Synchronous Generator Out of Step Detection Using Real Time Load Angle Data

Abstract

Although the power system usually always appears stable and reliable to consumers, a lot of work and research goes into keeping the power system both stable and reliable under constantly changing conditions and in these increasingly demanding times. One of the key issues in the power system is maintaining stability after large disturbances in order to prevent the loss of synchronicity of the generators in the system. Today’s generator protection systems mostly use measurements of impedance change to detect generator out of step. This article discusses the possibility of detecting the loss of synchronicity by using real time load angle measurements. The authors propose a real time load angle measurement algorithm and present the results of the algorithm’s testing performed on a real hydrogenerator. The results show that the developed algorithm gives highly accurate real time load angle measurements with the maximum possible resolution and that the load angle can be used for detecting the synchronous generator out of step.

Keywords

• synchronous generator
• load angle
• power system stability
• air gap
• loss of synchronicity
• out of step generator protection