Small Signal Analysis using SSAT (DSATools)

Small Signal Stability:

Small-signal stability analysis is about power system stability when subject to small disturbances. If
power system oscillations caused by small disturbances can be suppressed, such that the deviations of
system state variables remain small for a long time, the power system is stable. On the contrary, if the
magnitude of oscillations continues to increase or sustain indefinitely, the power system is unstable.
Power system small-signal stability is affected by many factors, including initial operation conditions,
strength of electrical connections among components in the power system, characteristics of various
control devices, etc. Since it is inevitable that power system operation is subject to small disturbances,
any power system that is unstable in terms of small-signal stability cannot operate in practice. In other
words, a power system that is able to operate normally must first be stable in terms of small-signal
stability. Hence, one of the principal tasks in power system analysis is to carry out small-signal stability
analysis to assess the power system under the specified operating conditions [1]
Small Signal Analysis Tool (SSAT) is a software tool jointly developed by Powertech Labs. SSAT takes
advantage of the state-of-the-art in the development of eigenvalue computation techniques and the
related numerical analysis. It offers powerful features for small signal stability analysis of power
systems with comprehensive analysis functions.

System Modeling
 SSAT accepts powerflow data in the native formats of DSAToolsTM (PSF and PFB), as well as
other commonly used format such as PTI PSS/E (.rawd) format, GE PSLF format (.epc), and
BPA format.
 Dynamic models of devices commonly represented for stability studies are available in SSAT.
Data of models can be in DSATools, PTI PSS/E (.dyr), GE PSLF (.dyd), BPA format.
 The actual dynamic models used in an SSAT analysis can be customized from the data set
provided in all data files, by using the dynamic representation specifications

Computation options
There are 11 computation options available in SSAT. These include:

1. Complete Eigenvalue Analysis

This option computes all eigenvalues of the system using the QR method. The following data sets
are required to perform this computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
 (Optional) Dynamic representation data
 (Optional) Contingency specification data
Outputs
All modes of the system and the associated mode shapes/participation factors at the base and all
post-contingency conditions.
Small Signal Analysis using SSAT (DSATools)

Figure 1 Computation flow chart for complete eigenvalue analysis

2. Single-Machine-Infinite-Bus (SMIB) Analysis

This option computes all eigenvalues of a single-machine-infinite-bus (SMIB) system (“single SMIB
analysis”). The following data is required to perform this computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
Note that the above data sets may contain a large system representation from which only one
generator can be specified for the single SMIB analysis. The following additional information is
required in the case file to specify the generator (and its condition) to be analyzed:
 Generator # and ID. This generator specification must match one of the generators included
in the powerflow and dynamic data. The dynamic model and data of the generator is always
taken from the dynamic data set, but the initial condition of the generator may be either taken
from the powerflow data or specified separately (see below).
 (Optional) External impedance. If this data is specified, the generator is connected to the
infinite bus through an external line with this impedance. Otherwise, the infinite bus is
assumed at the generator terminal.
 (Optional) Initial operating condition. This includes generator terminal voltage V, power
output P and Q. If this initial operating condition is not provided, the condition contained in
the powerflow data is used.

Note that for this computation option, the dynamic representation data and contingency data are not
required. If provided for the scenario, they are ignored.
Small Signal Analysis using SSAT (DSATools)

Outputs
All modes of the generator and the associated mode shapes/participation factors at the specified
SMIB configuration.
3. Single-Machine-Infinite-Bus (SMIB) Scan for the Entire System
This option computes all eigenvalues of every generator in the system assuming they are connected
to an infinite bus (“SMIB scan”). The following data is required to perform this computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
 (Optional) Dynamic representation data
The Thevenin equivalent impedance at the retained generator is computed by SSAT and this
impedance is inserted between the generator and the infinite bus.

Note that for this computation option, the contingency data is not required. If provided for the
scenario, it is ignored. Figure 2 shows the flow chart for this computation option.
Outputs
All modes of every generator included in the analysis and the associated mode shapes/participation
factors at the specified SMIB configuration.

Figure 2 Computation flow chart for SMIB scan

4. Eigenvalue Analysis within Specified Frequency and Damping Ranges

This option computes all eigenvalues of the system within specified frequency/imaginary and
damping/real ranges. The following data is required to perform this computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
 (Optional) Dynamic representation data
 (Optional) Contingency specification data
Small Signal Analysis using SSAT (DSATools)

The following additional information is required for the scenario to specify the computation scope
(refer to Section 5 for details):
 (From and to) frequency range (flow and fhigh) in Hz (or imaginary range in rad/s)

 (Optional) Maximum number of modes to be computed
 (Optional) Dimension of the reduced Hessenberg matrix
The eigenvalue solver used in this computation option is the Implicitly Restarting Arnoldi Method
(IRAM) from ARPACK, applied to the augmented linearized system matrices with varying complex
shifts. The complex shifts are automatically chosen to cover the required frequency/imaginary and
damping/real ranges on the complex plane (see Figure 3). The computation starts at the higher
frequency/imaginary and higher damping/real end of the specified search area. Figure 4 shows the
flow chart for this computation option.
Outputs
Modes (up to the specified maximum) within the specified frequency/imaginary and damping/real
ranges and the associated mode shapes/participation factors at the base and all post-contingency
conditions (fewer results may be stored in binary result file depending on the value of the output
option).

