Power System Voltage Control and

Stability
V. Ajjarapu (vajjarap@iastate.edu)
Iowa State University
Ames, USA
Third NSF Workshop on US-Africa
Research and Education Collaboration
Abuja, Nigeria, December 13-15, 2004
TECHNOLOGY &
ENVIRONMENT
ENERGY &
EDUCATION
TECHNOLOGY &
ENVIRONMENT
ENERGY &
EDUCATION
Outline
Introduction
Aim
Educators Involved
Area of Research
POWER SYSTEM SECURITY AND CONTROL
An Overview

Medium of Interaction
Web based
Travel
Activities Planned
Our Department
48 faculty
Power: 4 + 2
Over 30 power graduate students
Typical undergraduate power class: 50
Mainly power systems: Security and
dynamics , risk analysis, economics and
markets
State of the art power electronics lab
Aim
Building African collaboration with ISU
researchers to build further understanding
of different power system case studies.
Developing a roadmap for future research
activities in power / energy, information
systems technology, environmental and
social dynamics, and education pedagogy
Educators Involved
Prof. George O. Anderson, Univ. of
Botswana
Dr. Tanimu Abubakar, Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria, Nigeria
Dr. Venkataramana Ajjarapu (with
support from EPNES ISU faculty)
Graduate/Undergraduate Students from
these Universities

Research : POWER SYSTEM SECURITY AND
CONTROL:

Main Area of Expertise : Voltage Stability , Oscillatory
Stability, VAR Planning and dispatch , ATC :

Sub Area: Power Electronics and Real Time Control

The group is developing a comprehensive approach for voltage
and oscillatory stability analysis and control. This group is also
actively involved in the Available Transfer Capability(ATC)
evaluation as limited by voltage as well as oscillatory stability.
Reactive power requirements and pricing required for deregulated
environment. These techniques will be applied to realistic
practical power networks.
Our Groups Research
Overview
Developing techniques that are very
effective for stressed power systems
A single tool can be adapted for cost
based security with timing of control
information
Available Transfer Capability (ATC) is part
of this research
Web Based Security Tools for Distance
Education

Power Flow, CPF and EQTP
Conventional power flow program calculates
steady state solution for a given operating
condition.
Continuation power flow (CPF) traces a series of
power flow solutions for a given scenario. You
can also trace the bottom of the PV curve.
Equilibrium Tracing Program (EQTP) is an
extension of CPF. DAE instead of pure power
flow equation is used to represent the power
system. It has the capability of detecting both
voltage and oscillatory instabilities.
Security Margin Tracing
Illustration of voltage stability, oscillatory stability and damping ratio boundary
tracing
Damping ratio boundary for D= D
0
Voltage stability margin boundary
Oscillatory stability margin boundary
A1
A2
Predictor
Corrector
Parameter
Voltage




- Numerical results for Identification: CPF

Example For Voltage Stability Boundary: Reactive
Power Variation
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
shunt capacitance added at bus 8 (p.u.)
t
o
t
a
l

s
y
s
t
e
m

l
o
a
d

m
a
r
g
i
n

(
M
W
)
Optimal Margin Boundary
Tracing
Basic Formulation

For a sequence of specified margin levels:

Minimize a cost function : f(U)

Subject to : Equality Conditions : F, G
Inequality constraints : I
Optimality conditions :
Margin boundary conditions : C
obt


Results in a set of nonlinear equations of the form:



0
,...) , , (
) , , , , , (
) , , , (
) , , , (
=
(
(
(
(

x u
obt
h l
F f C
s s U Y X I
U Y X G
U Y X F

Formulation (Cont.)
The formulation could automatically generate
a whole set of cost based optimal control
configurations with each optimal control
configuration corresponding to specific
margin level that can be realized.


Sample Result for OMBT
Continuation Based Time
Domain Simulation
Key Points
No divergence due to singularity of
Time step size is adjusted according to the
variation of dS/dt
Small time steps for fast dynamics and
large time steps for slow dynamics

Trajectory Before and After a Line
Outage (with load variation)
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
0.94
0.945
0.95
0.955
0.96
0.965
0.97
0.975
0.98
0.985
time (sec)
v
o
l
t
a
g
e

o
f

B
U
S

4

(
p
.
u
.
)
Voltage Time Domain Trajectory
QSS Simulation
0 50 100 150 200 250
0.92
0.93
0.94
0.95
0.96
0.97
0.98
0.99
time (sec)
v
o
l
t
a
g
e

o
f

B
U
S

4

(
p
.
u
.
)
Voltage Time Domain Trajectory
Overall Strategy
o
t
0 1 2 i
Scenario
Credible
Contingency Set
C
j
{C
1
,C
2
, ,C
m
}
No
No
Yes Yes
Trace Eigenvalue
for Hopf and
Damping Margin
Preventive
Control
Strategies
All Credible
Contingencies
Tested ?
Sufficient
Margin ?
j =j +1
i =i +1
Check for (A+A
T
)
singularity
Voltage stability margin
Oscillatory stability margin
Damping ration margin
(A+A
T
) singular
before SNB?
No
Yes
Research Needs
On line monitoring :
Fast calculations
Accuracy vs Speed

