Simulation of hydroelectric

system control

Dewi Jones

Simulation of hydroelectric system control

Dewi Jones

Report GW002
October 2008

GWEFR Cyf
Technium CAST
Ffordd Penlan
Parc Menai
Bangor
Gwynedd LL57 4HJ
Wales
Tel: +44 (0) 2921 251768
Email: gwefr@gwefr.co.uk
http://www.gwefr.co.uk
Care has been taken in the preparation of this report but all advice, analysis, calculations, information, forecasts and
recommendations are supplied for the assistance of the relevant client and are not to be relied upon as authoritative or as in
substitution for the exercise of judgement by that client or any other reader. Neither GWEFR Cyf, nor any of its personnel
engaged in the preparation of this Report shall have any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from
the use of this Report or its contents and give no warranty or representation (express or implied) as to the quality or fitness for
the purpose of any process, product or system referred to in the Report.
Copyright in this Report remains the sole property of GWEFR Cyf.

Contents
1

Introduction..............................................................................................................................................................1

Outlineofthesimulation.....................................................................................................................................1
2.1

Physicallayout................................................................................................................................................1

2.2

Modelsummary.............................................................................................................................................3

SimulationofhydraulicsystemwithfixedrateGVopening.................................................................4

Lumpedparametermodels................................................................................................................................7
4.1

Lumpedparameter,inelasticwatercolumnmodel........................................................................7

4.2

Linearisedmodel...........................................................................................................................................9

Controlsystemdesign...........................................................................................................................................9

ClosedloopsimulationwithGridconnection..........................................................................................12

6.1

Frequencycontrolmode.........................................................................................................................13

6.2

Powerdialupmode..................................................................................................................................16

6.3

Fullloadrejection......................................................................................................................................17

Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................................19


<intentionallyblank>

Introduction

ThissamplereportoutlineshowthegenericsimulationpackageofferedbyGWEFR Cyfcan
providevaluableinformationaboutthedynamicresponseofaproposedhydroelectricinstallation,
givenjustthebasicinformationaboutthePlantsphysicallayout,itsprimaryparametersand
modesofoperation.
Theobjectiveistoincreaseunderstandingofhowtheproposedhydraulicandelectricalsystems
affectthedynamicresponseofthePlantandhencethequalityofpowergenerationanapproach
advocatedinIEEEStandard12072004IEEEGuidefortheApplicationofTurbineGoverning
SystemsforHydroelectricGeneratingUnits[1].
Thefollowingsectionpresentsasimplifiedversionofthehydraulicsystem,composedofa
reservoirsupplyingtwoGridconnectedFrancisturbine/generatorsviaacommontunnel,a
manifoldandtwoidenticalpenstocks.Thisisusedasthebasisofatravellingwavemodelthat
estimatesthepressureandflowvariationsinthewaterpassagesunderdefinedratesofopeningor
closingoftheturbineguidevanes.
Comparisonsaremadebetweentheresponsesproducedbythreedifferenttypesofmodel,as
suggestedbyanexpertIEEEWorkingGroup[2]:

Nonlineardistributedparameter,elasticwatercolumnthemostaccuratemodelbut
computationallyintensive;
Nonlinearlumpedparameter,inelasticwatercolumnrequireslesscomputationbutdoes
notrepresenttravellingwaveeffects;
Linearisedmodelsuitableforcontroldesign.

StandardtuningrulesareappliedtodesignaPIDcontrollerbasedonthelinearisedmodel.
Theresultinggovernorisintegratedwithmodelsforthehydraulics,turbine/generatorandGridto
studysystemperformancefor3scenarios:

Closedloopfrequencycontrolmode
Dialuppowermodewithfeedforward
Fullloadrejection

Thereportprovidesconstructiveinputtotherequirementscapturestageoftheprojectand
forthcomingdesignefforts.

2
2.1

Outlineofthesimulation
Physicallayout

Figure1showsthegenerallayoutofthehydraulicsystemassumedinthemodel.Thereservoiris
connectedbyalongsupplytunneltoamanifoldthatseparatesintotwoidenticalpenstocks,which
feedidenticalturbine/generators.Thetailraceisnotincludedinthemodelatthisstage.Notethat
thelayoutisnotquitesymmetricalbecausethewaterpathtoUnit#2hasadditionallengthdueto
themanifold.ThedimensionsareshowninFigure2.

Figure1Generallayoutofthehydraulicsystem.

880m
10m
513m

10m

9.5m
130m
3.3m

130m
3.3m
80m
9.5m

Figure2Crosssectionandplanviewsshowingdimensions(datumtakenatturbineinlet).

