SIMFACTS: A FLEXIBLE AC TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS SOFTWARE PACKAGE FOR TEACHING AND RESEARCH

M. S. Perdigao ( 2), S. D. Chaves(l), C. I. Faustino Agreira(l) and C. M. Machado Ferreira(l)

(1) DEE, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra, Portugal (2) Instituto de Telecomunica,o-es, Portugal

ABSTRACT This paper describes an educational case study approach to FACTS Controllers on an Electric Power Network. Application software, SIMFACTS, was developed by the authors with the GUIDE tool from MatlabTM in order to simulate the power system effects resulting from the inclusion of FACTS Controllers. The studied topologies were: Series, Shut and Combined compensators. A simple explanation of several controllers, mainly STATCOM, SVC, TCSC, SSSC and UPFC is made in order to understand the singular concepts behind FACTS technology. A case study showing the main results regarding the impact of FACTS Controllers on a steady-state operation of a Test Power Network is presented. It is also included an example of the power flow solutions using one of SSSC controller. A sudden bus load change with a coupled STATCOM controller is also presented.
Keywords: FACTS Controllers, simulation, MatlabTm/Guide, SIMFACTS, Power Flow. 1. INTRODUCTION 2. SERIES CONNECTED CONTROLLERS

Flexible AC Transmission Systems Controllers (FACTS), previously known as Reactive Power Compensators (RPC), opens new control opportunities concerning the electrical power grids by improving the present capacity of a power system and of its components [1]. This improved technology is the reflex of an amount of important recent world events like the oil embargos of 1973 and 1979, the appearance of environmental movements, the constant exposition of populations to the magnetic fields generated by the electrical systems and the conjunction of private consortiums. FACTS Controllers have the advantage to control electrical parameters related with the standard operation of transmission power systems such has: series impedance, shunt impedance, current, voltage, phase angle and damping oscillations. The fundamental reason for this major development is the possibility of using emerging technology based on high power semiconductors [2]. The possible benefits of using FACTS technology in a in this this transmission transmission power system may be enumerated in

Series controllers or static series compensators can be represented by variable impedance like a capacitor or an inductance or a power electronics based variable source. Usually, all the series controllers apply voltage in series to the line. As long as the applied voltage is in phase quadrature with the line current, the controller only supplies or consumes variable reactive power. Good examples of such controllers are the: TCSC, Thyristor-Controlled Series Capacitor and the SSSC, Static Synchronous Series Compensator, both shown in Figure 1 [1].
2.1 TCSC The basic scheme of a Thyristor-Controlled Series Capacitor, TCSC, as shown in figure 1 (a), has been proposed by Vithayathil in 1986 in conjunction with others as a method of "rapid adjustment of network impedance", [4]. It consists of a series capacitor shunted by a TCR, Thyristor-Controlled Reactor, composed of an inductance coupled with a ind anti-plel thyrist dge as inr t in asoiae at-rle,inodro thrsorbig provide a smoothly variable series capacitive reactance. This is the basic concept idea of this controller: continuously provide a variable capacitor by means of partially cancelling the effective compensating capacitance controlling the firing angle of the TCR. In a practical TCSC implementation, various basic controllers can be connected in series in order to get the desired voltage rating and operating characteristics. Since, the power thyristor technology is well-known highly reliable, it iS possible to say that in a near future, the TCSC controller will be largely used [5].

power[systemImay]be:enumerated

o o o o o o o

Control of power flow as ordered; Improvement of maximum line load; Security improvement of the system; Lines upgrade; Easy implementation of new equipment; Reduced power flow of reactive power;

o Reduced refluxes of power; Reduced cost of power generation.

~and

Generally, FACTS Controllers can be divided into three major categories, series controllers, shunt controllers and combined controllers, like series-shunt controllers or series-series controllers [3].
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2.2 SSSC Another major used series connected controllers is the Static Synchronous Series Compensator, SSSC,

introduced for the first time by Gyugyi in 1989, based on voltage source converters [6]. Operated without an external electric energy source, the SSSC is allowed to work like a series compensator, whose output voltage is in quadrature with, and controllable independently of, the line current for the purpose of increasing or decreasing the overall reactive voltage drop across the line and thereby controlling the transmitted electric power.
3. SHUNT CONNECTED CONTROLLERS

It is a combination of a STATCOM and a SSSC which are coupled via a common DC link, to allow bidirectional flow of real power between the series output terminals of the SSSC and the shunt outputs of the STATCOM, in order to provide real and series line compensation without an external electric energy source. The UPFC is capable of controlling simultaneously or selectively all the electrical parameters that influence the power flow in a transmission line, i.e., voltage, line impedance and phase angle [1].

