Undergraduate Research on Adding Relay Models and Generator Capability Curves to Synthetic Electric Grids

Abstract

Synthetic electric power systems are important models that allow researchers to conduct and publish their work without using nonpublic data about the real grid. These synthetic grids are often missing models that are important to certain studies, such as, fault analysis, cascading failure, or geomagnetically induced currents (GICs). Furthermore, these cases often lack the data to build these models because the data is nonpublic, or the data is synthetic. Because the data is synthetic, it is generally within an acceptable range, but it might not necessarily be precise enough for certain models such as generator capability curves. Using the synthetic data to build the generator capability curves, will often lead to unrealistic results. The generator capability curves can instead be estimated using data from the existing data set. Line distance relay and time-overcurrent relay models can also be added to the case, using known data. With these models, a synthetic case can be made much more realistic without the need to obtain or protect nonpublic, real grid data.