The application of reactive power control equipment in power system stability and security performance enhancement

The purpose of this paper is to study how to determine the number, sizes, and locations of reactive power control equipment to increase the power system global steady-state stability and security performance. The typical reactive power control equipment considered in this research is the mechanical switched shunt capacitor banks (SCBs) because SCBs are the most widely used reactive power control equipment in the power systems. Two algorithms are proposed in this paper. The first algorithm is used to do the proposed power system sensitivity analysis in order to reduce the computing burden by forming the most sensitive bus group (MSBG) with the buses in it are not only most sensitive of the bus voltage with respect to the change of load but also with heavy loading. The second algorithm is used to find the maximum values of the defined system global steady-state stability margin and security measure for adding the given SCB design plan at different bus location in MSBG. The results of the second algorithm will show the number, best sizes and locations of SCBs that can maximize the system global steady-state stability and security performance of the power systems. The proposed algorithms are employed to determine the number, size and locations of SCBs in 39-Bus New England power system.