REACTIVE

POWER COMPENSATION

BY

TCR TECHNOL0GY:SIMULATIONFOR LARGE ELECTRICAL LOADS CONTROL

F.Tosato

S.Quaia

G.Rabach

University

of

Trieste

Dipartimento di Elettrotecnica, Elettronica ed Informatica via valerio 10 - 34127 TRIESTE (Italy)

1. THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM.

SUMMARY The large dynamic loads reactive power compensation in industry power systems ( i.e. arc furnaces ) , is very often a mandatory action in order to minimize voltage fluctuation and flicker, as well as for power factor improving and load balancing. All the above are different aspects of the same type ; f action, basically called " compensation . If the reactive power of the load is changing rapidly, fast response compensators are required. This is typically the case of FC-TCR ( Fixed Capacitor - Thyristor Controlled Reactor ); such a static compensator, expecially if used in open loop control strategy, responds with a dynamic adequate to meet the requirements in most of the industry applications. The ability of an FC-TCR compensator to change its reactive power ( even from inductive to capacitive ), within the theoretical time of half a period, requires, as a prerequisite, to set up a proper control function. In other words the firing angle a of the thyristors in antiparallel has to be related to properly detectable input variables, i.e. load reactive power. A theoretical approach to the problem is possible, as well as simulation by computer.~11~21~31~41~51~61~71 In the present papers both approaches are investigated and compared. The described methodology has a general validity, nevertheless to become straight-forward in the nature of the problem an example, referred to a two 100 tons arc furnaces plant, is discussed. First they are introduced the equations describing, under some usual approximations, the law between a and the load reactive power, able to meet the design requirements in terms of voltage stabilization. The whole system is then modelled and simulated by computer and the results are compared with the theoretical ones. The comparison offers interesting informations about goodness and accuracy of the proposed algorithm. A power system including a large variable load, like an arc furnace, and a FC-TCR compensator, is tipically arranged as reported in Fig.1.
U A l N SUPPL"

4
1

Fig.1 Power system including arc furnaces and FC-TCR compensator; three-phase equivalent model. The values of the concerned network and loads, as assumed in the present sudy, are reported in Appendix. A three-phase model, if used for simulation purposes, allows to study unbalanced situations as well ( this last compensator action is not considered in the present paper, nevetheless the mathematical model has been prepared according, in order to grant the maximum possible flexibility ) . Assuming a balanced situation, a single phase equivalent can be considered; if Rs and Xs are the resistive and reactive components of the net impedance 2 s seen from the Vx bus bars ( main transformer included and we assume to be Xs>>Rs, as

146

case, the following is usually the approximated linear equation is valid

where Vx is the bus bar voltage, E is the no load voltage, Q is the total reactive power ( load + compensator ) , PCC is the short circuit power at the Vx bus bars and 1/p is the network answer slope or network gradient ( negative ) . The total flowing reactive power Q is the algebric sum of the load reactive power Q1 and the compensator one Qy. The compensator reactive power is:

The dotted line in the Fig.2, connecting a=O and a=180 dgrs, represents the " obtained compensating effect In other words this line is the total network + compensator answer that we will achieve instead of the I' natural " one as per eq. (1). The slope of the compensated characteristic determines the maximum voltage drop within the compensator working range; the max voltage drop must be lower that the one selected in the design specifications. ( In the Fig.2 example the max voltage drop is 1,3/30 kV, or 4.33 %
'I.

).

The intersections of the compensated characteristic ( dotted line ) , with the system curves, offer the theoretical function a = f(Q1), that is required to achieve the target. Such a curve is plotted in Fig.3, where it is called I' theoretical ' I .

where C is the polarization capacitor and Bl(a) is the controlled reactor susceptance, that is a well known function of the firing thyristor angle a [ 6 ] (3)
BL(a)= ! - . U = 2 ( x - a )! I % !

ta

JWLx

The eq. ( 1 ) can then be rewritten as

Eq. (4) represents a family of parabolic curves in the Vx-Q1 plane, depending by a. Fig. 2 reports the above curves referred to the network values mentioned in the Appendix.

I
Fig.3 Firing angle a as function of load reactive power Q1: theoretical, approximated and simulated trends. To impose a linear overall answer means implicitly to assume a linear answer for the compensator too. In other words the compensator law must be:

t
\
\
where Qy is the reactive power generated ( or consumed ) by the FC-TCR and l/r ( positive ) is the slope ( or gain ) of the compensator itself. The overall compensated network answer is then [ 7 1

Fig.2 Theoretical relations between Vx, Q1 and a.