Like the series controllers, shunt connected controllers or static shunt compensators, can be a variable impedance, a variable source, or even a combination of both. The principle of operation of these controllers is to inject current into the system at the point of connection. As long as the injected current is in phase quadrature with the line voltage, the shunt controller only supplies or consumes variable reactive power. Any other phase relationship will involve handling of real power as well [1], [5]. Two different examples of such controllers are presented in Figure 2.
3.1 SVC A Static VAR Compensator, SVC, is a shunt-connected static generator that supplies or consumes reactive energy whose output is adjusted to exchange capacitive or inductive current so as to maintain or control specific parameters of the electrical power system,

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Figure 1 Static Series Compensators: a) TCSC b) SSSC

typically bus voltage [7].

3.2 STATCOM Presently, the Static Synchronous Compensator, STATCOM, is one of the key FACTS Controllers. It is operated as a shunt-connected static VAR compensator whose capacitive or inductive output current can be controlled independent of the AC system voltage [3]. 4. COMBINED COMPENSATORS

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T
Figure 2 Static Shunt Compensators: a) SVC, TCR, TSC and TSR b) STATCOM

The combined connected controllers may be implemented using either shunt and series compensators working co-ordinately or a Unified Power Flow Controller, UPFC, presented in Figure 3, with shunt or series elements. All these combined controllers inject current into the system with the shunt unit, and voltage in series in the line with the series unit. When these controllers are unified, there can be a real power exchangebetweenthe series and shunt unitsmT via the power link [1].
4.1 UPFC The concept of the UPFC has first been proposed for by Gyugyi in 1991, and it was conceived to supply real-time control and dynamic compensation of ACll transmission systems, allowing the readiness and multi-functional against the numerous problems that the power production industry faces [8].U
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Figure 4 Screenshots of the software package sim FACTS: a) Main window; b) Network parameters data entry; c) Newton-Raphson initial values; d) FACTS Controllers models menu; e) Power Flow result for standard case

5. DESCRIPTION OF simFACTS PROGRAM The simFACTS software package presented in Figure 4, implemented in a MATLAB environment, using the GUIDE tool, offers the possibility to simulate and study power flows considering the existence of FACTS Controllers on a pre-determined power system. The mathematical core of the application is based on the work developed by Acha and presented in [3]. The Newton-Raphson algorithm is used to calculate all the
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electrical values involved on the power system. The simFACTS software package is capable of doing simulations for several models of controllers as shown in Table 1. 5.1 Test Network Description The studied electrical power system, represented in Figure 5, is composed of two generators, five buses, four loads and seven lines and is known as the Stagg and El-Abiad test power network [9].

Insertion

point
Line 6

Power flow

impedance
(p.u.)
0.1

Inductive reactance of series

Table 2 Initial defined parameters for the SSSC model Power target (p.u.) Series Voltage

Power Control
A Active

Amplitude (p.u.)
min 0.001
initial 0.04 max 0.2

Angle

(rad)

A Actve

R Reactve

Reactive ON

Receiving end/Emitter

-1.52

0.4

0.02

ON

Table 1 simFACTS list of models and controllers Topology

SHUNT

Model Name
STATCOM model

buses from the production centres is obtained in the line that connects Main and Elm. A power flow increase caused by the insertion of the SSSC is also observed. The
generator located in the South bus produces 40 MW and absorbs 65.52 MVAr, since the lines directly connected to South show a decrease of reactive power.

SVC with variable susceptance model

SVC with firing angle model

SSSC model
SERIES

TCSC with variable reactance model

TCSC with firing angle model
UPFC model

COMBINED

5.2 Example: SSSC Controller This example reveals how the software package works by showing the effects of the introduction of a specific controller like the SSSC controller. Figure 6 shows the input data window for the SSSC. The SSSC controller parameters are: Insertion point, name of the line where the controller will be placed in the system; Power Flow, determines the direction of the flowing power; Inductive reactance of series impedance, assumed value to the reactance XL to be placed in series with the line; Active Power Control, indicates if the controller is able to assume or not the chosen value for the active power; Reactive Power Control, indicates if the controller is able to assume or not the chosen value for the reactive power; Active Power Target: active power value to be attained; Reactive Power Target: reactive power value to be attained; Series Voltage Amplitude, operational limits of the voltage applied to the line by the SSSC; Series Voltage Angle, value of the phase angle for the voltage.

