An adaptive approach to load shedding and spinning reserve control during underfrequency conditions

Emergency conditions arising due to generating power deficiency and the consequent drop in power system frequency can lead to system collapse and a large scale loss of load. Underfrequency load shedding (UFLS) is a globally accepted practice to handle this situation. Most UFLS schemes use pre-specified step sizes based upon frequency measurements. This paper presents an adaptive scheme which uses both frequency and rate-of-change of frequency measurements to dynamically set UFLS relays if more than one generation outage is experienced. It then proposes a technique for coordinating UFLS and the activation of spinning reserves through localized governor control. Recent developments in computer based frequency and rate-of-change of frequency relays makes this scheme both feasible and attractive.