Cyber-Physical System Analysis of Communication Networks Utilising Synchrophasors in a Smart Grid

Abstract

The electrical grid is often hailed as one of the 20th century's greatest technical achievements. While it is undeniably a feat of engineering, it is in dire need of updating to keep up with things like two-way dynamic energy management, load balancing, enhanced metering, the incorporation of renewable energy sources, protection and control, etc. The term "Smart Grid" (SG) is used to describe this updated electrical network. Rapid progress in communication technology has made it possible to create the envisioned SG. The SG may be seen as a Cyber Physical System (CPS), with the physical system being the infrastructure of the power grid and the cyber system being the communication and computing technologies, sensors, actuators, etc. A Smart Grid Cyber Physical System (SGCPS) is a CPS-based conceptualization of an SG. CPS technology is expanding rapidly, which has allowed the SG's capabilities to grow even further. In SGCPS in particular, the SG's security and management are tweaked to improve consistency of functioning. With synchrophasor measurement, SG has gained traction from a safety and regulation perspective. The sinusoidal voltage and current of electrical buses in the smart grid may be measured using a time-synchronized phasor measurement called synchrophasor measurement. High-speed sensors, known as Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), collect the synchrophasor information. The Phasor Data Concentrator (PDC) at the command centre receives the synchrophasor information. Synchrophasor data is sent from PMUs to PDCs through a communication network known as the Synchrophasor Communication Network (SCN), which serves as the backbone of the synchrophasor applications.