A Review on Reactive Power Compensation Technologies

IJSRD - International Journal for Scientific Research & Development| Vol. 4, Issue 11, 2017 | ISSN (online): 2321-0613 A Review on Reactive Power Compensation Technologies Minal Dilip Sathe1 Gopal Chaudhari2 1 PG Student 2Assistant Professor 1,2 Department of Electrical Engineering 1,2 YTIET, Bhivpuri Road (Karjat), Mumbai University, India Abstract— In general, the problem of reactive power compensation is viewed from two aspects: load compensation and voltage support. In load compensation the objectives are to increase the value of the system power factor, to balance the real power drawn from the ac supply, compensate voltage regulation and to eliminate current harmonic components produced by large and fluctuating nonlinear industrial loads .Voltage support is generally required to reduce voltage fluctuation at a given terminal of a transmission line. This paper presents an overview of the state of the art of static VAR technologies. Static compensators implemented with thyristors and selfcommutated converters are described. Their principles of operation, compensation characteristics and performance are presented and analyzed. A comparison of different VAR generator compensation characteristics is also presented. New static compensators such as Unified Power Flow Controllers (UPFC), Dynamic Voltage Restorers (DVR), required to compensate modern power distribution systems are also presented and described. Key words: Unified Power Flow Controllers (UPFC), Dynamic Voltage Restorers (DVR), IPFC, STATCOM, SVC, TCS, TCR, TSC power have been developed. Based on the use of reliable high-speed power electronics, powerful analytical tools, advanced control and microcomputer technologies, Flexible AC Transmission Systems, also known as FACTS, have been developed and represent a new concept for the operation of power transmission systems. II. REACTIVE POWER COMPENSATION PRINCIPLES I. INTRODUCTION In a linear circuit, the reactive power is defined as the ac component of the instantaneous power, with a frequency equal to 100 / 120 Hz in a 50 or 60 Hz system. The reactive power generated by the ac power source is stored in a capacitor or a reactor during a quarter of a cycle, and in the next quarter cycle is sent back to the power source. In other words, the reactive power oscillates between the ac source and the capacitor or reactor, and also between them, at a frequency equals to two times the rated value (50 or 60 Hz). For this reason it can be compensated using VAR generators, avoiding its circulation between the load (inductive or capacitive) and the source, and therefore improving voltage stability of the power system. Reactive power compensation can be implemented with VAR generators connected in parallel or in series. The principles of both, shunt and series reactive power compensation alternatives, are described below VAR compensation is defined as the management of reactive power to improve the performance of ac power systems. The concept of VAR compensation embraces a wide and diverse field of both system and customer problems, especially related with power quality issues, since most of power quality problems can be attenuated or solved with an adequate control of reactive power. Reactive power compensation in transmission systems also improves the stability of the ac system by increasing the maximum active power that can be transmitted. It also helps to maintain a substantially flat voltage profile at all levels of power transmission, it improves HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) conversion terminal performance, increases transmission efficiency, controls steady-state and temporary over voltages and can avoid disastrous blackouts. Series and shunt VAR compensation are used to modify the natural electrical characteristics of ac power systems. Series compensation modifies the transmission or distribution system parameters, while shunt compensation changes the equivalent impedance of the load . In both cases, the reactive power that flows through the system can be effectively controlled improving the performance of the overall ac power system. Traditionally, rotating synchronous condensers and fixed or mechanically switched capacitors or inductors have been used for reactive power compensation. However, in recent years, static VAR compensators employing thyristor switched capacitors and thyristor controlled reactors to provide or absorb the required reactive A. Shunt Compensation The device is connected in parallel with the transmission line. It always connected in the middle of transmission line it can be provided by either a current source, voltage source or capacitor. The ideal shunt compensation provides the reactive power to the system. Shunt connected reactor are used to reduce the line over voltges by consuming the reactive power while shunt connected capacitors are used to maintain the voltage levels by compensating the reactive power to transmission line Figure 1 shows the principles and theoretical effects of shunt reactive power compensation in a basic ac system, which comprises a source V1, a power line and a typical inductive load. Figure 1-a) shows the system without compensation, and its associated phasor diagram. In the phasor diagram, the phase angle of the current has been related to the load side, which means that the active current IP is in phase with the load voltage V2. Since the load is assumed inductive, it requires reactive power for proper operation and hence, the source must supply it, increasing the current from the generator and through power lines. If reactive power is supplied near the load, the line current can be reduced or minimized, reducing power losses and improving voltage regulation at the load terminals. This can be done in three ways: a) with a capacitor, b) with a voltage source, or c) with a current source. In Fig. 1-b), a current source device is being used to compensate the reactive component of the load current (IQ) All rights reserved by www.ijsrd.com 249 A Review on Reactive Power Compensation Technologies (IJSRD/Vol. 4/Issue 11/2017/070) [4]. As a result, the system voltage regulation is improved and the reactive current component from