Figure 3 Area covered by frequency/imaginary and damping/real ranges

Small Signal Analysis using SSAT (DSATools)

Figure 4 Computation flow chart for eigenvalue analysis

5. Computation of Modes Closest To a Specified Frequency and Damping

This option computes a required number of eigenvalues of the system closest to a specified
frequency/imaginary part and damping/real part. The following data is required to perform this
computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
 (Optional) Dynamic representation data
 (Optional) Contingency specification data

6. Computation of Modes Related To a Generator

This option computes a mode or modes that are most dominant in a specified generator. This is
normally used to find the local modes related to the generator. The following data is required to
perform this computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
 (Optional) Dynamic representation data
 (Optional) Contingency specification data
Small Signal Analysis using SSAT (DSATools)

7. Small-Signal Stability Index for Contingency Ranking

This option computes a small-signal stability index for the base and all post-contingency conditions
specified. The small-signal stability index is defined as the damping ratio (in %) of the least stable
rotor angle mode in the system. The following data is required to perform this computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
 (Optional) Dynamic representation data
 (Optional) Contingency specification data

8. Time and Frequency Response Calculations

This option computes frequency or step (time) responses from the linearized system model (Single
Input Multiple Output (SIMO) computation model). The following data is required to perform this
computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
 (Optional) Dynamic representation data
 (Optional) Contingency specification data
 Response specification data

9. Sensitivity Analysis
This option computes sensitivities of specified modes with respect to a set of system parameters and
operating conditions. The following data is required to perform this computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
 (Optional) Dynamic representation data
 (Optional) Contingency specification data
 Sensitivity specification data
The following additional information is required for the scenario to specify the computation scope:
 Initial frequency in Hz (or imaginary part in rad/s)
 Initial damping in % (or real part in 1/s)
 (Optional) Number of modes closest to the initial frequency/imaginary part and damping/real
part, for which the sensitivities are to be computed
 (Optional) Dimension of the reduced Hessenberg matrix
The sensitivity of a mode with respect to a parameter is obtained by computing a pair of modes, one
of them with the value in the base case (or a post-contingency case) and the other with a “perturbed”
value (thus the case is referred to as the perturbed case).

10.Small-Signal Stability Limit Search

This option computes the maximum secure power transfer for a power transaction with the small-
signal stability constraint. The following data is required to perform this computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
 (Optional) Dynamic representation data
Small Signal Analysis using SSAT (DSATools)

 (Optional) Contingency specification data

 Transaction specification data
Depending on the limit search requirements (“Computation Mode”), the following additional
information may be required (refer to Section 5 for details):
 (Optional) Threshold value of the small-signal stability index (“Index Threshold”)
 (Optional) Powerflow dispatch method (“Dispatch Method”)
 (Optional) Powerflow dispatch threshold (in MW) (“Dispatch Threshold”)
 (Optional) (From and to) frequency range (flow and fhigh) in Hz (“Frequency Range”)
or(from and to) imaginary part range in rad/s) (“Imaginary Range”)
 (Optional) Dimension of the reduced Hessenberg matrix
 (Optional) Generator(s) # and ID(s) (“Generator”)
 (Optional) The values for the mesh initial shifts (frequency/imaginary

11.Mode trace
This option traces a number of modes for a given power transaction under specified contingencies.
The following data is required to perform this computation option:
 Powerflow data
 Dynamic data
 (Optional) Dynamic representation data
 (Optional) Contingency specification data
 (Optional) Transaction specification data
 (Optional) Root locus specification data
The following additional information is required for the scenario to specify the computation scope
(refer to Section 5 for details):
 Frequency in Hz (or imaginary part in rad/s)
 (Optional) Damping in % (or real part in 1/s)
 (Optional) Number of modes to be computed at each powerflow/root locus point, closest to
the frequency and damping of the current reference mode as candidates for identification.
 (Optional) Powerflow dispatch threshold (in MW). This is used only when a power
transaction is specified for mode trace.
 (Optional) Dimension of the reduced Hessenberg matrix
[1]. (2008) Small-Signal Stability Analysis of Power Systems. In: Modern Power Systems Analysis. Springer,
Boston, MA