Comparing Power Oscillation Damping Controller Designs for HVDC-Based System Stabilisation

Many modern transmission systems with large interconnections suffer from electromechanical oscillation issues. However, power oscillation damping (POD) controllers such as power system stabilizers (PSS) installed within the traditional vertical power system cannot always satisfy the power system stability efficiently against the oscillations caused by these large interconnected systems. Voltage-source Converter, High-voltage Direct Current (VSC-HVDC) lines with a vast installation in the modern system with the capability of power flow fast control offers a potential to deal with POD issues. This research investigates a comprehensive methodology to assess potential POD controllers for HVDC-based system stabilization. The proposed assessment accounts not only for performance improvement (as is typical) but also control robustness, simplicity and scalability. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) power system stabilizer (PSS), multiple operating points PSO-PSS and traditionally tuned PSS have been designed and evaluated through the proposed methodology. All POD controllers were assessed on both a small Kundur system and New England Test System and New York Power System (NETS-NYPS). According to the developed scoring principles for individual control assessing aspects, a thorough methodology is established and utilized to assess POD controller designs for HVDC-system stabilization. PSO-based control design presents a further damping improvement from conventional PSS. However, residue-based PSS with a relative low damping improvement shows a very good balance of all control behavior tests.