Unit – 5
POWER SYSTEM SECURITY
System security involves practices suitably designed to keep the system
operating when components fail. An operationally "secure" power system is one
with low probability of, system black out (collapse) or equipment damage. If the
process of cascading failures continue, the system as a whole or its major parts
may completely collapse. This is normally referred to as system blackout. All
these aspects require security constrained power system operation.
Power system security may be looked upon as the probability of the system’s
operating point remaining within acceptable ranges, given the probabilities of
changes in the system (contingencies) and its environment.
System security can be said to comprise of three major functions that are carried
out in an energy control centre: (i) system monitoring, (ii) contingency analysis,
and (iii) corrective action analysis.
System monitoring supplies the power system operators or dispatchers with
pertinent up-to-date information on the conditions of the power system on real
time basis as load and generation change. Telemetry systems measure monitor
and transmit the data, voltages, currents, current flows and the status of circuit
breakers and switches in every substation in a transmission network. Further,
other critical and important information such as frequency, generator outputs
and transformer tap positions can also be telemetered. Digital computers in a
control centre then process the telemetered data and place them in a data base
form and inform the operators in case of an overload or out of limit voltage.
Important data are also displayed on large size monitors. Alarms or warnings
may be given if required.
State estimation is normally used in such systems to combine telemetered data
to give the best estimate (in statistical sense) of the current system condition or
"state". Such systems often work with supervisory control systems to help
operators control circuit breakers and operate switches and taps remotely. These
systems together are called SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition)
systems.
The second major security function is contingency analysis. Modern operation
computers have contingency analysis programs stored in them. These foresee
possible system troubles (outages) before they occur. They study outage events
and alert the operators to any potential overloads or serious voltage violation.
For example the simplest form of contingency analysis can be put together with
a standard Load Flow program, along with procedures to set up the load flow
data for each outage to be studied by the Load Flow program. This allows the
system operators to locate defensive operating states where no single
contingency event will generate overloads and/or voltage violation. This analysis
thus evolves operating constraints which may be employed in the economic
dispatch and unit commitment program. Thus contingency analysis carries out
emergence identification and what-if simulations.
The third major security function, corrective action analysis, permits the operator
to change the operation of the power system if a contingency analysis program
predicts a serious problem in the event of the occurrence of a certain outage.
Thus this provides preventive and post-contingency control. A simple example of
corrective action is the shifting of generation from one station to another. This
may result in change in power flows and causing a change in loading on
overloaded lines.
SYSTEM STATE CLASSIFICATION
SECURITY ANALYSIS
System security can be broken down into two major functions that are carried
out in an operations control centre: (i) security assessment and (ii) security
control.
The former gives the security level of the system operating state. The latter
determines the appropriate security constrained scheduling required to optimally
attain the target security level.
The security functions in an EMS can be executed in 'real time' and 'study'
modes. Real time application functions have a particular need for computing
speed and reliability.
The static security level of a power system is characterised by the presence of
otherwise of emergency operating conditions (limit violations) in its actual (pre-
contingency) or potential (post-contingency) operating states. System security
assessment is the process by which any such violations are detected.
System assessment involves two functions:
(i) system monitoring and (ii) contingency analysis.
System monitoring provides the operator of the power system with pertinent up-
to-date information on the current condition of the power system. In its simplest
form, this just detects violations in the actual system operating state.
Contingency analysis is much more demanding and normally performed in three
distinct states i.e., contingency definition, selection and evaluation. Contingency
definition gives the list of contingencies to be processed whose probability of
occurrence is high. This list, which is usually large, is in terms of network
changes, i.e. branch and/or employing contingency selection algorithms to
shorten the list.
Limited accuracy results are required; therefore, an approximate system model is
utilized for speed. Contingency evaluation is then performed on the successive
individual cases in decreasing order of severity. The evaluation process is
continued up to the point where no post contingency violations are encountered.
Hence the purpose of contingency analysis is to identify the list of contingencies
that, if occur, would create violations in system operating states. They are
ranked in order of severity.
The second major security function, security control, allows operating personnel
to change the power system operation in the event that a contingency analysis
program predicts a serious problem, should a certain outage occur. Normally the
security control is achieved through optimization program.
