POWER SYSTEM MODELLING IN EXCITATION ENGINEERING
EXPERIMENTS AND FAULT DIAGNOSIS ARE CHEAPER AND EASIER IN SIMULATION
The advent of power system modelling has brought surety to engineers, meaning they can demonstrate their designs will work before even flicking a switch. Here, Ryan Kavanagh, director of excitation control specialist Excitation Engineering Services, explains the transformative impact of power system modelling on the control engineering sector.
The ability to create a simulated version of a power system, whether a generator, industrial site or even commercial facilities, is self-evidently a very powerful tool. These models can produce simulated data to show how a power system might perform under certain conditions and operating scenarios, such as peak demand, voltage variations, fault analysis or even integration of renewable energy sources.
The offline and unintrusive study of a system’ s behaviour in different scenarios without having to stop or interrupt its function is incredibly valuable. Indeed, some fault scenarios are impossible to test without simulation, as they would severely damage or destroy equipment. Suspending production, either because of faults or just for investigation, can cost tens of thousands of pounds per hour.
Typically, engineers will travel to the site and take electronic measurements from the system designated for study. Constructing the model in the software of choice is time-consuming and challenging. Once complete, however, the engineers will model different conditions and scenarios. This trial and error approach has two uses: either it can prove that a system will operate safely, complying with standards or guidelines, or it yields the same aberrant readings obtained from the real system, enabling a diagnosis and recommended treatment.
60 AUTOMATION, CONTROL & ENGINEERING