Analysis of PMU algorithm errors during fault transients and out-of-step disturbances

Various applications of synchrophasors in power system protection may be impacted by the measurement errors and limitations originated from the estimation algorithms in the Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs). While standard C37.118.1a-2014 has specified the permissible limits for PMU measurement errors under various static and dynamic test conditions, the impacts of such errors on the protection related applications in power systems are rather unknown. Knowledge on how the errors introduced by various phasor estimation algorithms affect the accuracy of protection applications could help speeding up the deployment of synchrophasor technology in real-world protection applications. This paper introduces an analytical support tool that is able to evaluate the performance of PMU estimation algorithms under fault transients and out-of-step disturbances. Actual tests are performed using the synchrophasor calibration set up.