Monitoring large-scale power distribution grids (original) (raw)
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Reflections on the Future Electric Power Grid Monitoring System
Frontiers in Electronics, 2014
A shortcoming of the contemporary power grid monitoring is that the system does not know its own state. Instead of taking automatic note of energy-flow disruptions, one deals with haphazard telephone reports of "no light in our house". We propose a novel monitoring system that requires no restructuring of the power distribution network and can be applied both to the existing grids and the future "smart grids". The proposed system is based on a network of inexpensive sensors, installed on every connecting line and communicating measured data to a central processing unit. Our approach is topological in nature, based on the connectivity aspects of the power grid embodied in Kirchhoff's current law that must be valid at every node of the network. We argue that the state of the network can be adequately characterized by specifying the RMS currents and the direction of energy flow in all connecting lines. It is essential that in this description one does not have to know the magnitude of the energy flow, only its direction. This eliminates the need to measure voltage, which would be prohibitively costly on the massive scale. In contrast, the relative phase between the current and voltage can be measured easily. Another essential point is that the instantaneous RMS currents are impractical to record and communicate, hence local averaging is required. Since Kirchhoff's law should remain valid upon averaging, the latter must be carried out at each sensor synchronously over the entire network with global synchronization provided by the GPS.
A Flexible GPS-Based System for Synchronized Phasor Measurement in Electric Distribution Networks
IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 2000
Large-scale distributed measurement systems are the object of several applications and research. The goal of this paper is to develop, by employing Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, measurement techniques that are suited to the continuous monitoring of the electrical quantities in distribution networks in terms of synchronized phasors. The proposed measurement procedures, differently from commercially available phasor measurement units, are based on general-purpose acquisition hardware and processing software, thus guaranteeing the possibility of being easily reconfigured and reprogrammed according to the specific requirements of different possible fields of application and to their future developments. Index Terms-Distributed measurement systems, distribution networks, Global Positioning System (GPS), phasor measurement unit (PMU), synchronized phasors.
Electric Power Distribution Systems from Measurements and Data on GIS Platforms
IAEME Publication, 2018
This paper presents the development of a collaborative computer tool for the location of faults in electricity distribution systems oriented to overhead lines. The methodology implemented for the location of the fault is based on the analysis of the fault impedance from the voltage and current data measured in the header of the damaged distributor and in the evaluation of all its branches. The results provided by the tool are displayed on the layout of the network in the environment of a Geographic Information System (GIS). The calculation algorithms developed use the topological and constructive information of the network that is stored in standardized files according to the requirements of State Control Organisms (Argentina). The tool was tested by modeling a distributor belonging to an electric power cooperative in a simulation program of power systems. The results of the implemented method showed maximum errors of the order of 5% in the actual location distance of the fault. The presentation of the results in the graphic environment of the network offers the operators a quick interpretation of the possible location of the fault, which results in a reduction of the repair times.
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The wide area monitoring system (WAMS) is considered a pivotal component of future electric power grids. As a pilot WAMS that has been operated for more than a decade, the frequency monitoring network FNET/GridEye makes use of hundreds of global positioning system-synchronized phasor measurement sensors to capture the increasingly complicated grid behaviors across the interconnected power systems. In this paper, the FNET/GridEye system is overviewed and its operation experiences in electric power grid wide area monitoring are presented. Particularly, the implementation of a number of data analytics applications will be discussed in details. FNET/GridEye lays a firm foundation for the later WAMS operation in the electric power industry.
Taming the electric grid Continuous improvement of wide-area monitoring for enhanced grid stability
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A Grid Information Resource for Nationwide Real-Time Power Monitoring
IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 2004
A significant barrier to improving the power quality at industrial facilities is the lack of contemporaneous and historical power quality and reliability data. A new Web-enabled near-real-time power quality and reliability monitoring system, termed I-Grid, has been developed to provide such information on a nationwide basis. The ultralow-cost sensors record power events and send event data via the Internet to the system database servers using an internal modem. Data display, e-mail event notification, site administration, and summary reporting of the data are achieved via a Web browser. In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, the Electric Power Research Institute, and leading utilities and manufacturers, the deployment of these sensors has begun, with a target deployment of 50 000 monitors across the U.S. and Canada over the next 2-4 years. This paper discusses the implementation of this grid information resource, and discusses data captured by the network since early monitors were deployed in 2001.
