FAULT RESILIENT INTEGRATION OF RENEWABLE SOURCES AND DERS IN SMART GRIDS

Aslan   Mojallal

Smart grids, which are alternatively called by many researchers as “Grids of the future” have attracted a lot of attention the recent years. Two key features that enable practical implementation of smart grids are, Condition Monitoring (CM) and advanced control techniques. Internal or external faults seen by Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), however, can adversely impact the reliability of the smart grids and hinder the rapid rate of their implementation. Traditionally, the internal faults were detected and isolated using either model-based or data-driven techniques. Owing to accurate models that were derived for the power components, model-based method’s utilization has grown substantially and outpaced the data-driven methods. However, one major shortcoming of model-based methods is their inefficiency in dealing with components that are composed of several physical and dynamical domains (i.e. mechanical, electrical, chemical, etc.). To remedy this shortcoming, initially in this dissertation, a model-based CM method for DERs, evolved from Bond-graph theory is proposed. The proposed method is suitable for dealing with multi-physics systems. Moreover, the proposed CM method is extended to consider the uncertainties that are caused by noisy measurements (sensor uncertainty) and lack of accurate information about the DER parameter values (parameter uncertainty). With higher penetration of DERs in the smart grids, utility grids have developed certain requirements (also known as grid codes) to regulate the interconnection of the generating sources. One of the major requirements in the grid codes concern about the behavior of DERs under external faults and when experiencing voltage sags. The conventional controllers are designed to show fast response since they are tuned to operate in normal conditions. However, during a voltage sag, it is vital for the controller to show an over-damped response to meet the grid codes. Hence, in the second portion of this dissertation, a controller is that is capable of showing fast response during normal condition and an over-damped response during voltage sags. The proposed controller can be perceived as extensions to the well-known Sliding-mode and PID controller. The proposed controller is applied successfully to Fuel Cell and Solar panel DERs under symmetrical and unsymmetrical voltage sages.

FAULT RESILIENT INTEGRATION OF RENEWABLE SOURCES AND DERS IN SMART GRIDS

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