Timing Information: Fast
vs Slow Collapse

Integration of Cost of
Voltage and Oscillatory
Stability Control in
Overall Security
Assessment
Optimal Strategies for Load Shedding :
when, where and how much

Capabilities at ISU
A method to quickly identifies voltage and
oscillatory instability points.
The change in the instability margin
boundaries can be further obtained for any
large change in system parameters.
Optimization and Time Domain Simulations
are part of Continuation Based Approach
An efficient eigenvalue tracking method is
introduced.
Provides damping information
Provides eigenvalue and eigenvector sensitivity
information as a by product
Capabilities Cont..
Automatic PV Curve Tracing.
Field current and armature current limits are
included.
Provides true maximum power point by
considering relevant dynamic factors.
There is no need for slack bus
Can solve unsolvable cases created by a line
or generator outages
Capabilities Cont
Sensitivity Analysis (qualitative)
Screens the contingencies that may lead to
voltage collapse
Locates the weak areas , identifies the critical
generators
Provides voltage stability margin estimation
Capabilities Cont..
Available Transfer Capability as Limited
by Voltage and Oscillatory Stability
Simulates simultaneous multi-area
transactions
Provides Transaction Sensitivity: Identifies
and ranks the transactions that are
detrimental to voltage stability
Reactive power pricing /amount /location/ to
maintain voltage security
Capabilities Cont..
Preventive and Corrective Strategies
Against the Voltage Collapse
Strategies for minimum load shedding
Strategies for under-voltage load shedding
Strategies to maintain a certain voltage
stability margin
Capabilities Cont..
Development of Advanced Algorithms for
steady state, dynamic and time domain
simulations
A simulation engine that can allow transient
and quasi- steady state analysis
to obtain a comprehensive analysis to predict
and control instabilities
When , where and how much control

Capabilities Cont..
On Line Voltage Stability Monitoring and
Control:
Developing methodologies to utilize off line
studies for on line implementation
Application to Botswana 32 Bus
Test System
Botswana System (Cont..)
Demand : 243 MW
Supply
Local (coal): 128MW
ESKOM and SAPP : 115MW
Simulation :
Software : Aristo (Advanced Real Time Interactive
Simulator for Training and Operation ) by ABB
Dr. Anderson applied this software for Power flow and
Fault analysis for 32 bus equivalent system

Activities Planned wrt EPNES
Project (research)
Task 1: Setting up a test case for Botswana System

Task 2: Study the maximum loadability with respect
various contingencies and scenarios

Task 3: Apply margin sensitivity to find the
locations for shunt capacitors and series
capacitors

Task 4: Develop Automaton for backward algorithm

Activities Planned (education)
Botswana group will participate in EE458
course

Develop I hour lecture material for this course



1. Evolutionary history of the power industry; present industry structure;
2. Discrete optimization;
3. Power system operation;
4. Electricity markets;
5. Power system planning and cost-effective solutions;
6. Cost recovery for transmission investment; basics of public good
economics;
7. Cost-recovery models:
Tariff-based model;
Performance-based model;
Market-driven model;
8. Tax treatment of transmission investments.
EE/Econ 458: Economic systems for planning in electric power
Students completing this course will be able to conduct studies in policy,
economics, & engineering associated with transmission expansion; they will
enhance their skills using optimization methods for engineering & economic
problem-solving.
Will offer Fall 2004 on-campus, and via distance-education.
Web Based
Interaction

Characteristics
Platform (OS) Independent
Standardized System Input Files
Graphic PV Curves Output
Detailed Simulation Process Output
Margin Sensitivity
Simulation Website
http://design-2.ece.iastate.edu/newsim/index.php

Simulation Website Cont..
Input Files
IEEE Common Data Format is adopted as the
input file for power system topology and
parameters
Another standardized control file is used to
specify load and generation increase scenario
Sample Test System input files are provided
Simulation Website Cont..
Upload Input Files
Simulation Website Cont..
Download Sample Systems
Multiple Simulation Outputs
Tabular Output
Outputs Cont..
Graphic PV Curve
Outputs Cont..
Generator Reactive Power Output