2.2

Modelsummary

Hydraulicsystem:
The4pipesectionsaremodelledusingtheMethodofCharacteristics[3]whichisusedtocompute
thetimevariationofpiezometricpressureanduniformflowat100discretepointsinthenetwork.
Allheadlossesexceptforfrictionareconsiderednegligible.Thereare5boundaryconditions:

Theheadatthereservoiroutletisconsideredconstant.
Atthebranchbetweentunnel,manifoldandpenstock#1theheadisconstrainedtobe
identicalforall3branchesandcontinuityofflowisapplied.
Similarconditionsareappliedatthejunctionbetweenthemanifoldandpenstock#2.
Bothturbinesaremodelledasidealisedlosslesscontrolcomponentswheretherelationship
betweenheadandflowisgivenby:

V2
Hu = Atb 2
G

(2.1)

whereHu=headacrosstheturbine

V=flowthroughtheturbine

Atb=turbineconstant

G=guidevaneopening(0:1)

Foraflow,Q,themechanicaloutputpowerofaturbineisgivenby:

Pm = QHu g

(2.2)

Electricalsystem
ItisassumedthatthegeneratorsareGridconnectedandrepresentedbyalinearisedversionofthe
classicswingequationsasgiven,forexample,byKundur[4]:
r =

1
( Pm Pe K Dr )
2Hs

K
Pe = s 0 ( r PL )
s

(2.3)

where:

G=Gridfrequency

0,r=ratedandactualUnitspeed

r=Unit(electrical)speed

Ks=synchronisingcoefficient

PL=loadchangeonGrid

KD=speeddampingcoefficient

Pm=turbinemechanicalpower

H=inertiaconstant

Pe=generatorelectricalpower

s=Laplacevariable

Powersystem
TheU.K.GridismodelledasasecondordersystembasedonthestudybyJones[5]:
G ( s )
(1 / )n2

= 2
Pe ( s ) s + 2n s + n2

(2.4)

whereistheGridstiffness.

Parametervalues
AlongwiththedimensionsinFigure1,theparametervaluesusedinthesimulationare
summarisedinTable1:
Table1Simulationparametervalues

Parameter

Symbol

Value

Perunitbaseofvolumetricflow

Qb

65m3/s

Perunitbaseofspeed

100r/s

Perunitbaseofhead

Hb

513m

Accelerationduetogravity

9.81m/s2

Densityofwater

1000kg/m3

Pb=106QbHbg

327 MW

1430m/s

Perunitbaseofpower
Wavevelocity
DarcyWeisbachfrictioncoefficientfortunnel&
manifold
DarcyWeisbachfrictioncoefficientforpenstocks

f1,f2

0.015m/(m3/s)2

f3,f4

0.011m/(m3/s)2

Turbineconstant

Atb

m/(m/s)2

Turbine/Generatorinertiaparameter

3.95s

Generatorsynchronizingtorquecoefficient

Ks

0.7pu/pu

Generatorspeeddampingcoefficient

KD

0.3pu/pu

Gridstiffness

723MW/0.1Hz

Gridnaturalfrequency

0.37r/s

Griddampingfactor

0.38

SimulationofhydraulicsystemwithfixedrateGVopening

Inordertoillustratethekindofinformationthatthesimulationcanproduce,thehydraulicsystem
wassetupforthefollowingscenario:

Turbine#2,whosepenstockisatthefarendofthemanifold,issetatafixedguidevane
(GV)openingtogenerateafixedmechanicalpowerof288MW.
Turbine#1,whosepenstockisatthetunnelendofthemanifold,isinitiallysettogenerate
100MWandGV1thenopenedtoincreasegenerationto205MW.Therateofopeningisset
toarelativelyconservativeequivalentoffullscaletraversein12s.
4


Figure3showsthattheflowvelocityincreasesinpenstock#1asGV#1openswithasmalldipin
thevelocityinpenstock#2overthesameperiod.OpeningGV#1causesthepressureattheturbine
inlettofalland,afterabriefdelaywhilethepressurewavetravelsthroughthe2penstocksandthe
manifold,hydrauliccouplingcausesthepressureatturbine#2todecrease.Theresponsealso
exhibitsapoorlydampedoscillationwithaperiodof0.7sasthetravellingwavetraversesthe
tunnel.Theseeffectsarereflectedinthegeneratedpower.Turbine#1issubjecttoabrieftime
delaybeforetherequiredpowerincreasebeginswhileturbine#2isperturbedfromitssetlevel.

pressure head (m)

520

510

500
turbine #1
turbine #2
branch

490

480

penstock velocity (m/s)

7
6
5
4
3

penstock #1
penstock #2

mechanical power (MW)

300
250
200
150
turbine #1
turbine #2

100
0

10
time (s)

15

Figure3Variationofpressurehead,penstockflowandmechanicalpowerwithGV#1openingin2.6s.

