Micro-PMU-based Voltage Drop Assessment for Improving Voltage Regulation in Primary Radial Distribution Feeders

Abstract

This paper describes a practical method for real-time per-phase voltage drop assessment for improving voltage regulation in primary radial distribution feeders. The method takes into consideration voltage synchrophasors provided by high-precision phasor measurement units, termed micro-sync hrophasors or micro-PMUs (μ-PMUs), placed at the feeder section's ends. By performing complex subtraction between voltage synchrophasors, an accurate voltage drop can be achieved and an improved voltage regulation can be performed even for scenarios related to heavy currents combined with leading power factor that could arise due to the high integration of renewable and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). The proposed method does not require the knowledge of line segment impedance, electric current and power factor, providing a better performance than classical methods based on either the exact and approximate voltage drop calculations or the voltage drop tables, commonly used by distribution utilities. Numerical results using the IEEE 34-node radial test distribution feeder are presented and discussed.