Design of a Wide-Area Power System Stabilizer resilient to permanent communication failures using bio-inspired algorithms

Abstract

The operation of power systems requires a set of requirements and studies to ensure the continuous and safe supply of electricity to consumer centers. In small-signal stability studies, low-frequency oscillation modes need to be evaluated as they can compromise the operation of power systems if they are not properly damped. Many structures and control devices have been proposed to mitigate these oscillation modes and the Wide-Area Power System Stabilizers (WAPSSs) have proven to be effective in improving the damping rates of these modes as they use remote system signals from Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs). However, cyber-attacks and communication failures can affect WAPSS communication channels and affect its operation in the power system. This article proposes a method based on a multiobjective optimization model for WAPSS design that is robust to the permanent loss of one WAPSS communication channel. Bio-Inspired Algorithms are applied and compared to solve the optimization problem. A set of case studies were conducted and discussed for the IEEE 68-bus system through modal analysis and time domain simulations. The achieved results showed the need for a fault-robust damping controller and the WAPSS-type controller was able to guarantee good dynamic performance regardless of permanent communication failures. Furthermore, different bio-inspired algorithms provided different results for the closed-loop control system when applied to the proposed optimization model.