Damping subsynchronous resonance using supplementary controls around the static synchronous series compensator.

Abstract

The demand for electric power increases rapidly with the growth in human population whereas expansion of existing power transmission infrastructure is restrained by difficulties in obtaining rights of way, resource scarcity and environmental policies inter alia. This has called for better utilization of existing transmission facilities which, for many years has been achieved through series compensation of transmission lines using conventional series capacitor banks. However, during major system disturbances, these conventional series capacitors weaken the damping of torsional oscillations in the neighboring turbine-generator shafts, which may lead to the failure and damage of the shafts concerned; a phenomenon known as subsynchronous resonance (SSR). Alternative means of series compensation using high-speed semiconductor switches has been realized following introduction of Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) in power systems. This research work focuses on damping of SSR using damping controls around the second-generation series device of the FACTS family namely the static synchronous series compensator (SSSC). The SSSC is designed to inject voltage in series with the transmission line and in quadrature with line current to emulate capacitive reactance in series with the transmission line. In this research work, a model of the SSSC is developed in Power System Computer Aided Design (PSCAD) and the IEEE First Benchmark Model (FBM) is used for SSR analysis. Initially, the resonant characteristics of the SSSC compensated transmission line is studied to determine whether this device has a potential to excite SSR on its own. The results confirm earlier work by other researchers using a detailed model of the SSSC, showing that introduction of a SSSC can indeed excite SSR, although not to the same extent as conventional series capacitors. The research work then considers the addition of supplementary damping controllers to the SSSC to add positive damping to subsynchronous oscillations caused by the SSSC itself as well as by a combination of conventional series capacitors and a SSSC in the IEEE FBM. Finally, the research work considers a more complex transmission system with an additional transmission line that incorporates conventional series capacitors. Time-domain simulation results and Fast Fourier Transform analyses show that a damping controller around the SSSC can be used to mitigate SSR either due to the SSSC itself, or due to conventional series capacitors in the same line as the SSSC or due to conventional series capacitors in an adjacent line of an interconnected transmission network.