the source is reduced or almost eliminated. If the load needs leading compensation, then an inductor would be required. Also a current source or a voltage source can be used for inductive shunt compensation[3]. The main advantages of using voltage or current source VAR generators (instead of inductors or capacitors) is that the reactive power generated is independent of the voltage at the point of connection. (a) (a) (b) Fig. 2: Principles of series compensation. (a) The same system of figure 1-a) without compensation. (b) Series compensation with a voltage source. III. TRADITIONAL VAR GENERATORS (b) Fig. 1: Principles of shunt compensation in a radial ac system. a) Without reactive compensation. b) Shunt compensation with a current source. B. Series Compensation VAR compensation can also be of the series type. Typical series compensation systems use capacitors to decrease the equivalent reactance of a power line at rated frequency. The connection of a series capacitor generates reactive power that, in a self-regulated manner, balances a fraction of the line's transfer reactance. The result is improved functionality of the power transmission system through:  increased angular stability of the power corridor,  improved voltage stability of the corridor,  optimized power sharing between parallel circuits. Like shunt compensation, series compensation may also be implemented with current or voltage source devices, as shown in Fig. 2. Figure 2-a) shows the same power system of figure 1-a), also with the reference angle in V2, and Fig. 2-b) the results obtained with the series compensation through a voltage source, which has been adjusted again to have unity power factor operation at V2. However, the compensation strategy is different when compared with shunt compensation. In this case, voltage VCOMP has been added between the line and the load to change the angle of V2’, which is now the voltage at the load side. With the appropriate magnitude adjustment of VCOMP, unity power factor can again be reached at V2. As can be seen from the phasor diagram of Fig. 2-b), VCOMP generates a voltage with opposite direction to the voltage drop in the line inductance because it lags the current IP In general, VAR generators are classified depending on the technology used in their implementation and the way they are connected to the power system (shunt or series). Rotating and static generators were commonly used to compensate reactive power. In the last decade, a large number of different static VAR generators, using power electronic technologies have been proposed and developed [3]. There are two approaches to the realization of power electronics based VAR compensators, the one that employs thyristor-switched capacitors and reactors with tap changing transformers, and the other group that uses self-commutated static converters. A brief description of the most commonly used shunt and series compensators is presented below. A. Fixed or mechanically switched capacitors Shunt capacitors were first employed for power factor correction. The leading current drawn by the shunt capacitors compensates the lagging current drawn by the load. The selection of shunt capacitors depends on many factors, the most important of which is the amount of lagging reactive power taken by the load. In the case of widely fluctuating loads, the reactive power also varies over a wide range. Thus, a fixed capacitor bank may often lead to either over-compensation or under-compensation. Variable VAR compensation is achieved using switched capacitors . Depending on the total VAR requirement, capacitor banks are switched into or switched out of the system. The smoothness of control is solely dependent on the number of capacitors switching units used. The switching is usually accomplished using relays and circuit breakers. However, these methods based on mechanical switches and relays have the disadvantage of being sluggish and unreliable. Also they generate high inrush currents, and require frequent maintenance. B. Synchronous Condensers Synchronous condensers have played a major role in voltage and reactive power control for more than 50 years. Functionally, a synchronous condenser is simply a synchronous machine connected to the power system. After All rights reserved by www.ijsrd.com 250 A Review on Reactive Power Compensation Technologies (IJSRD/Vol. 4/Issue 11/2017/070) the unit is synchronized, the field current is adjusted to either generate or absorb reactive power as required by the ac system. The machine can provide continuous reactive power control when used with the proper automatic exciter circuit. Synchronous condensers have been used at both distribution and transmission voltage levels to improve stability and to maintain voltages within desired limits under varying load conditions and contingency situations[4]. However, synchronous condensers are rarely used today because they require substantial foundations and a significant amount of starting and protective equipment. They also contribute to the short circuit current and they cannot be controlled fast enough to compensate for rapid load changes. Moreover, their losses are much higher than those associated with static compensators, and the cost is much higher compared with static compensators. Their advantage lies in their high temporary overload capability. C. Thyristorized VAR Compensators As in the case of the synchronous condenser, the aim of achieving fine control over the entire VAR range, has been fulfilled with the development of static compensators (SVC) but with the advantage of faster response times .Static VAR compensators (SVC) consist of standard reactive power shunt elements (reactors and capacitors) which are controlled to provide rapid and variable reactive power. They can be grouped into two basic categories, the thyristorswitched capacitor and the thyristor-controlled reactor. D. Thyristor-Switched Capacitors Figure 3 shows the basic scheme of a static compensator of the thyristor-switched capacitor (TSC) type. The shunt capacitor bank is split up into appropriately small steps, which are individually switched in and out using bidirectional thyristor switches. Each single-phase branch consists of two major parts, the