Gyrator-Capacitor Approach to Modeling a Continuously Variable Series Reactor

A continuously variable series reactor (CVSR) is a novel application for power-flow control in meshed electric power networks. CVSR provides continuous modulation of line reactance by controlling the magnetization in a ferromagnetic core, which occurs by altering the direct current in a winding to bias the magnetization in the core. The deployment of CVSR in commercial power systems requires careful planning to determine if the equipment will meet design objectives and how the equipment responds during power system faults. This paper presents a modeling method that enables simulation of the magnetic interactions within a prototype device simultaneously with the voltages and currents of an externally connected electric circuit. Simulations of the model are compared to finite-element analysis and available experimental results. The simulations are performed on a simple single-phase system under nominal and fault conditions. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method to represent CVSR transient behavior from the perspective of the ac power system.