A comprehensive analysis of transient stability enhancement methods of electric power system

Dynamic braking resistor (BR), bridge type fault current limiter (BFCL), thyristor controlled series capacitor (TCSC), static var compensator (SVC) and unified power flow controller (UPFC) are well-known transient stability enhancement methods for electric power systems. Although individual technologies are well documented, so far no comparison among these methods is reported. This paper fills in the gap, and presents a detailed analysis and comparison among these five methods. The comparison is done in terms of transient stability enhancement, control structure and cost. The total kinetic energy (TKE) of the generators in the system is used to determine the transient stability enhancement index. The Critical Clearing Time (CCT) is also presented as a stability limit. Simulations are performed considering both permanent and temporary faults at different points of the IEEE 30 bus power system. Simulation analyses reveal that the series connected devices perform better than the parallel connected devices. The BR has simplest control structure and its application cost is also less than the other considered auxiliary devices. Thus, this study provides a guideline to select an appropriate transient stability enhancement technique for electric power systems.