capacitor C and the thyristor switches Sw1 and Sw2[4]. In addition, there is a minor component, the inductor L, whose purpose is to limit the rate of rise of the current through the thyristors and to prevent resonance with the network (normally 6% with respect to Xc). The capacitor may be switched with a minimum of transients if the thyristor is turned on at the instant when the capacitor voltage and the network voltage have the same value. Static compensators of the TSC type have the following properties: stepwise control, average delay of one half a cycle (maximum one cycle), and no generation of harmonics since current transient component can be attenuated effectively[3]. Fig. 3: The thyristor-switched capacitor configuration. E. Thyristor-Controlled Reactor Figure 4 shows the scheme of a static compensator of the thyristor controlled reactor (TCR) type. In most cases, the compensator also includes a fixed capacitor and a filter for low order harmonics, which is not show in this figure. Each of the three phase branches includes an inductor L and the thyristor switches Sw1 and Sw2. Reactors may be both switched and phase-angle controlled. When phase-angle control is used, a continuous range of reactive power consumption is obtained. It results, however, in the generation of odd harmonic current components during the control process. Full conduction is achieved with a gating angle of 90°. Partial conduction is obtained with gating angles between 90° and 180°. By increasing the thyristor gating angle, the fundamental component of the current reactor is reduced. This is equivalent to increase the inductance, reducing the reactive power absorbed by the reactor. However, it should be pointed out that the change in the reactor current may only take place at discrete points of time, which means that adjustments cannot be made more frequently than once per half-cycle. Static compensators of the TCR type are characterized by the ability to perform continuous control, maximum delay of one half cycle and practically no transients. The principal disadvantages of this configuration are the generation of low frequency harmonic current components, and higher losses when working in the inductive region (i.e. absorbing reactive power). Fig. 4: Static compensator of the thyristor controlled reactor (TCR) type. F. Combined TSC and TCR Irrespective of the reactive power control range required, any static compensator can be built up from one or both of the above mentioned schemes (i.e. TSC and TCR), as shown in Fig. 5. In those cases where the system with switched capacitors is used, the reactive power is divided into a suitable number of steps and the variation will therefore take place stepwise. Continuous control may be obtained with the addition of a thyristor-controlled reactor. If it is required to absorb reactive power, the entire capacitor bank is disconnected and the equalizing reactor becomes responsible for the absorption. By coordinating the control between the reactor and the capacitor steps, it is possible to obtain fully stepless control. Static compensators of the combined TSC and TCR type are characterized by a continuous control, practically no transients, low generation of harmonics (because the controlled reactor rating is small compared to the total reactive power), and flexibility in control and operation[3]. An obvious disadvantage of the TSC-TCR as compared with TCR and TSC type compensators is the higher cost. A smaller TCR rating results in some savings, but these savings are more than All rights reserved by www.ijsrd.com 251 A Review on Reactive Power Compensation Technologies (IJSRD/Vol. 4/Issue 11/2017/070) absorbed by the cost of the capacitor switches and the more complex control system. Fig. 5: Combined TSC and TCR configuration IV. NEW VAR COMPENSATOR´S TECHNOLOGY Based on power electronics converters and digital control schemes, reactive power compensators implemented ith selfcommutated converters have been developed to compensate not only reactive power, but also voltage regulation, flicker, harmonics, real and reactive power, transmission line impedance and phase-shift angle. It is important to ote, that even though the final effect is to improve power system performance, the control variable in all cases is basically the reactive power. Using self-commutated converters the following high performance power system controllers have been implemented: Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), the Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC), the Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR), the Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC), the Interline Power Flow Controller (IPFC) and the Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES). The principles of operation and power circuit topology of each one are described below. A. Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) The static synchronous compensator is based on a solid-state voltage source, implemented with an inverter and connected in parallel to the power system through a coupling reactor, in analogy with a synchronous machine, generating balanced set of three sinusoidal voltages at the fundamental frequency, with controllable amplitude and phase-shift angle. This equipment, however, has no inertia and no overload capability. B. Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC) A voltage source converter can also be used as a series compensator as shown in Fig. 6. The SSSC injects a voltage in series to the line, 90º phase-shifted with the load current, operating as a controllable series capacitor. The basic difference, as compared with series capacitor, is that the voltage injected by an SSSC is not related to the line current and can be independently controlled[3]. Fig. 6: Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC). C. Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) A DVR, shown in Fig. 7, is a device connected in series with the power system and is used to keep the load voltage constant, independently of the source voltage fluctuations. When voltage sags or swells are present at the load terminals, the DVR responds by injecting three ac voltages in series with the incoming three-phase network voltages, compensating for the difference and prefault between faulted voltages. Each phase of the injected voltages can be controlled separately (ie, their magnitude and angle). Active and reactive power required for generating these voltages are supplied by the voltage source converter, fed from a DC link. In order to be able to mitigate voltage sag, the DVR must present a fast control response. The key components of the DVR are[3]:  Switchgear  Booster transformer  Harmonic filter  IGCT voltage source converter  DC charging unit  Control and protection system  Energy source, that is, a storage capacitor bank When power supply conditions remain normal the DVR can operate in low-loss standby mode, with the converter side of the booster transformer shorted. Since no voltage source converter (VSC) modulation takes place, the DVR produces only conduction losses. Use of Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristor (IGCT) technology minimizes these losses. Static Synchronous Series Compensators (SSSC) and Dynamic Voltage Restorers (DVR) can be integrated to get a system capable of controlling the power flow of a transmission line during steady state conditions and providing dynamic voltage compensation and short circuit current limitation during system disturbances. Fig. 7: Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) D. Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) The unified power flow controller (UPFC) consists of two switching converters operated from a common dc link provided by a dc storage capacitor. One connected in series with the line, and the other in parallel. This arrangement functions as an ideal ac to ac power converter in which the real power can freely flow in either direction between the ac terminals of the two inverters and each inverter can independently generate (or absorb) reactive power at its own ac output terminal. The series converter of the UPFC injects via series transformer, an ac voltage with controllable magnitude and phase angle in series with the transmission line. The shunt converter supplies or absorbs the real power demanded by the series converter through the common dc All rights reserved by www.ijsrd.com 252 A Review on Reactive Power Compensation Technologies (IJSRD/Vol. 4/Issue 11/2017/070) link. The transmission line current flows through the series voltage source resulting in real and reactive power exchange between it and the ac system. The real power exchanged at the ac terminal, that is the terminal of the coupling transformer, is converted by the inverter into dc power which appears at the dc link as positive or negative real power demand. The reactive power exchanged at the ac terminal is generated internally by the inverter. The basic function of the inverter connected in parallel (inverter 1) is to supply or absorb the real power demanded by the inverter connected in series to the ac system (inverter 2), at the common dc link. Inverter 1 can also generate or absorb controllable reactive power, if it is desired, and thereby it can provide independent shunt reactive compensation for the line. It is important to note that whereas there is a closed “direct” path for the real power negotiated by the action of series voltage injection through inverter 1 and back to the line, the corresponding reactive power exchanged is supplied or absorbed locally by inverter 2 and therefore it does not flow through the line. Thus, inverter 1 can be operated at a unity power factor or be controlled to have a reactive power exchange with the line independently of the reactive power exchanged by inverter 2. This means that there is no continuous reactive power flow through the UPFC. examples show that VAR compensators will be used on a much wider scale in the future as grid performance and reliability becomes an even more important factor. Having better grid controllability will allow utilities to reduce investment in the transmission lines themselves. The combination of modern control with real-time information and information technologies will move them very close to their physical limits. Besides, the development of faster and more powerful semiconductor valves will increase the applicability of VAR generators to higher limits. REFERENCES [1] A Review on Reactive Power Compensation Techniques using FACTS Devices Volume-4, Issue-1, February-2014, ISSN No.: 2250-0758 [2] Reactive Power Compensation Techniques in Transmission lines Volume: 3 Issue: 5 3224 – 3226 [3] Reactive Power Compensation Technologies, Stateofthe-Art Review (Invited Paper) [4] Narain G. Hingorani, “Understanding FACTS Concept and Technology of Flexibal AC Transmission System,’’ E. Interline Power Flow Controller (IPFC) An Interline Power Flow Controller (IPFC) consists of two series VSCs whose DC capacitors are coupled, allowing active power to circulate between different power lines. When operating below its rated capacity, the IPFC is in regulation mode, allowing the regulation of the P and Q flows on one line, and the P flow on the other line. In power losses addition, the net active power generation by the two coupled VSCs is zero, neglecting.       V. ADVANTAGES Better efficiency of power generation, transmission and distribution. Improvement in voltage. Reduced KVA demand. Higher load capability. Reduced system losses. Increase transfer capability. VI. CONCLUSION An overview of the technological development of VAR generators and compensators has been presented. Starting from the principles of VAR compensation classical solutions using phase controlled semiconductors have been reviewed. The introduction of self-commutated topologies based on IGBTs and IGCTs semiconductors produced a dramatic improvement in the performance of VAR compensators: they have a faster dynamic behavior and they can control more variables. The introduction of new self-commutated topologies at even higher voltage levels will increase the impact of VAR compensation in future applications. Some relevant examples of projects have been described, where it can be observed that modern VAR compensators improve power systems performance, helping to increase reliability and the quality of power delivered to the customers. These All rights reserved by www.ijsrd.com 253