Impact of Voltage and Frequency Ride-Through Requirements on Distributed Generation Passive Islanding Detection

• Grant number: 22/05305-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2022
• Effective date (End): December 10, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering - Power Systems
• Principal Investigator: Fernanda Caseño Trindade Arioli
• Grantee: Caio Begossi Franchi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação (FEEC). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

One of the main protection functions of generators connected to electricity distribution networks is anti-islanding protection, which must disconnect them when the portion of the network where they are connected becomes isolated (islanded) from the utility grid. The increased penetration of distributed generation made the National System Operator (NSO) suggest the introduction of voltage and frequency supportability requirements for these generators so that they remain connected during system disturbances and thus help to maintain stability of network. The flexibilization of the protection settings of distributed generators (DGs), however, creates concern to the utility, as it can reduce the effectiveness of these protections, leaving the field team, the circuit devices and consumers exposed to the risks of unintentional islanding. Therefore, there is a need to seek a compromise solution that simultaneously satisfies the stability requirements of the National Interconnected System (NIS) and the operational requirements of distribution utilities regarding the safety and effectiveness of anti-islanding protections. In this context, this scientific initiation project seeks to develop methodologies to determine the risk of failure in islanding detection in distributed generators that satisfy voltage and frequency supportability curves. It will also be evaluated how the risk of failure behaves in different scenarios of network operation (different load levels, different circuit topologies, different numbers of generators etc.). This possibility of identifying and monitoring the risk of protection failure facilitates the search for a more adequate parametrization of the anti-islanding protection of the DG, which satisfies the supportability requirements, while still maintaining a low risk of failure in the islanding detection. In addition, this project seeks to contribute to the technical training of the student, who wants to start his master's degree after the end of his undergraduate course, and his familiarization with computer simulation tools widely used in power system analysis.