IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, Vol. 11, No.
3, August 1996
AN IMPROVED VOLTAGE CONTROL ON LARGESCALE POWER SYSTEM
H.W P.PRUVOT C.LAUNAY
IEEE Member
Electricit6 de France
Study and Research Division
Clamart, France
ABSTRACT
To achieve a better voltage-var control in the electric power
transmission system, different facilities are used. Generators are
equipped with automatic voltage regulators t o cope with sudden
and random changes voltage caused by natural load fluctuations
or failures. Other devices like capacitors, inductors, transformers
with on load tap changers are installed on the network. Faced
with the evolution of the network and operating conditions,
electricity utilities are more and more interested in overall and
coherent control systems, automatic or not. These systems are
expected t o co-ordinate the actions of local facilities for a better
voltage control (more stable and faster reaction) inside different
areas of the network in case of greater voltage and var variations.
They afford besides a better use of existing reactive resources.
Also, installation of new devices can be avoided allowing economy
of investment. With this frame of mind, EDF has designed a
system called Co-ordinated Secondary Voltage Control (CSVC).
It's an automatic closed loop system with a dynamic of a few
minutes. It takes into account the network conditions (topology,
loads), the voltage limits and the generator operating constraints.
This paper presents recent improvements which allow the CSVC
to control the voltage profile and different kinds of reactive
means on a large-scale power system. Furthermore, this paper
presents solution t o spread out investment costs over several
years, considering a deployment gradually extended.
I. INTRODUCTION
Faced with the evolution of the network and operating conditions,
a better management of the voltage profile and reactive power is
essential in order t o optimize the security of the electric power
transmission system and the use of reactive resources [1][2].
Nevertheless, apart of voltage regulators installed universally,
few electricity utilities have implemented overall voltage control
systems on a large-scale for co-ordinating the actions of local
facilities (generators, compensation devices, OLTC). Therefore,
the few of them which have implemented on-line, automatic and
closed loop controls are satisfied : they all conclude that there is a
significant improvement of voltage control, both in normal and
emergency conditions [3][4][5][6].
95 SM 524-9 PWRS A paper recommended and approved
by the TEEE Power System Engineering Committee of the
IEEP POWOT Engineering Society for presentation at
the 1 9 ~ 1 IEEE/PES
, summer Meeting, J u l y 23-27, 1995,
portlan I , IQR. Manuscript submitted December 9, 1994;
made av<iilabLe for printing June 7, 1995.
0885-8950/96/$05.00 0 1995 IEEE
1295
Y.HARMAND
IEEE Member
This paper presents a control scheme designed to manage voltage
and reactive power on a wide network area. In addition, this new
control scheme can be implemented and deployed gradually while
keeping good performances. The main advantages of this control
are here illustrated on the south-eastern part of the French
Power System.
11. NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF VOLTAGE CONTROL
Evolution about operating conditions on the extra high voltage
level network can be pointed out :
- To ensure the security of power supply, networks are more
interconnected and meshed. Although the meshing of the
network is a safety factor in itself, it is also a source of
complexity as regards voltage control. With a given load level,
a meshed network can operate in a very variable manner with
respect t o reactive power, depending on the topology and the
location of generators. Operators may therefore have
difficulty in feeling the various physical phenomena,
evaluating the network's sensitivities, and then quickly
identifying suitable and effective actions.
- Environment constraints move generating power stations
away from consumer sites and make difficult to build up new
transmission lines. These long distances between generators
and load buses combined with the no extension of the network
make power systems operated nearby their limits.
Consequently, voltage-var control becomes essential and can be in
some cases a crucial factor. Electricity utilities have shown a
great deal of determining to improve their capabilities in this field
during recent years [1][2][7].The main steps usually followed to
achieve better control of the voltage profile are : the installation
of new devices such as capacitors or inductors, transformers with
on load tap changers (OLTC), Automatic Voltage Regulators
(AVR) ; and the introduction of new tools in the EMS system, like
voltage stability or failure indicators, optimization power flow,
automatic control.
111. DIFFERENT LEVELS OF VOLTAGE CONTROL
The organization of voltage control can be decomposed in three
levels These levels are separated in space (local / regional I
utihty, national / international) and tune (from few seconds t o
several minutes) Each one has a specific role and controls specific
resources.
111.1. The primary level control
The primary level consists in automatic voltage regulators (AVR)
installed on generators. These regulators are used universally.
They keep generator terminal voltages equal to the setpoint
1296
values fixed by the operator or by a higher level control. Primary
control actions are extremely rapid, in a time frame of a few
seconds. For security reasons, these regulators are equipped with
protection devices against limits overshoots.
111.2. The secondary and tertiary levels
Voltage control is carried out too by var compensation devices like
capacitors, inductors, synchronous or static voltage compensation
among others and by transformers with on load tap changers
(OLTC). These devices have a time constant longer than the
AVR's one, but their action is still hmited and mainly j u s t s e d by
local measurements.
Moreover, for security and economic reasons, it is really useful t o
dispose of a centralized control located at the control centre. It is
therefore possible t o have a global control view and a better co-
ordination of the local facilities actions, resulting in :
- a strong voltage profile t o prevent voltage collapse ;
- a better use of reactive resources. For example, a capacitor
will not be switched on if a neighbouring self is switched off ;
some generators started up for the only use of their reactive
supply can be avoided too.
These controls are considered both as the components of the
secondary and tertiary levels. Definition and implementation of
these levels are quite dependent of each utility and vary from one
utility t o another. Therefore, the definitions presented below
have now a good audience among utilities.
The main objective of the secondary voltage control (SVC)
level is to adjust and t o maintain the voltage profile inside a
network area. Generally the response time is about three
minutes. Another possible objective is the control of reactive
generation and flows. But in all cases, this control requires :
- the modification of the setpoint values of AVR,
- the switching of compensation devices,
- the change of tap position on transformers.
The purpose of the tertiary control level is t o determine an
optimal voltage profile of the network and t o co-ordinate the
secondary controllers according t o safety and economic criteria.
Numerous works about such controls have been done all around
the world [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. They all tend towards a better
management of reactive resources and some systems are already
operational. Moreover it can be shown [15], that in case of
critically h g h system load, a better voltage stability of the power
system is achieved with both the primary voltage control and a
secondary control system. To improve its present SVC, EDF has
designed a Co-ordinated Secondary Voltage Control (CSVC)
which is able t o control wider areas more accurately whde
respecting limits, both on the network and on the regulating
units.
%
1.' CO-ORDINATED SECONDARY VOLTAGE CONTROL
(CSVC)
The CSVC system has been described in some publications
[6][16]. Here, we review its principles and describe the
problematic involved in its implementation on the wide areas.
IV.l. Main characteristics of CSVC
Voltage variations in each control area are represented by the
variations at some selected nodes called "pilot points". The aim of
the CSVC system is the binding of voltages at these pilot points to
setpoint values. However, the number of generators, and thus the
number of control variables, is generally greater than the number
of pilot points (output variables). So, this control includes
additional goals in order t o take advantage of these degrees of
freedom. The second goal, of lower priority than the first already
mentioned, is t o bind the reactive power generation of each
generator to a reference value. Consequently, the reactive power
generated can be minimized and, thus, can constitute a reactive
power reserve to cope with any possible disturbance.
The network is modelled in the control law by sensitivity
matrices. Therefore, the effect of each generator on the pilot
points is handled and, by this way, the actions of generators are
co-ordinated allowing efficient control on a wide network area.
It's the first improvement of the CSVC compared with SVC which
control smaller areas (zones). Thanks to the co-ordination, the
CSVC acheves a better management of interactions between
SVC zones.
Another important improvement of the control scheme is the
taking into account of network constraints each step a command
is computed. This is carried out by monitoring some so-called
"sensitive" nodes (nodes whose voltage has to be monitored
carefully, typically nodes far away from generators), generator
connecting nodes and generator operating constraints. The
allowance for generator constraints is especially required by units
operators who do n o t wish t o see their equipment subjected to
important variations or operated too close to their limits.
The command is calculated by a mainframe computer, located at
the regional dispatcbing centre. This command is a variation of
the setpoint voltage which is applied directly on the AVR
terminal voltage of each generator. This command is obtained
through the optimization of a multi-variable quadratic function :
mini h, I I aoIc-Vp)-CvAU I l 2
with the following constraints :
(CO) I AU I IAUmax
'THTmin "THT + 'vAU 'THTmax
(C3) a(Q + CqAU) + bAU 5 c
where
a control gain
U, AU terminal voltage and terminal voltage
variation command
Vp, Vps, VTHT respectively voltage at pilot points, at
sensitive points, and at the high voltage side
of generators
VC setpoint values at pilot points
Qref' 9 e f setpoint values for reactive power generation
and for terminal voltages
 1297

