Abstract
Phasor measurement units (PMUs), which are the key components of a synchrophasor-based wide area monitoring system (WAMS), were historically conceived for transmission networks. The current trend to extend the benefits of the synchrophasor technology to distribution networks requires the PMU to also provide trustworthy information in the presence of signals that can occur in a typical distribution grid, including the presence of severe power quality (PQ) issues. In this framework, this paper experimentally investigates the performance of PMUs in the presence of one of the most important PQ phenomena, namely the presence of voltage fluctuations that generate the disturbance commonly known as flicker. The experimental tests are based on an ad-hoc high-accuracy measurement setup, where the devices under test are considered as “black boxes” to be characterized in the presence of the relevant signals. Two simple indices are introduced for the comparison among the different tested PMUs. The results of the investigation highlight possible critical situations in the interpretation of the measured values and provide a support for both the design of a new generation of PMUs and the possible development of an updated synchrophasor standard targeted to distribution systems.
Highlights
Whatever new management/business models can be envisaged for modern power systems, they are based on the availability of suitable information and, new measurement solutions are required for their practical implementation
Starting from the outcomes of [24], this paper presents a systematic and detailed study of the performance of commercial Phasor measurement units (PMUs) in the presence of different types of voltage fluctuations
P-class settings is not designed to cancel interharmonics. This points out how important the definition of the measurement framework is, since the presence of fluctuations in the network is obviously independent of the PMU application context, and the behavior of a P-class PMU can become unpredictable if a dedicated characterization is not performed
Summary
Whatever new management/business models can be envisaged for modern power systems, they are based on the availability of suitable information and, new measurement solutions are required for their practical implementation. The smart grid (SG) paradigm, in its several different declinations, emphasizes the power system as a cyberphysical system, where information quality is critically dependent on coordination among elements composing a distributed system. In this context, the primary involved factors are accuracy, cost-effectiveness, synchronization, communication quality, reliability, and timeliness. The transition toward a smarter network management approach implies the need for a new and better performing measurement infrastructure. To this purpose, the possibility of exploiting at a distribution level the benefits of high-performance measurement devices and systems, currently deployed in the transmission grids, and can be explored
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