Figure4showstheheadandflowprofilesinthepipenetworkshortlyafterthesimulationis
initiated.Thepressureheadincreases,becauseofelevation,alongthelengthofthetunnelandthen
flattensoutoverthelengthofthepenstock(theredlineshowsthepressureinpenstock#1).The
smallnotchoflowervelocitybetween880and960mislocatedatthemanifold,whichonlycarries
theflowtopenstock#2.AnanimatedversionofFigure4showsthepressurewavetravellingup
anddownthetunnelasthesimulationproceeds.
Thisisaverysimplemodelofthehydraulicsystem(itshouldbeemphasisedthatitisnota
substituteforafullstudyforstructuralengineeringpurposes)butquitesatisfactoryfor
representingthedynamicswithinthetolerancerequiredforacontrolsystemsstudy.Clearly,in
thisparticularexample,thepressurevariationiswithinboundsandquitesatisfactoryinthis
respect.
5


500

pressure head (m)

400
300
200
100
0

200

400

600

800

1000

flow velocity (m/s)

6
5
4
3
2
1
0

200
400
600
800
1000
Pressure head variation (normalised to max and min of range)

200

400
600
distance along pipe (m)

800

1000

Figure4Pressureandflowprofilesinthetunnelandpenstocks.

540

pressure head (m)

520

500

480
turbine #1
turbine #2
branch

460

440

penstock velocity (m/s)

7
6
5
4
3

penstock #1
penstock #2

mechanical power (MW)

2
300
250
200
150

turbine #1
turbine #2

100
0

10
time (s)

15

Figure5Variationofpressurehead,penstockflowandmechanicalpowerwithGV#1openingin1.0s.


TheresultinFigure5wasobtainedbydecreasingtheopeningtimeofGV#1to1.0s.Thisleadstoa
muchlargervariationinpenstockpressurehead,whichfallsto11.5%belowandrisesto+4.5%
abovethestatichead.Thereisacorrespondingvariationofthemechanicalpowerproducedbythe
turbines,withperturbationpeaksforturbine#2of9.7%and+6.7%ofthesteadystatevalue.

4
4.1

Lumpedparametermodels
Lumpedparameter,inelasticwatercolumnmodel

ThemodelpresentedinthissectionisderivedfromtheblockdiagraminSec.2.6of[2].Thewater
columnisconsideredrigidsotravellingwaveeffectsareomitted.Theinertiaofthewatercolumn
isrepresentedbyparametersknownasthewaterstartingtimes.Themodelismultivariable,so
hydrauliccouplingeffectsareretained.Itisalsononlinearandsuitableforusewhensimulating
largeexcursionsofthevariables.
Thewaterstartingtimeforasectionofpipeoflengthisdefinedas:

AV
TW = b
gH b

(4.1)

ForthelayoutofFigure1,therelationshipbetweentheheadandflowratevariationinthetwo
penstocksis:

TW 1
q1
1 h1 TW 1 + TW 3

1 h = T
TW 1 + TW 2 + TW 4 q2
W1
2

(4.2)

where:
h1,h2aretheturbineheads
q1,q2aretheturbineflows
TW1isthewaterstartingtimeforthetunnel(0.145s)
TW2isthewaterstartingtimeforthemanifold(0.014s)
TW3,TW4arethewaterstartingtimeforpenstock#1and#2respectively(both0.198s).
InvertingthisrelationshipallowsittobeembeddedinaSimulinkblockdiagram,asshownin
Figure6,whichincorporatesthenonlinearturbinecharacteristicsandheadlossesduetofriction.
ThesimulationwasrunwithGV#2settooperateatafixedpowerof288MW.GV#1wassetforan
initialoutputpowerof280MWandthenopenedlinearlyover2.6stoproduceasteadystatepower
of310MW.ThedistributedparametermodelwasrunforthesameconditionsandFigure7shows
thatthereisagoodmatchbetweenthepoweroutputs.BecausethesimulationisrunherewithUnit
#1operatingatahigherpowerlevelthaninFigure5,bothmodelspredictaninitialdecreaseof
outputpoweratturbine#1(thecharacteristicnonminimumphaseresponse).Theobvious
discrepancyofcourseistheabsenceofthetravellingwaveoscillationfromtheresponsepredicted
bytheinelasticwatercolumnmodel.ThedifferencebecomesmoreevidentastheGVopeningor
closingtimesbecomeshorter.


