CAREER: Wide-Area Control of Large Power Systems Using Distributed Synchrophasors: Where Network Theory Meets Power System Dynamics

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

Objective This proposal strives for novel and transformative approaches to investigate and validate the highly pertinent problem of wide-area damping control of large-scale electric power systems using synchronized phasor measurements. Following the Northeast blackout of 2003, tremendous research efforts have been devoted to the visualization and postmortem analyses of Synchrophasors, leading to a formative understanding of how this technology may be used for dynamic health monitoring of complex power system networks. However, no rigorous research has yet been done to transition from monitoring to the next phase - namely, feedback control. This project will make a step towards building such control systems using a novel ?inversion? framework that allows Synchrophasor-based damping control designs, developed for reduced-order power systems, to be inverted to local excitation controllers in actual higher-order power systems. Fundamental ideas of circuit theory and network optimization will be used as the foundational thoughts for this development, combined with cumulative thoughts from graph theory and nonlinear control. Intellectual Merit The intellectual merit of this research will be in establishing an altogether new application area of the Synchrophasor technology through its integration with control theory and network science. Power system protection engineers will benefit tremendously from this work in extracting information from phasor data to control the dynamic stability margins of their systems following large disturbances. Broader Impacts The broader impact of this project will be in providing a much-needed, timely infusion of control theoretic ideas to advance emerging research on phasor-integrated next-generation smart power grids. Research results will be broadcast through journal publications, educational field trips, conference tutorials and workshops with invited speakers from the Research Triangle Park. Undergraduate research for minority engineering students will be actively promoted via the FREEDM Systems Center.