FEXIBLE AC TRANSMISSION SYSTEM:

In the last two decades, power demand has increased substantially while the expansion of power generation and transmission has been severely limited due to limited resources and environmental restrictions. As a consequence, some transmission lines are heavily loaded and the system stability becomes a power transfer-limiting factor. Flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) controllers have been mainly used for solving various power system steady state control problems. Flexible AC transmission systems or FACTS are devices which allow the flexible and dynamic control of power systems. The FACTS controllers offer a great opportunity to regulate the transmission of alternating current (AC), increasing or diminishing the power flow in specific lines and responding almost instantaneously to the stability problems. The potential of this technology is based on the possibility of controlling the route of the power flow and the ability of connecting networks that are not adequately interconnected, giving the possibility of trading energy between distant agents. Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) is static equipment used for the AC transmission of electrical energy. It is meant to enhance controllability.

Objectives of FACTS controllers:

The main objectives of FACTS controllers are the following: 1. Regulation of power flows in prescribed transmission routes. 2. Secure loading of transmission lines nearer to their thermal limits. 3. Prevention of cascading outages by contributing to emergency control.

4. Damping of oscillations that can threaten security or limit the usable line capacity. The implementation of the above objectives requires the development of high power compensators and controllers. The technology needed for this is high power electronics with real-time operating control. The realization of such an overall system optimization control can be considered as an additional objective of FACTS controllers Benefits of FACTS controllers: 1. Cost: Due to high capital cost of transmission plant, cost considerations frequently overweigh all other considerations. Compared to alternative methods of solving transmission loading problems, FACTS technology is often the most economic alternative. 2. Convenience: All FACTS controllers can be retrofitted to existing ac transmission plant with varying degrees of ease. Compared to high voltage direct current or six-phase transmission schemes, solutions can be provided without wide scale system disruption and within a reasonable timescale. 3. Environmental impact: In order to provide new transmission routes to supply an ever increasing worldwide demand for electrical power, it is necessary to acquire the right to convey electrical energy over a given route. It is common for environmental opposition to frustrate attempts to establish new transmission routes. FACTS technology, however, allows greater throughput over existing routes, thus meeting consumer demand without the construction of new transmission lines. However, the environmental impact of the FACTS device itself may be considerable. In particular, series compensation units can be visually obtrusive with large items of transmission equipment placed on top of high-voltage insulated platforms. 4. Control of power flow to follow a contract, meet the utilities own needs, ensure optimum power flow, minimize the emergency conditions, or a combination thereof. 5. Contribute to optimal system operation by reducing power losses and improving voltage profile. 6. Increase the loading capability of the lines to their thermal capabilities, including short term and seasonal.

7. Increase the system security by raising the transient stability limit, limiting short-circuit currents and overloads, managing cascading blackouts and damping electromechanical oscillations of power systems and machines. 8. Provide secure tie line connections to neighboring utilities and regions thereby decreasing overall generation reserve requirements on both sides. 9. Provide greater flexibility in sitting new generation. 10. Reduce reactive power flows, thus allowing the lines to carry more active power. 11. Reduce loop flows. 12. Increase utilization of least cost generation. 13. Overcome the problem of voltage fluctuations and in particular, voltage fluctuations.

Benefits of FACTS devices:

Better utilization of existing transmission system assets Increased transmission system reliability and availability Increased dynamic and transient grid stability and reduction of loop flows Increased quality of supply for sensitive industries Environmental benefits Better utilization of existing transmission system assets crease power transfer capability.

Role of FACT Controllers in power system:

Operating problem Voltage limits:
Low voltage at heavy load High voltage at low load High voltage following an outage Low voltage following an outage Supply reactive power Absorb reactive power Absorb reactive power; prevent overload Supply reactive power; prevent overload Reduce overload Limit circuit loading STATCOM, SVC STATCOM, SVC, TCR STATCOM, SVC, TCR STATCOM, SVC TCSC, SSSC, UPFC, IPC TCSC, SSSC, UPFC, IPC

Corrective action

FACTS controllers

Thermal limits:
Transmission circuit overload Tripping of parallel circuits

Loop flows:

Parallel line load sharing Post-fault power flow sharing Power flow direction reversal

Adjust series reactance Rearrange network or use thermal limit actions Adjust phase angle

IPC, SSSC, UPFC, TCSC IPC, TCSC, SSSC,UPFC IPC, SSSC, UPFC

STATIC VAR COMPENSATION:

A static VAR compensator (or SVC) is an electrical device for providing fast-acting reactive power on high-voltage electricity transmission networks. SVCs are part of the Flexible AC transmission system device family, regulating voltage and stabilizing the system. Unlike a synchronous condenser which is a rotating electrical machine, a static VAR compensator has no significant moving parts (other than internal switchgear). The term "static" refers to the fact that the SVC has no moving parts (other than circuit breakers and disconnects, which do not move under normal SVC operation). Prior to the invention of the SVC, power factor compensation was the preserve of large rotating machines such as synchronous condensers or switched capacitor banks. The SVC is an automated impedance matching device, designed to bring the system closer to unity power factor. If the power system's reactive load is capacitive (leading), the SVC will use reactors (usually in the form of Thyristor-Controlled Reactors) to consume VARs from the system, lowering the system voltage. Under inductive (lagging) conditions, the capacitor banks are automatically switched in, thus providing a higher system voltage. They also may be placed near high and rapidly varying loads, such as arc furnaces, where they can smooth flicker voltage. It is known that the SVCs with an auxiliary injection of a suitable signal can considerably improve the dynamic stability performance of a power system. It is observed that SVC controls can significantly influence nonlinear system behavior especially under high-stress operating conditions and increased SVC gains.

Principle:
Typically, an SVC comprises one or more banks of fixed or switched shunt capacitors or reactors, of which at least one bank is switched by thyristors. Elements which may be used to make an SVC typically include:

Thyristor controlled reactors (TCR), where the reactor may be airor iron-cored Thyristor switch capacitors (TSC) Harmonic filter(s) Mechanically switched capacitors or reactors (switched by a circuit breakers) By means of phase angle modulation switched by the thyristors, the reactor may be variably switched into the circuit and so provide a continuously variable MVAR injection (or absorption) to the electrical network. In this configuration, coarse voltage control is provided by the capacitors; the thyristor-controlled reactor is to provide smooth control. Smoother control and more flexibility can be provided with thyristor-controlled capacitor switching.

The thyristors are electronically controlled. Thyristors, like all semiconductors, generate heat and deionized water is commonly used to cool them. Chopping reactive load into the circuit in this manner injects undesirable odd-order harmonics and so banks of high-power filters are usually provided to smooth the waveform. Since the filters themselves are capacitive, they also export MVARs to the power system.

Advantages: The main advantage of SVCs over simple mechanically-switched compensation schemes is their near-instantaneous response to changes in the system voltage. For this reason they are often operated at close to their zero-point in order to maximize the reactive power correction they can rapidly provide when required.

They are, in general, cheaper, higher-capacity, faster and more reliable than dynamic compensation schemes such as synchronous condensers. However, static VAR compensators are more expensive than mechanically switched capacitors, so many system operators use a combination of the two technologies (sometimes in the same installation), using the static VAR compensator to provide support for fast changes and the mechanically switched capacitors to provide steady-state VARs.