0
1
Dw1

Product 4

damping

0
no -load
flow
q

hf

friction
head loss 1
1
G1

1
s

h1

Divide
Product

Pm1

q1

Product 2

Integrator

Pb

iTmat * uvec
P.U. base
head
2
G2

h2

Divide 1

1
s

inverse water
starting time
matrix

Product 1

hf

1
Pinel

P .U. base
power
q2
Pm2

Integrator 1

Product 3

friction
head loss 2

0
Dw2

Product 5

damping 1

Inelastic water column , multiple penstock model in p .u. representation .

Based on Figure 8 of the IEEE Wkg Group paper .

Figure6Simulinkblockdiagramfortheinelasticwatercolumnmodel.

315

310

Mechanical power (MW)

305

300

295

290

285
Unit
Unit
Unit
Unit

280

275

5
time (s)

#1 inelas
#2 inelas
#1 dist
#2 dist

10

Figure7Comparisonofresponsesfordistributedparameterandlumpedparametermodels.

4.2

Linearisedmodel

Itisusefultohavealinearmodelsothatclassicalcontrolsystemmethodscanbeappliedto
designingabasiccontroller.Usingstandardtechniques,equations(4.2)and(2.1)canbelinearised
togiveasmallsignalstatespacemodeloftheusualform:
x = Ax + Bu
y = Cx + Du

(4.3)

Inperunitform,changesinoutputpower(Pm)arerelatedtochangesinflow(q)andguidevane
position(G)aroundafixedoperatingpoint(G0)by:
q1
a11
q = 2 a
2
21

0 q1
a12 1 / G01
a
+ 2 11
0

1 / G02 q2
a22
a21

0 G1
a12 1 / G01
0

1 / G02 G2
a22

Pm1 3 0 q1 2 0 G1
P =

m2 0 3 q2 0 2 G2

(4.4)

wherethetermsa11...a22aretheelementsoftheinverseofthewaterstartingtimematrixin(4.2).
Equation(4.4)isalinearrelationshipwhosecharacteristicschangewiththeselectedGVopenings
ofthetwoturbineswhichdefinetheoperatingpointsG 01andG02.
Finally,followingSec.3inreference[2],thegeneratormodelofequation(2.3)canbeappendedto
thehydraulicmodelofequation(4.4)torelatechangesinUnitspeed(r)toGVposition(G).The
compositemodelistheninasuitableformfordesigningaclosedloopspeedcontrolsystem.

Controlsystemdesign

Thecrosscouplingtermsinequation(4.4)reflecttheintrinsichydrauliccouplingofthepenstocks
inthephysicalsystem.Itisknownthatsignificantcouplingleadstolossofstabilitymargin,so
Jones[6]hasproposedamultivariablecontrollerwhichtakesthisintoaccount.However,the
traditional(andsimpler)strategyoftreatingthepenstocksasbeingseparateisadoptedhere.This
allowstuningrulesforasingleinputsingleoutput(SISO)systemtobeappliedtothedesignofa
basicPIDgovernorforspeedcontrolwhensupplyinganisolatedloadaprocedurerecommended
inSectionF.3of[1].
ASimulinkblockdiagramfortheSISOlinearisedmodelandgovernorisshowninFigure8(the
powerfeedbackloopiseliminatedbysettingthedroopgaintozero).TuningthegainsKi,KpandKd
forsatisfactoryclosedloopresponseisdonebyapplyingtherulesproposedbyHagiharaetal[7],
[2]asfollows:

"transientdroop"Rt=1/Kp=5TW/8H
"transientdroopwashouttimeconstant"TR=Kp/Ki=3.333*TW
Kd=TWKp/3

0
Power
ref

Sum 1

droop
power
GV

GV

speed_err

speed
ref

Sum

sys1
GV --> power

Governor

sys2

power --> speed

Speed , power
and GV

hydlin 01 .mdl
Simple linearised model

wl*Kd .s

2
speed _err

s+wl
derivative

Ki
1
power

s
Sum

integral

Sum 1

1
GV

Kp
proportional

Figure8Blockdiagramofthelinearsystemarrangedforclosedloopspeedcontrol.

