WAMS Grid Stability Solutions

Overview

GE’s WAMS solutions transform instantaneous synchrophasor measurements into valuable information through real-time “measurement-based” analytics, and combines them with “model-based” predictive visibility, providing advanced decision support tools to better assess grid reliability and maximize transfer capacity. This gives grid operators an holistic and accurate view of current grid status, better intelligence to understand, predict and mitigate potential developing events, and unmatched historical data quality for better offline post-event analysis, model tuning and power system control.

Our WAMS solution is a hybrid measurement-based and model-based solution that combines real-time synchrophasor analytics with EMS-based network analysis and dynamic stability assessment tools, within a unified visualization platform to better manage grid reliability and maximize transfer capacity.

Key features:

• Combines real-time SCADA and PMU data and analytics.
• Complements the PMU measurement-based analytics with the “what-if” predictive capabilities of EMS model-based network applications and dynamic stability assessment tools
• Unified visualization provides rich situational awareness
• Offline engineering analytics leverages PMU data alongside SCADA/EMS data and power system simulation results.
• A flexible PMU-based WAMS platform for implementing wide-area protection and control schemes

Our WAMS solutions comprise of the following products:

• PhasorPoint
  Real-time synchrophasor based measurement and monitoring, transforming phasor data into actionable information to improve system security, capacity and mitigate the risk of disturbances
• PhasorAnalytics
  Offline engineering package, integrating high-speed synchrophasor measurements with SCADA/EMS data and power system simulations
• Stability
  Leverage the synergies between WAMS, EMS and Dynamic Security Assessment (DSA) to improve power system performance
• PhasorController
  Next generation IED for Wide Area Protection and Control, helping to optimize grid management and dynamically control power network resources
• PhasorServices
  Multi-tenancy Phasor Data Sharing and Wide-area Oscillation Monitoring and Location
• PhasorEdge
  Substation data alignment, aggregation, streaming and storage
• PhasorHistorian
  Long-term data storage
• PhasorProcessor
  Control room data alignment, aggregation and streaming

Key Benefits

• Avoid blackouts via early detection of disturbances, quick grid vulnerability assessment, and overall assistance with system restoration.
• Tackle uncertainties associated with renewables and Distributed Generation (DG) with true dynamic situational awareness.
• Maximize transfer capacity for optimal grid utilization with real-time dynamic stability limits.
• Perform more accurate offline post-mortem analysis and dynamic model validation by leveraging time-synchronized, high-fidelity PMU measurements.
• Improve design and tuning of control systems through better diagnostics and system tests.
• Enhanced integration capabilities within Advanced EMS.

Solutions

GE’s Phasorpoint solutions architecture provides a full-range of building blocks for synchronised measurement and monitoring systems, including data management, archiving, visualisation and advanced applications. GE’s solutions are used by power system operators and planners worldwide for improving power system security, securely increasing power transfer levels, tracking power system performance including dynamics, model validation, tuning of power system stabilisers and more.

GE's advanced Phasorpoint suite of power system performance and dynamics applications provides system operators with the capability to not just respond, but excel, in an increasingly volatile environment.

Using the Phasorpoint Oscillatory Stability Management application (OSM), the behavior of different modes of oscillation can be monitored in real-time. The power through an interconnector can be increased further as long as the oscillation amplitude and damping are within preconfigured thresholds. Without modelling errors and the pessimistic assumptions used by the offline method, the real-time approach easily allows much more power to be transferred than the limit derived from the model-based method.

Using GE's Phasorpoint solution the impact of renewable generation and network loading can be assessed by observing live data representing various power systems quantities such as real and reactive power flows, bus voltages, frequency and voltage angle differences.

GE's advanced Phasorpoint suite of power system performance and dynamics applications give planners, analysts and operators access to key indicators that measure the static and dynamic performance of their system. The technology can provide operators with early warning of emerging dynamics issues in real-time, whilst providing planners and analysts with post-event information to use in studies. Key performance indicators are directly available within Phasorpoint and custom indicators can also be calculated using an array of flexible user-defined functions within the software.

GE’s PhasorPoint solutions provide a fast and accurate means of measuring the actual dynamic performance of the power system. e‑terraphasorpoint provides system planners and analysts with powerful tools for system baselining and risk assessment, validation of dynamic models, post-event analysis, investigating dynamics problems and developing operational rules based on system dynamic measurements.

Services

At GE, we want to ensure that any system we implement is utilized to its full potential. By leveraging our extensive experience in delivering synchrophasor based solutions worldwide, GE is able to offer a comprehensive range of services to enable utilities to get the most out of their systems.

GE has extensive experience in the specification, design, and deployment of synchrophasor based systems worldwide. We can design Wide Area Management Systems (WAMS) ranging from small-pilot schemes right up to large-scale deployments that are flexible, scalable and reliable. We also can assist operationally in the deployment of these systems. Our approach ensures that the WAMS design is suitable for the available or planned communications infrastructure, and that the appropriate synchrophasor data concentrator architecture, applications and integration are delivered. Furthermore, where synchrophasor measurements are already available GE will advise customers on how to get the most out of their existing measurement investment whilst at the same time leveraging the benefits of GE's Phasorpoint data management facilities and advanced applications.

The pattern of transmission system use is changing rapidly, with significant implications for system dynamics. These changes mean that there is an increased need to confirm that a system's behavior conforms to that predicted by the planning study models. By capturing and processing the highly accurate, real-time data obtained from Phasor Measurement Units (PMU's), our software can record the dynamic behavior of a power system. With permission, GE can retrieve this recorded information and provide the following services:

• Dynamic performance baselining
• Monthly summary reporting on system dynamic performance
• Event Investigations
• Model validation

The effective management of generator dynamics is key to maintaining power system security and for achieving high transmission performance levels. A lack of stabilisers, or poor stabiliser tuning can significantly impact the requirement to ensure that power system oscillations remain adequately damped at all times.

For network operators, model-based network analysis is an essential step towards making new planning or operation decisions. The analysis results must show that the operational or physical change to the electrical network will not cause any degradation in supply security and reliability; otherwise the proposed change would be rejected. The power systems team at GE has an extensive first-hand experience in analysing steady-state and dynamic behaviours of electrical network at different voltage levels, from transmission to distribution.

GE's training service aims to deliver know-how on Wide Area Management System (WAMS) technology and Phasorpoint solutions. In addition training often promotes discussions on operational procedures based on Phasorpoint alarms and the case study that customers review.