CAREER: Untangling Chaotic Electromagnetic Transient Phenomena in Power Systems Mixed with Volatile Inverter-Based Renewable Energy Resources

University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus, Norman OK

Investigators

Abstract

Energy infrastructure resilience is a high priority research area as highlighted by recent and wide-spread power grid disruptions in the United States. This CAREER proposal aims to advance the study of chaotic grid disturbances and their mitigation through a deeper understanding of their underlying physics and characteristics considering high volumes of renewable energy. A major technical barrier to achieving truly sustainable and reliable power grids of the 21st century are the unknown electromagnetic incompatibilities from combining renewable energy technologies with fundamentally archaic, yet vital infrastructural components such as transformers and rotating machinery. Solid-state power converters are an enabler for many green technologies such as wind and solar power. However, when their volatile operation becomes entangled with certain types of grid disturbances, complex and chaotic fault signatures are likely to undermine grid operations. The project will 1) pioneer new analytical tools to reveal overlooked disturbance signatures influenced by renewable energy activity, 2) develop advanced protection and grid stabilization techniques to mitigate the impacts of chaotic disturbances and 3) reinvigorate much needed STEM-oriented educational resources to stimulate participation of K-12 students into electrical energy related fields. This CAREER proposal will focus on two types of destructive and chaotic disturbance phenomena that have periodically occurred but have not been studied in a renewable energy rich environment: ferroresonance and geomagnetically induced currents. The project will answer fundamental questions of (i) how chaotic electromagnetic disturbances change their signatures and damping mechanisms in a high converter-based renewable energy environment, (ii) how to determine new safe operating limits of critical network components such as electrical machines and transformers, (iii) what system protection improvements can be made to correctly detect and suppress disturbances, and (iv) what grid design modifications should be done to reduce disturbance severity and outage risks. The study will first develop novel numerical models and analytical tools to explore, characterize and predict these disturbances under the largely ignored influence of solid-state converter dynamics. Secondly, numerical results will be validated through a small-scale experimental hardware model of a representative power grid with solid-state converters. Thirdly, new system protection technologies will be prototyped for enhanced disturbance detection and suppression. Ultimately, this project is aimed at de-risking the integration of sustainable energy technologies to realize a more robust, resilient and self-healing energy infrastructure for greater economic prosperity, health and living standards for society This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.