Settingtheoperatingpointat100%andknowingtheUnitsinertiaconstant(H)andthewater
startingtime,takenhereasTW=(TW1+Tw3)=0.343sforthetunnelandpenstock#1,allowsthe
gainstobeevaluatedasKi=16.1,Kp=18.4andKd=2.1.
ItiscommontoincludeanadditionalpoleinaPIDcompensatortolimithighfrequencynoisedue
tothederivativeterm.Placingitat A =100r/smeansthatithasonlyaminoreffectontheclosed
loopdynamics.
TheopenloopBodeplotforthePlant,compensatorandforwardloopisshowninFigure9,which
conformstothetypicalpatternforahydroelectricPlantsee[2]andsectionsF1.4.1andF.3in[1].
Thecrossoverfrequencyisabout3r/s.TheeffectoftherighthalfplanezeroonthePlantfrequency
responseisevidentintherange1/TWto2/TW(3to6r/s),wheretheincreasingphaselagisnot
accompaniedbyacorrespondingfallingain.Thislimitshowmuchphaseleadcanbecontributed
bythecompensatoroverthisfrequencyrange,becausetheassociatedincreaseingaincouldmake
theforwardloopgainstarttoincrease.Aspointedoutin[2],thiscouldeasilycauseasecond
crossoverandclosedloopinstability.
Therootlocus(seesectionsF.1.5&F.1.6in[1])forthiscaseisshowninFigure10.Itispossible,
usingproportionalgainalone,toplacethedominantclosedlooppolesatapproximatelythesame
locationsaswiththePIDcontroller.However,thestepresponsehasa10%steadystateerrorand
itisnecessarytointroducetheintegraltermtocounterit.
Figure11showstheclosedloopstepresponsetoa0.02p.u.stepdemandinspeed.Theverylarge
initialdipinthegeneratorsspeedisduetotheverylargeandrapidGVmotion.Inpractice,arate
limiterwouldbeincludedtomoderatethisaction.
10


100

Magnitude (dB)

50

-50

-100
90
45

Phase (deg)

0
-45
-90
-135
-180

Plant
Compensator
Forward loop

-225
-270

-2

10

10
Frequency (rad/sec)

10

10

Figure9OpenloopBodeplotforthePlant,PIDcontrollerandforwardloop.

Root locus for Plant

10

Imaginary Axis

-5

-10
-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

10

10

Real Axis

Root locus for Plant + Governor

10

Imaginary Axis

-5

-10
-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0
Real Axis

Figure10Rootlocusfor(i)thePlantwithproportionalgainonly,(ii)withthePIDcontroller(wherethe
diamondsshowthelocationsofthedominantclosedlooppoles).

11


PID gains Ki = 16.1, Kp = 18.4, Kd = 2.11
0.04

Speed (pu)

0.02
0
-0.02
-0.04

4
time (s)

Power (pu)

5
0
-5
-10

Guide vane (pu)

6
4
2
0
-2

Figure11StepresponseofthelinearisedmodelwiththegovernortunedusingtheHagihararules.

Itisconcludedthattraditionalanalysis,usingthelinearised,SISOinelasticmodelgivesagood
firstcutatacontrolsystem,sufficientatleasttouseinfurthersimulationusingthemoreaccurate
models.Thisapproachislikelytobeoverlyoptimisticinestimatinghowmuchgaincanbe
includedinthecontroller.Inamultipenstockinstallation,hydrauliccouplingcanhaveasignificant
adverseeffectonstability.Alongpenstockhasalargewaterstartingtime,whichencouragesthe
designertoincludeasmuchderivativeactionaspossible,inordertoimproveclosedloop
bandwidth.However,thisispreciselythecasewheretravellingwaveeffectsaresignificantand
controllerdesignbecomesmorecritical.Itisatleastnecessarytotestthecontrolleronamodel
withelasticwatercolumn,whichmayindicatethatthePIDgainsmustbereducedtopreventan
underdampedresponseoreveninstability.Insuchcases,itwoulddesirabletotakethetravelling
waveeffectintoaccountduringcontrolsystemdesign.

ClosedloopsimulationwithGridconnection

Inthissection,threeoperationalscenariosareconsidered.Thesimulationsareperformedusing
thedistributedparametermodelforthehydraulicsandthePIDgovernordesignedintheprevious
section.Inallcases,additionaldynamicstorepresenttheGVservolagsareincludedasthetransfer
function:

G( s )
2.5
5.26
=

uG ( s ) ( s + 2.5) ( s + 5.26)

(6.1)

12

6.1

Frequencycontrolmode.

