A multi-channel method for detecting periodic forced oscillations in power systems

Forced oscillations in electric power systems are often symptomatic of equipment malfunction or improper operation. Detecting and addressing the cause of the oscillations can improve overall system operation. In this paper, a multichannel method of detecting forced oscillations and estimating their frequencies is proposed. The method operates by comparing the sum of scaled periodograms from various channels to a threshold. A method of setting the threshold to specify the detector's probability of false alarm while accounting for the correlation between channels is also presented. Results from simulated and measured power system data indicate that the method outperforms its single-channel counterpart and is suitable for real-world applications.