Modelling and mapping ferroresonant states in series compensated distribution and subtransmission lines

Series capacitors can increase the power carrying capacity of subtransmission and distribution lines by reducing voltage regulation. The potential exists in selected locations for utilities to both improve the customer quality of supply and increase the supply capacity. The possibility of ferroresonance and effective countermeasures to ferroresonance are important issues that need to be carefully considered at the design stage. Other design issues are capacitor location, ohmic reactive value, transient behaviour, short circuit withstand and capacitor protection. Ferroresonance can cause severe overvoltages and heavy currents resulting in damage to power system equipment and customer installations. This paper describes a ferroresonance model incorporating both time domain and frequency domain techniques. The ferroresonance model is used to map the possible ferroresonant states. A small scale laboratory nonlinear ferroresonant circuit was constructed with the experimental results comparing favourably with the predicted model behaviour. For series compensated lines and other circuit arrangements, the ferroresonance model allows the prediction of ferroresonant states and the examination of countermeasures.