Blackout

About: Blackout is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2088 publications have been published within this topic receiving 30433 citations.

Implementing NERC guidelines for coordinating generator and transmission protection

Abstract: Misoperations of generation protection during the U.S. east coast blackout on August 14, 2003 highlighted the need for better coordination of generator protection with generator capability, generator Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) control and transmission system protection. Generator protection misoperations also contributed to the 1996 California blackout. As a result of the 2003 blackouts, NERC (North Electric Reliability Council) has developed a “white paper” entitled “Power Plant and Transmission System Protection Coordination” [1]. The recommendations in the white paper are not yet a NERC standard, but will provide the technical input to producing a standard. This paper will provide practical guidance in implementing NERC-proposed guidelines (as outlined in the NERC white paper) for setting generator protection to coordinate with transmission protection. The paper will also address generator protection security issues that concern NERC that result from low system voltages, relay settings which restrict generator capability under emergency system conditions and coordination of generator protection with generator excitation and governor control.

Analysis of the national 8th November 2003 Libyan blackout

Abstract: During last few years many blackouts have been experienced throughout the world. It seems that modern power systems are more exposed to major blackouts. Studying and analyzing real-world blackouts can play a very important role in the avoidance of such events. In this paper, the experience of 8th November Libyan blackout is presented. The blackout is studied and analyzed from a dynamic point of view. A comparison between the Libyan blackout and some international blackout is also introduced. Some suggestions and solutions are given to improve the security of the system during future major disturbances.

System blackouts: description and prevention

Abstract: This paper shows the description and prevention of system blackouts. Blackouts rarely happen and are usually caused by a sequence of low probability disturbances. The sequence of low-probability disturbances is generally not planned by the system designers and is not expected by system operators, making a power system more susceptible to a blackout. There are a number of other contributing factors that allow a blackout to spread. There is no single solution to prevent blackouts, but there are general measures than can and should be taken to minimize impact of wide area disturbances.

Blueprint for Iteratively Hardening Power Grids Employing Unified Power Flow Controllers

Abstract: A stable electricity supply is vital for modern society. However, many parts of our power transmission grid are operating near their operational limits. Such stressed systems are vulnerable to cascading failures, where a few small faults can induce a cascade of failures potentially leading to a major blackout The unified power flow controller (UPFC), the most powerful highspeed, semi-conductor based power flow device, can be used as a theoretical model to study how these devices can be used to improve power grid resilience. The blueprint presented here can be used to iteratively identify critical weaknesses in power grids and to recommend a means of fixing these weaknesses via the installation of UPFCs. This approach to hardening the power transmission grid will make it less prone to blackouts and better able to forestall or reduce the severity of unavoidable blackouts.

An intelligent training agent for power system restoration

Abstract: Total blackouts, though rare in a modern power system, could cause huge direct and indirect financial losses. Power system operators should be trained to restore their system from a total or a partial blackout condition in a relatively short period of time. A case-based reasoning approach has been utilized to develop a training simulator for the SaskPower network. System operators can use the simulator in an interactive manner to simulate a restoration process. The simulator can guide system operators through the steps of a restoration process and displays the outcome(s) of a restoration action in terms of system states. The interaction between the simulator and an operator has been achieved through an object-oriented graphical interface.