ControlofGridfrequencytypicallyinvolvesseveralregulators,ofvaryingcapacityandspeedof
response,simultaneouslyconnectedtothepowersystem.Theroleofahydroelectricstationin
frequencycontrolmodeistoprovideaccurateandtimelysupplyofitstargetpowercontributionto
theGrid.Stablesharingoftheloadbetweenalltheregulatingsourcesisachievedbyincludinga
speedregulationordroopcharacteristicintheirgovernors.
TheobjectiveistotesttheresponseofthePlanttoasimulatedspeed(frequency)stepseesection
9.2.9in[1].Theblockdiagramforthegovernor,basedonthedesignintheprevioussection,is
showninFigure12.TheblockdiagramforthecompletesimulationisshowninFigure13.
wl *Kd.s

PID Governor

s+wl
D term
1
freq _err
Kp
1
control 1

prop gain

droop

2
power _ref 1

1
s

Ki
int gain

Integrator

droop

Kff
1
s

3
Pe1

FF gain

power
transducer

Figure12Simulinkblockdiagramforthegovernor.

Therearetwofeedbackloops:

TheelectricalpowergeneratedbytheindividualUnitsismeasuredbyasensorandfilter,
.Thepowererror(P)isformedasthe
representedbythetransferfunction 1
( s + 1)
differencebetweena(fixed)referencepowerandthemeasuredelectricalpower.Thisis
fedthroughadroopgain()tothePIpartofthecontroller.
Thefrequencyerror(f)isformedasthedifferencebetweenthedemandedandmeasured
GridfrequencyandalsoaddedasaninputtothePIpartofthecontroller.Thefrequency
errorisalsofedforwardintotheGVcontrolsignal(uG),viathederivativepartofthe
controller,inordertoreducesystemresponsetime.

TheGVcontrolisthereforeformedas:
uG = PI (P ) + PID ( f )

(6.2)

ThesumoftheelectricalpowersfromthetwogeneratorsisusedasaninputtotheGridmodel.

13

Hydroelectric plant with PID control system .

Hydraulics represented using the Method of Characteristics
This simulation is called from hydraul
_p3.m.

indval
Freq
dem #1

index
grid load

freq _err

0
select

zero

power_ref 1

control1

mech_power

GVC 1

Pe1

GVC 1

G1

Governor 1
Power
ref #1
ramp
0
Freq
dem #2
Pe_2

Pm
G1

S_moc _v1
GVC 2

Power
set #1

G2

GV dynamics

1/Pb

Pe1

p.u. base

Plant
hydraulics

Pelec

1/100
p.u. base
change

Generator #1

G2

rs

grid_freq

Grid model

mech_power

Terminator

freq _err
power_ref 2

elec_power
Grid_freq

elec_power

Pe2

Grid_freq
control2

GVC 2

Terminator 1

Generator #2

Pe2

Governor 2

Power
ref #2

Figure13Simulinkblockdiagramforthecompletesimulation

14


ThesimulationisinitialisedwithUnits#1and#2supplying100MWand288MWrespectively.The
testinputisastepfrequencychangeof0.07Hz(0.14p.u.).TheresultisshowninFigure14.

Unit #1 power (MW)

Freq. loop PID gains Ki = 16.1, Kp = 18.4, Kd = 2.11

140
130
120

Guide vane (pu)

Unit #2 power (MW)

100

10

15

20

25

295
290
285
280

mechanical
electrical
0

10

15

20

25

0.5

0
1.1

Grid freq (pu)

mechanical
electrical

110

Unit #1
Unit #2
0
-3
x 10

10
15
Grid stiffness = 0.083 pu

20

25

20

25

1.05
1
10

15
time (s)

Figure14Responsetoastepdemandof0.07Hzinfrequencycontrolmode;droopof1%.

RaisingtheGridfrequencyby0.07Hzrequiresanadditional506MWofpowerofwhich42MWis
pickedupbyUnit#1.
Figure14isknownasthesystemsprimaryresponsecharacteristic.ForgeneratorsontheEngland
&WalesGrid,atypicalspecificationrequires7090%ofthetargetpoweroutputtobeachieved
within10softheoccurrenceoftheeventleadingtothefrequencydeviation[8].Thissystem
achieves36.5MW(87%)ofitstargetcontributionin10s,whichiswithinthespecifiedrange.
Developingamoredetailedspecification(see[9])andamoreaccuratesimulationwillyieldan
improvedassessmentofthesystemscapability.

15

6.2

Powerdialupmode.

