Dynamic ATC enhancement through optimal placement of FACTS controllers

Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) controllers offer an effective means to enhance the power transfer capability of the network. However, the extent to which a FACTS controller can enhance Available Transfer Capability (ATC) depends on its optimal location in the system. This paper has proposed sensitivity analysis of structure preserving energy margin with respect to the control parameters of FACTS controllers for their optimal placement in the network. Two types of FACTS controllers, viz. Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) and Unified Power Flow Controllers (UPFC) have been considered. The hybrid approach, combining a structure preserving and a time domain simulation method, has been utilized to compute the dynamic ATC in presence of these controllers and their impact on dynamic ATC has been analyzed. The potential energy, contributed by the STATCOM and the UPFC, has also been included in the structure preserving energy function to include their influence on transient stability. The proposed method has been tested on 39-bus New England system and a practical 246-bus Indian system.