PMU’s Behavior with Flicker-Generating Voltage Fluctuations: An Experimental Analysis

Paolo Castello, Carlo Muscas, Paolo Attilio Pegoraro and Sara Sulis
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Paolo Castello: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Carlo Muscas: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Paolo Attilio Pegoraro: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Sara Sulis: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 17, 1-14

Abstract: Phasor measurement units (PMUs), which are the key components of a synchrophasor-based wide area monitoring system (WAMS), were historically conceived for transmission networks. The current trend to extend the benefits of the synchrophasor technology to distribution networks requires the PMU to also provide trustworthy information in the presence of signals that can occur in a typical distribution grid, including the presence of severe power quality (PQ) issues. In this framework, this paper experimentally investigates the performance of PMUs in the presence of one of the most important PQ phenomena, namely the presence of voltage fluctuations that generate the disturbance commonly known as flicker. The experimental tests are based on an ad-hoc high-accuracy measurement setup, where the devices under test are considered as “black boxes” to be characterized in the presence of the relevant signals. Two simple indices are introduced for the comparison among the different tested PMUs. The results of the investigation highlight possible critical situations in the interpretation of the measured values and provide a support for both the design of a new generation of PMUs and the possible development of an updated synchrophasor standard targeted to distribution systems.

Keywords: power quality; phasor measurement units; voltage fluctuations; flicker; modulation; power distribution systems; smart grids (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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