Distributed generation control in islanded industrial facilities: A case study in power management systems

Distributed generation in islanded power systems has unique characteristics when it comes to power system stability and control. Relatively low system inertia and the power system configuration of intertie connections between distributed generation facilities necessitate the implementation of power management control algorithms that provide both proactive and reactive stabilization techniques to ensure optimum system operation. Saudi Aramco recently installed and commissioned a power management system that incorporates smart, realtime generation, voltage, and islanding control in an effort to ensure that generators operate properly in terms of load balancing, maintaining system frequency and voltage levels under all operational scenarios. Furthermore, the power management system also incorporates a contingency-based and backup frequency-based load-shedding system to compensate for large generation and transmission line disturbances. This paper explores the technical aspects governing the design of the power management system - incorporating the performance characteristics of the provided combustion gas turbines (CGTs), system inertia, and CGT control modes-while also examining the operational history and how previous events shaped the current system design.