Improvement of Power Quality in Primary Distribution Systems Based on Static-Var Compensators

Abstract

A flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) is a new technology offers a fast and reliable control over the transmission and distribution parameters like voltage and phase angle between the sending end voltage and receiving end voltage. Distribution static synchronous compensator (DSTATCOM) is a second generation member of the (FACTS) controllers. Reactive power compensation is an important aspect in the control of distribution systems. Reactive current in addition to increasing the distribution system losses, introduces voltage drop at lead point and finally it causes poor power quality in power systems. Primary radial distribution feeders have high resistance to reactance ratio, which causes voltage drop and high power loss in radial distribution systems. providing high demanding power to entire load while maintaining voltage magnitude at acceptable range is one of the major system constraints, using of capacitor banks to improve the reactive power have not quite enough at high reactive power feeder, because it have more slow in step by step response and have not capable to generate continuously variable reactive power.

In some primary distribution feeders at the state of Khartoum, it is observed that there are some appropriate drops in voltage and quality service at high reactive power loads although some individual capacitor banks have been connected at these feeders, from here we researched for a new technology to overcome this problem. A steady-state model of (DSTATCOM) is proposed and developed to compensate the reactive power by using a Voltage Source Converter (VSC) with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and cascade control of four direct proportional integral controllers (PI) in synchronous reference frame. The detailed modeling and control design of (DSTATCOM) with specific typical radial primary distribution feeders (industrial, commercial, residential) are presented and implemented along necessary mathematical model equations in the Matlab software. Simulation schemes of (DSTATCOM) are done with help of control block diagrams and stability analysis. Load flow is an important method for analysis, operation and planning studies of any power system in a steady-state condition. In this research backward forward sweeps load flow method (Kirchhoff’s Laws) has been proposed rather than Newton-Raphson and Fast decoupled methods because the distribution feeders have a high R/X ratio which make the systems are ill-conditioned iterations analysis. (DSTATCOM) was installed on specific typical radial feeders at the (DSTATCOM) which using for distribution lines and load compensation has been the subject of considerable interest beside it is a new technology for a good power quality solution.

Keywords: Power System, Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) Devices, STATCOM, PI Controller

DOI: 10.7176/ISDE/13-1-05

Publication date:May 31^st 2023