Study of global frequency dynamic behavior of large power systems

A global view of power system's frequency behavior electromechanical wave phenomenon of power system opens up a new window for analyzing system dynamics. With the aid of global positioning system (GPS), measurements from different locations would have synchronous time; therefore a system-wide observation and analysis would be possible. As part of the US-wide power frequency monitoring network project (FNET), this paper focus on simulation study results of power frequency dynamics of major US systems (e.g. WSCC, Eastern US). The study assesses the frequency measurement accuracy needed to observe frequency oscillations from events such as remote generation drops. Electromechanical wave propagation phenomena during system disturbances have been observed. The speeds of electromechanical wave propagation in different areas of the US systems were estimated and their characteristics were discussed. Simulation of the 2003 August 14 northeastern US blackout is given as an example to show wide area monitoring systems such as FNET could have provided crucial information for possible remedial actions.