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Eq. ( 6 ) is represented by the dotted line of Fig.2. An analitycal expression of a as function of Q1 can be written as well. The fundamental current in the TCR branches is
[61: (7)
Ix = noL, "x
u - sinu

therefore:

From eq.s ( 5 ) and ( 6 ) :

then:
(10)

consequently:

Expanding sina in series, truncated to the second therm and remembering a = n - a/2, we obtain

where the parameters Kij are assuming 0 or 1, according to the firing value angle a, to simulate thyristor's interdiction or conduction. The load has been assumed as consisting of fixed resistances and variable ( step by step ) reactances in parallel. Due to the no-linearity introduced by the parameters Kij, the relevant current and voltage waves obtained, are of course, no-sinusoidal. The harmonic content and the consequent filtering problems, have been also considered in the simulation, as well as the unbalanced conditions, nevertheless the results obtained are not reported in the present paper. The relation a = f(Q1) has been determined by this way too. A fixed active power of 100 MW has been taken into account. The reactive power Q1 has been changed by steps ( 0, 33.3, 6 6 . 6 , and 100 W A R ) . Fig.4 is reporting the voltage answer obtained by simulation, to be compared with the theoretical one of Fig.2. The maximum voltage drop, obtained by simulation at a=180 dgrs, appears to be a little bit higher than in theoretical case ( 1,525/30 kV or 5% ) . One of the main reasons in the differences between the two sets of curves and consequently in the voltage drop, is consisting in the computing of the resistance Rs effects , not considered in eq. ( 4 1 , as well as the active part of the load. Both are in fact contributing to increase the voltage drop in respect of the theoretically predicted one.

32

(12)

The function according to eq.s (12) is also plotted in Fig.3, where it is called "analytical". A further betterment can be granted simply correcting K1 and K2 by a factor 3/2, that is :
Kl = 9 n 0 2 L x C

30.

Such corrected function is also plotted in Fig. 3 and called "approx" , where appears approximating quite good the theoretical one. The network can be simulated by computer as well. This have been done writing all the differential equations of the Fig.1 net model and solving them by computer. The CSMP ( Continuous System Modelling Program ) has been used.[8] The control action of the antiparallel thyristors on the compensator currents, has been simulated by the equations

28

26

2 !

Fig.4 Answer of the network at load reactive power changes as obtained by simulation.

148

In order to get the function a = f(Ql),,a dotted line, similar to the one used in Fig.2, has been plotted and the result reported in Fig.3 toqether with the similar theoretical and approximating functions. 2. CONCLUSIONS. methodologies, the theoretical approach and the computer modelling, have been compared. The studied power system proves that the control curves obtained theoretically are confirmed quite good by the one obtained by simulation. The two curves do not differ each other consistently and the related values of susceptance for the controlled reactors are also not changing more than some percent point, in the worst cases. We can conclude that the proposed analytical approximating equation ( 1 2 ) , used together with parameters (131, offers quite good results for practical purposes.
Two

3 . REFERENCES.

[l] L. Gyugyi - R.A. Otto - T.H. Putman, "PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS OF STATIC THYRISTOR-CONTROLLED SHUNT COMPENSATORS" IEEE-Transactions on P.A.S. Vol-PAS-97, Nr 5 Sept./Oct. 1978 [21 L. Gyugyi, "REACTIVE POWER GENERATION AND CONTROL BY THYRISTOR CIRCUITS" IEEE Transactions on I.A. Vol-IA, Nr 5 Sept./oct. 1979 [3] I. Hosono - M. Yano - M. Takeda S.Yuya, "SUPPRESSION AND MEASUREMENT OF ARC FURNACE FLICKER WITH A LARGE VAR COMPENSATOR" IEEE-Transactions on P.A.S. Vol-PAS-98, Nr 6 Nov./Dic. 1979 [4] L. Gyugyi - E.R. Taylor, OF STATIC "CHARACTERISTICS THYRISTOR-CONTROLLED SHUNT COMPENSATORS SYSTEM FOR POWER TRANSMISSION APPLICATIONS" IEEE-Transactions on P.A.S. Vol-PAS-99, Nr 5 Sept./oct. 1980 [5] R.H.Lasseter - S.Y.Lee, "DIGITAL SIMULATION OF STATIC VAR SYSTEM TRANS1ENTSI' IEEE Transactions on P.A.S. Vol-PAS-101, Nr 10 Oct. 1982
[ 6 1 T.J. Miller, "REACTIVE POWER SYSTEMS" New York - 1982;

APPENDIX. With reference to Fig.1, the studied network, consisting of two 100 tons arc furnaces plant, has the following electrical values: main supply: 130 kV - 50 HZ bus bar voltage: 30 kV short circuit at 130 kV: Pcc=3500 MVA main transformer: 130/30 kV, 150 MVA, Vcc=14% The remaining values are ( at 30 kV ) : Rs=0.12 ohm xs=1.2 ohm For the load and compensator side: C=8.75*10-5 F Lx=O.1158 H R=9 ohm

CONTROL

IN

ELECTRIC

[7] F.Tosato - A.Contin, "LA COMPENSAZIONE DEI CARICHI MEDIANTE REATTORI CONTROLLATI'I L'Energia Elettrica n.9-1987 [8] F.Speckhart - W.Green, "A GUIDE TO USING CSMP - The System Modelling Program" Prentice Hall - 1976 Continuous

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