission lines and electrical support to generation. Most recently, he managed the department that oversaw AEP's T&D project scheduling and budgets of more than $300 million per year, developed special state-of-the-art computer software, and managed T&D services for AEP RESCo projects. Other assignments included responsibility for the design and construction of AEP's 2,250-kV ultra-high-voltage Test Station and Line, and development of AEP's Data Acquisition System and other computer controlled communications. monitoring, and ccontrolling systems.
Abdel-Aty Edris (SM88) was bom in Cairo, Egypt. He received his i t h honor from Cairo University in 1967, his MS. from AinB.Sc. w Shams University, Eqypt in 1973, and his Ph.D. from Chalmers university of Technology, Sweden in 1979. Dr. Edris joined ASEA (now ABB) in V&tersS, Sweden in 1981. From 1982 to 1986, he was involved in power systems analysis of HVDC and reactive compensation projects. From 1986 to 1990, he worked with development projects introducing new concepts improving power systems performance. From 1990 to 1992, he was with Transmission and Relaying Center of ABB's Advanced Systems Teclinology in Pittsburgh. In 1992, Dr. Edris joined Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) as Manager of Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) Technology. Dr. Edris is a member of a number of IEEE and CIGRE WGs. Colin D .Schauder (M' 1981) was bom in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 1952. He was awarded the B.Sc. Engineering and Ph.D. degrees by the University of Cape Town, South Africa, in 1972 and 1978 respectively. From 1978 to 1983 he was employed by GEC Electrical Projects and GEC Electrical Controls in Rugby, England. In 1983 he joined the Westinghouse Science and Technology Center where he now holds the position of Consulting Engineer for the Power Electronics Department. His work in the past has been involved with high performance ac motor drives. Recently he has been actively involved in the development of new concepts for Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) and other utility applications of high power electronics. He is the Technical Coordinator for both the T A STATCOM project and the AEP Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) project.

V I . CONCLUSION
The completion of Phase I and Phase II of the Inez UPFC project is another important milestone in the progress of FACTS technology. The successful new high-voltage inverter design, based on the use of threelevel poles, has demonstrated clearly that GTO-based voltage-sourced inverters are practical and effective, and can be applied at very high power levels.

w.REFERENcEs
1.

2.

3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

8.

9. 10.

L. Gyugyi, "A Unified Power Flow Control Concept for Flexible AC Transmission Systems," IEE Proceedings-C, Vol. 139, No.4, July 1992. L Gyugyi et al., "The Unified Power Flow Controller A New Approach to Power Transmission Control," IEEE Transactions-on Power Delivery, Vol. 10, No. 2, April 1995. C. D. Schauder et al.. "Operation of the Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) Under Practical Constraints," IEEE, PES Winter Power Meeting. 1997, Paper No. PE-51 1-PWRD-0-11-1996. L Gyugyi, "Dynamic Compensation of AC Transmission Lines by Solid-state Synchronous Voltage Sources," IEEE. PES Summer Power Meeting, Paper No. 93 SM 434-1 PWRD, 1993. C. D. Schauder et al., "Development of a i t 1 0 0 MVAR Static Condenser for Voltage Control of Transmission Systems," IEEE, PES Summer Power Meeting, Paper No. 94 SM 479-6 PWRD. 1994. C. D. Schauder et al., 'TVA STATCON Project: Design, InstaUation and Commissioning," CIGRE Paper 14-106,-1996. C. D .Schauder et al., "Operation of 4-100 Mvar TVA STATCON," IEEE. PES Winter Power Meeting, 1997 , Paper No. PE-509PWRD-0-01-1997. L Gyugyi et al., "Static Synchronous Series Compensator. A SolidState Approach to the Series Compensation of Transmission Lines," IEEE, PES Winter Power Meeting, Paper No. 96 W M 120-6 PWRD, 19%. A. S . Mehraban et al., "Application of the World's Fmt UPFC on the AEP System," EPRI Conference - The Future of Power Delivery, Washington DC, April 9-11.1996. M. E Rahman, "Unified Power Flow Controller on the AEP System System Studies and Planning Considerations." EPRI Conference TkFuture of Power Delivery, Washington DC, April 9-11.1996.

-327-