This paper presents the development of a collaborative computer tool for the location of faults in electricity distribution systems oriented to overhead lines. The methodology implemented for the location of the fault is based on the analysis of the fault impedance from the voltage and current data measured in the header of the damaged distributor and in the evaluation of all its branches. The results provided by the tool are displayed on the layout of the network in the environment of a Geographic Information System (GIS). The calculation algorithms developed use the topological and constructive information of the network that is stored in standardized files according to the requirements of State Control Organisms (Argentina). The tool was tested by modeling a distributor belonging to an electric power cooperative in a simulation program of power systems. The results of the implemented method showed maximum errors of the order of 5% in the actual location distance of the fault. The presentation of the results in the graphic environment of the network offers the operators a quick interpretation of the possible location of the fault, which results in a reduction of the repair times.
SUMMARY This paper reports the initial phase of an Information Technology (IT) initiative to improve the utilisation of the Norwegian power grid. We adopt a scalable approach, beginning with a focus on the use of local intelligence ("agent"), and gradually integrating these agents into the existing IT infrastructure. In particular, the paper reports on the implementation and testing of two new applications. These are the Voltage Instability Predictor for on-line tracking of distance to voltage collapse, which is primarily a local device, and a Secondary Voltage Regulation scheme for coordinated control of SVCs and synchronous condensers, which is presently a control centre application.
Lessons learnt from real-time monitoring of the low voltage distribution network
Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks, 2017
Up to now, the evolution of the distribution network toward the smart grid model has been essentially focused on two non-intersecting areas: medium voltage network automation and smart metering. The former one is mainly focused on improving the quality of service, studying and deploying fault location, isolation and service restoration systems, while the latter has been addressed to improve the customer relationship management, promote the customer awareness and enable new smart home services. In most cases a deep investigation of the low voltage network has been left disregarded, even if it represents the asset bridging the medium voltage level up to final customers. This network segment is probably the most affected by regulatory actions promoting intermittent renewable generations, distributed storage, heat pumps and the growing diffusion of electric vehicles utilization. The paper describes a field demonstrator of the FP7 European project IDE4L, where an extensive analysis of the low voltage network has been performed by means of an innovative use of smart meters and the installation of sensors on the medium-tolow voltage substation. Index Terms-smart grid, low voltage network, smart metering, distributed measurement system. I. INTRODUCTION HE transition towards smart grids has gradually taken place in several areas of Distribution Networks (DNs). Solutions and systems already applied in transmission networks have been progressively integrated at the Medium Voltage (MV) level of DNs, scaled-down in terms of features and costs to meet their requirements. A typical example of such evolution is represented by the increase in monitoring and control technologies for MV level applications [1]. Fault Location, Isolation and Service Restoration (FLISR) technologies are one of those that have gained sustained attention in the past few years. FLISR solutions have been investigated from both a theoretical and practical viewpoint and they are now at a deployment stage [2], [3].
Online Monitoring Leads to Improve the Reliability and Sustainability of Power Grids
2019
The paper aims to address the concept of virtualized grid automation. This approach will be developed within a project by combining the application of data visualization techniques, sensor analysis tools, advanced energy measurement and ICT technologies to ensure the visibility and control of electricity grids. The development of advanced distributed processing solutions will solve time-critical issues.CEZ Romania wants to monitor online the distribution system for optimization of the grid operation at medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV). CEZ wants to have data from networks in real-timeand to be able to remotely optimize the operations. A set of advanced sensors will be deployed in the networks, connected using available communications networks to the service server located at the DSO premises. Appropriate control room displays will be connected to the services to display the results of the data analysis.We decided to start with an area with a high density of consumers, especi...