Figure 5 Test Network

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Vl i 0.04 0.2 Figure 7 shows the introduction of the SSSC on the transmission line. The controller is initially configured Series Voltage1 Anglm: 62 (rad to act on the values of active and reactive power that l flow in the line that connects the Lake bus to the Main _ bus. Table 2 presents the parameters in the default file1 which were used to simulate this case. Figure 6 SSSC input data window
Fl

(pu.

5.3 Simulation results Figure 7 and Table 3 show the obtained simulation results for the Power flow solution. The SSSC supplies the needed active and reactive power, 40 MW and 2 MVAr respectively. A significant improvement for the values of nodal voltages of the electrically distant
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Table 3 Voltage amplitude and phase angle values Bus |Busl Voltages North South Lake Main Elm SSSC| Amplitude 10 |1.|098|092 097 097 00 1.7 5.7 3.1 4.9 2.51 Phas Angle [0] ______1.77___5.73___3.19___4.97___2.51

GI

7. CONCLUSIONS

1 S

2
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Increased demands on transmission, absence of longterm planning, and the need to provide open access to generating companies and customers, all together have created tendencies toward less security and reduced quality of supply. FACTS technology is essential to alleviate some but not all of these difficulties in order to enhance grid reliability and that is one of the main reasons why it became an important teaching subject. / /Application software, SIMFACTS, developed mainly as a teaching tool in order to simulate the power system 4~tr la, effects resulting from the inclusion of FACTS l $ Controllers in a power network, can be very useful to the person who initiates its first approach to this subject. l Student at both under graduate and graduate levels can g;g; {> ii52 t11 successfully use this simulation tool in project 7 Power Flow solution Figure assignments on power system analysis.
5_ 4 34
7

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6. PERFORMANCE OF A STATCOM AGAINST SUDDEN BUS LOAD VARIATIONS To prove the real local effectiveness that can be achieve by introducing a FACTS Controller, for instance a STATCOM, some simulations were done. The obtained results are commented below. Figure 8 shows the bus voltage versus the bus load variations for the Elm bus, with and without the STATCOM inserted in series with this bus. The used method is based on the step increase of the bus load until it reaches its maximum value and simultaneously register the bus voltage fluctuations [10]. In order to do this, the Power Control was turned OFF.
Bus Voltage Vs Bus Load Variation

8. REFERENCES

1,2

1,1 __________________

m 1,0
0,

S-Without
0,9
E

With

With

STATCOM

0,8
0,7
60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160

1. Hingorani, N. G. and Gyugyi, L., Understanding FACTS: Concepts and Technology of Flexible AC Transmission Systems, IEEE Press, New York, 1999. 2. Watanabe, H., Barbosa, P., Almeida, K. and Taranto, G., Tecnologia FACTS - Tutorial, (in Portuguese), SBA Controle e Automa,ao, Vol. 9, No.1, 1998. 3. Acha, E., Fuerte-Esquivel, C. R., Ambriz-Perez, H., and Angeles-Camacho, C., FACTS Modelling and Simulation in Power Networks, Wiley, UK, 2004. 4. Vithayathil, J. J., Case studies of conventional and novel methods of reactive power control on an AC transmission system, CIGRE paper 38-02, 1986. 5. Song, Y. H., Johns, A. T. (Editors), Flexible AC Transmission Systems, IEE Power and Energy Series, No. 30, UK, 1999. 6. Gyugyi, L., Solid-state control of electric power in AC transmission system, Inter. Symp. on Electric Energy Conversion in Power Systems, Italy, 1989. 7. IEEE Special Stability Controls Working Group, Static VAr compensator models for power flow and dynamic performance simulation, IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 229-240, 1994. 8. Schauder, C. D., Gyugyi, L., et al., Operation of the Unified Power Flow Controller UPFC Under Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 630-639, 1998. 9. Stagg and El-Abiad, Computer Methods in Power System Analysis, Wiley, 1968. 10. Moghavvemi, M., Faruque, M., Effects of FACTS devices on static voltage stability, IEEE, 2000. 9. AUTHOR'S ADDRESS Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra Departamento de Engenharia Electrotecnica Rua Pedro Nunes, Quinta da Nora 3030-199 Coimbra, Portugal email: perdigaogmail.isec.pt
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Practical Constraints, IEEE Trans. Power

Bus Load (MW)

Delivery,

Figure 8 Bus Voltage profile against Bus load increments

It can be concluded from Figure 8 that by increasing the load demand, the bus voltage will assume values considered dangerous and the system limits, i.e., transmission lines limits can be overrun, so the system could collapse. With the inclusion of a STATCOM controller, the obtained simulation result is quiet different. The voltage profile varies around the nominal value so the system stability is not put in danger. With this FACT controller it is assured continuity ofthe load power supply.