Power flow control and N-1 contingency analysis with DSRs in unbalanced transmission networks

• Distributed Series Reactor is designed to control power flow on transmission lines.
• IEEE 39 bus standard system is modified to 3-phase, unbalanced transmission model.
• DSR design for handling N-1 line contingencies with load growth is presented.
• New line construction design for load growth under single contingencies is performed.
• Economics of DSRs are evaluated by comparing the DSR design with the new line construction design.

The need for modern electricity infrastructures and more capable grid components brings attention to Distributed Series Reactor (DSR) technology because of its control capabilities. DSRs are a new smart grid technology that can be applied to control flows in transmission or distribution systems. Design of DSRs to control power flow over transmission lines to alleviate overloads due to load growth under single line contingencies is investigated in this paper. N-1 contingency analysis is performed to assure secure operation of the grid while controlling the active power flow. The IEEE 39 bus standard model is modified to a 3-phase, unbalanced transmission model with 345 kV lines that accounts for tower geometry. The design of DSRs to control power flow under N-1 line contingency is performed using this modified 3-phase, unbalanced model. DSR design to control the power flow of a real power system over tie lines connecting different power pool areas and to control the power flow over transmission lines within the area itself is investigated. The economics of DSRs are then evaluated by comparing the DSR design with a design that uses new line construction.