Inthismode,thegoalistochangethegeneratedpowerrapidlyinresponsetoadialledin
operatorrequestseesection9.2.4in[1].Insteadofapplyingastepreferencechangedirectlyto
thePID,itispreferabletogeneratearamppowerreference(whoseslopeisessentiallydetermined
bythemaximumallowableGVopeningrate)andtofeedthisforwarddirectlytotheGVcontrolvia
againKffaswellastothePID.
Ingeneral,thefeedforwardandPIDgainswouldbeoptimisedforthisspecificmodeofoperation
butinthissimulationthePIDsettingsarekeptattheirpreviousvalues,withKff=1.Unit#1is
commandedtoincreaseitsoutputfrom100MWto205MWbyrampingtheGVcontroltoitsnew
settingin2.6s.ThiscaseissimilartoFigure3butnotidenticalbecauseoftheinterveningGV
dynamics(6.1).TheresultsarepresentedinFigure15.
Power ramp PI gains Ki = 16.1, Kp = 18.4. Feedforward Kff = 1
Unit #1 power (MW)

250

200

150
mechanical
electrical

Guide vane (pu)

Unit #2 power (MW)

100

15

20

25

300
290
mechanical
electrical

280
270

10

15

20

25

0.5
Unit #1
Unit #2
0

5
-3

10

15

20

25

20

25

Grid stiffness = 0.083 pu

x 10
Grid freq (pu)

10

1.4
1.2
1
0

10

15
time (s)

Figure15ResponsetoarampGVinputindialupmode.

Thegraphshowsthattherequiredpowerchangeisachievedin3salthoughthereisanovershoot
of28MW(27%)followedbyalongdecaytothefinalvalue.Experimentshowsthatbothovershoot
andsettlingtimecouldbeimprovedbyreducingthefeedforwardgain.
16

6.3

Fullloadrejection.

Theobjectivehereistoassessperformancewhenthesystemisdisconnectedsuddenlyfromthe
Grid,perhapsbecauseofsomefaultcondition(seesection9.2.3in[1]).WhentheGridbreaker
trips,thereactiontorqueontheturbinevanishesandtheexcesstorquecausesittoaccelerate,with
ariskofoverspeeding,unlesspromptactionistakentoclosetheGV.However,therateatwhich
theGVcanbeclosedislimitedbyoverpressuretransientsinthepenstock.
TheblockdiagramofFigure16includesalogicsignalthatsimulatestheGridbreakerby
disconnectingthefeedbackloopsforelectricalpowerandGridfrequencyfromthe
turbine/generatorblock.ItalsoinitiatesanopenlooprampdownofbothGVcontrolsatarateof
1/12p.u./s.

breaker
mech_power
GVC 1

GV ref #1
ramp

GVC 1

Pm

G1

GVC 2

GV
set #2

p.u. base

Pe1

G2

Pelec

1/100

breaker

p.u. base
change

Generator #1

G2

GVC 2

GV ref #2
ramp

elec_power

Grid_freq

G1

S_moc _v1

GV
set #1

1/Pb
rs

grid_freq

Grid model

Plant
hydraulics

GV dynamics

mech_power

Terminator

elec_power

Grid_freq

Pe2

breaker

Terminator 1
Hydroelectric plant simulation for total load rejection
.
Hydraulics represented using the Method of Characteristics
This simulation is called from hydraul

Generator #2

_p3.m.
select

earth

3
breaker
1
mech _power

1/(2*H)
inertia

1
s

sp1

Integrator 1

KD

wb *Ks
sync
torque

1
s
Integrator

1
elec _power
select

earth

damping
coefficient

2
Grid _freq

Figure16Simulinkblockdiagramforsimulatingloadrejection.

InFigure17,theelectricalpowerreducesinstantaneouslytozerowhenthebreakeristrippedand
bothGVsbegintocloseatafixedrate,causingthemechanicalpowerproducedbytheturbinesto
decrease.Duringtheclosureinterval,Unit#1peaksat5%overspeedandUnit#2at20%over
speed;theGridfrequencydecreasestoitsnominalvalue.Figure19showsthepredictedvolumetric
flowandheadatthetwoturbineinlets.TheflowsdecreasemoreorlessinproportiontotheGV
opening,asexpected.Astheclosurebegins,thereisasharpincreaseinturbineheadwhichstartsa
travellingwaveoscillationofidenticalamplitudeinbothpenstocks,becausetheyarehydraulically
coupled.OnceGV#1isfullyclosed,themeanleveloftheoscillationdecreasesandafurther
reductionoccursonceGV#2closes,leavingalonglivedoscillationaroundthestatichead.Whether
ornotthepressurevariationisacceptabledependsonthestructuralstrengthoftheinstallation.
17

Unit #1 power (MW)

150

100

50
mechanical
electrical
0

10

15

20

Unit #2 power (MW)

300

200

100
mechanical
electrical
0

10

15

20

Guide vane (pu)

1
0.8
0.6
0.4
Unit #1
Unit #2

0.2
0

10

15

20

time (s)

Figure17Fullloadrejection:GVclosureandpoweratbothUnits.

