Frequency Control in Power System

Power System is characterized by two main important parameters: Voltage & Frequency.?In order to keep the expected operating conditions and supply energy to all the users (loads) connected, it is important to control these two parameters within predefined limits, to avoid unexpected disturbances that can create problems to the connected loads or even cause the system to fail.

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• The most commonly used nominal frequency (Fn) in power systems is 50 Hz (Europe and most of Asia) and 60 Hz (North America). The reasons for this choice are based on technical compromises and historical situations.?
• Generally, when the system operates in a range of frequency Fn±0.1 Hz, it is in the standard conditions, while when the frequency ranges from 47.5 to 51.5 Hz (in 50 Hz network for example), it is called emergency condition or restoration condition. These values can change from country to country.
• Frequency variations in a power system occur because of an imbalance between generation and load. When the frequency value of a power system reaches the emergency condition, the control strategy is initiated.
• The frequency control is divided in three levels: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary controls. Each frequency control has specific features and purposes.?

Primary Control?

• The primary control (or frequency response control) is an automatic function and it is the fastest among the three levels, as its response period is a few seconds.? When an imbalance between generation and load occurs, the frequency of the power system changes.?

Secondary Control

• Once the primary regulation accomplished its target, the frequency value it’s different from the nominal one, the reserve margins of each generator have been used (or partially used) and also the power exchange between the interconnected power systems is different from the predefined one. So, it’s necessary to restore the nominal value of the frequency, the reserve of each generator previously used, and the power exchange among the power systems. This is the purpose of the secondary control.

Tertiary Control

• After secondary control is completed, the reserve margin used for this control shall be restored too and this is the purpose of the tertiary control (or replacement reserve) the last level of frequency control.?
• In order to perform this restoring, the TSO calls send single producers (even the ones not involved in the secondary control) the operating prescriptions related to power variation for the generators already in operation and if needed asking start-up generators not operating at that moment.?
• This control level is not automatic but it’s executed upon request from the grid operator, and its remuneration follows the same rules of the secondary control.

Due to the prolific integration of?Renewable Energy Sources?(RES) worldwide, power system dynamics have been altered extensively. Conventionally, the rotating mass of the?Synchronous Generators?(SGs) used to supply the stored kinetic energy following a generation deficit. However, because of widespread installation of RES, these conventional SGs are being displaced.

As the RES do not necessarily contribute to system inertia without additional control loops, the inertia of the overall system is becoming insignificant. These low-inertia power systems are much more vulnerable to various disturbances and uncertainties associated with modern power grids. As such, low-inertia grids are suffering from challenges such as higher rate of change of frequency (ROCOF), larger frequency deviation, distributed?PV?trip, distributed generator trip and so on.

To counter these new challenges, hidden inertia emulation, synthetic inertia utilization and emulated inertia from various sources are being suggested. A comprehensive review of possible?countermeasures?for frequency control in low-inertia power systems from generation and transmission perspectives and future research scopes are hot discussion now a days.

Frequency Control

Frequency response, as a means to characterize grid frequency after a disturbance/fault is assessed by considering frequency nadir, steady-state deviation, a dynamic rolling window, and rate of change of frequency. Power system non-linearities, including speed governor dead-band impacts, system generation rate constraint (GRC), and communication delays may affect the frequency dynamics of interest.

Conventional Frequency Control

Sustained off-normal frequency variations for a long time may negatively affect power grid operation, stability, security, and performance. This event may also damage equipment, and degrade the operation of relays and protection systems. Depending on the size and time of frequency variation, different types of frequency controllers are needed to stabilize and restore the power grid frequency. The “size” of frequency deviation refers to the amplitude of Δf; which accordingly shows the size......

Non Conventional Frequency Control

The high penetration of RESs in power grids, introduces technical challenges due to their high uncertainty, intermittency, and non-synchronous grid connection. This type of sources increases the necessity of flexibility in operation and regulation power requirements. Furthermore, the replacement of SGs by power electronic-based DGs/RESs reduces system rotational inertia. In power grids with significant integration of RESs, system operators face serious frequency and tie-line power control....for more information click the below video's.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G3cAWHJvdI
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXsM-cU53E4