0.2

Generator speed (pu)

0.15

0.1

Unit #1
Unit #2

0.05

5
-4

10

10

15

20

Grid stiffness = 0.083 pu

x 10

Grid freq (pu)

6
4
2
0
-2
-4

10

15
time (s)

20

Figure18Fullloadrejection,showingspeedincreaseforbothUnitsanddropinGridfrequency.

18


545
Unit #1
Unit #2

540

Head at turbine (m)

535
530
525
520
515
510

10

15

20

60
Unit #1
Unit #2

Flow at turbine (m3/s)

50
40
30
20
10
0

10

15

20

time (s)

Figure19Fullloadrejection:pressureandflowinthetwopenstocks.

Conclusion

Thegenericmodelsusedhereprovideawealthofpredictiveinformationearlyintheproject,based
onasmallsetofcriticalparameters.Althoughmodelvalidation,bycomparisonwiththereal
installation,wouldusuallynotbepossibleatthisstage,themethodsadheretoindustrystandards
andarewelltriedandtestedonotherPlant.Themainpointsofthestudyare:

basicpredictionofpressureandflowvariationintheconduit,whichcanbeusedtoenhance
ruleofthumbcalculationsandprecededetailedhydraulicanalysis;
developmentoflumpedanddistributedparametermodelstopredictsystemperformance;
developmentofabasicPIDgovernor;
simulationunderdifferentoperationalscenarios:
o infrequencycontrolmode,theprimaryresponsecharacteristicisshowntocomply
withspecification;
o inpowerdialupmode,feedforwardallowsaveryrapidchangeofpowerlevelto
bemade;
o duringfullloadrejection,theUnitoverspeedislimitedto20%duringGVclosure.

19


Clearly,predictionsmadeonthebasisofsimplifiedmodelshaveamarginoferrorandneedtobe
treatedwithcaution.Nevertheless,theyprovidevaluableresultsthatcanbeusedtomakebetter
informeddecisionsonlaterstagesoftheproject.Thegenericpackagereportedhereisonlythe
firststageofsimulationbaseddesign.Thereisamplescopeforextensionandrefinementofthe
modelsasmoredetailsoftheinstallationbecomeavailable.

References
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Std12072004,'IEEEGuidefortheApplicationofTurbineGoverningSystemsfor
HydroelectricGeneratingUnits',NewYork,IEEE2004.
IEEE,W.G.:'Hydraulicturbineandturbinecontrolmodelsforsystemdynamicstudies',
IEEETransPowerSystems,1992,7,(1),pp.167179.
Larock,B.E.,Jeppson,R.W.andWatters,G.Z.:'HydraulicsofPipelineSystems',1999(CRC
Press).
Kundur,P.:'PowerSystemStabilityandControl',1994(McGrawHill).
Jones,D.I.:'DynamicparametersfortheNationalGrid',ProcIEEGener.Transm.Distrib.,
2005,152,(1),pp.5360.
Jones,D.I.:'Multivariablecontrolanalysisofahydraulicturbine',TransInstMC,1999,21,
(2/3),pp.122136.
Hagihara,S.,Yokota,H.,Goda,K.,etal.:'Stabilityofahydraulicgeneratingunitcontrolledby
PIDgovernor',IEEETransonPowerApparatus&Systems,1979,PAS98,(6),pp.2294
2298.
Erinmez,I.A.,Bickers,D.O.,Wood,G.F.,etal.:'NGCexperiencewithfrequencycontrolin
EnglandandWalesprovisionoffrequencyresponsebygenerators'.ProcIEEEPower
EngineeringSocietyWinterMeeting,NewYork.1999,pp590596.
Jones,D.I.,Mansoor,S.P.,Aris,F.C.,etal.:'Astandardmethodforspecifyingtheresponseof
hydroelectricplantinfrequencycontrolmode',ElectricPowerSystemsResearch,2004,68,
(1),pp.1932.

20