weighting factors between control of voltage

and of reactive power generation. These
values are computed off-line in configuration
studies using simulation tools.
Cvs, Cq sensitivity matrices linking respectively
voltage variation at pilot nodes, sensitive
nodes and reactive generation to terminal
voltage variation :
AVp = C,AU

*
AVps = CvsAU
AQ = CqAU

a, b, c coefficients of the straight lines corresponding

to the (P,Q,U) limits.

IV.2. The implementation issues

Before deployment, it
characteristics of the
situations and to assess
is essential to check the control
CSVC in various operating control
its reliability when exposed to various
Tricsstin b LeBroc-Cmr

@ Main generalion rite

disturbances including those which may affect the data 0 PUOtDOde T.vcl NCOules
transmission network.

In particular, the following questions must be clarified in order to

draw up work specifications of the 6nal system :
Figure 1- Structure of the south-eastern French
- 400 kV network
How does the CSVC manage voltage-var on a high meshed
network and control a large number of generators in different
Results of simulation on the selected region confirm the
conditions (general use, units tripping, load variation) ?
performances of CSVC on this point. Figure 2 shows the
Section Vpresents results of studies on this question.
modification of the Chaffard pilot point voltage with a 10 kV drop
- As the CSVC cycle is fixed at 10 s, will the computing time in its setpoint, whereas the voltages a t the Albertville and
Champagnier pilot points remain a t their initial values. This
required by the optimizing software be able to handle large-
result can be compared with the one obtained by a conventional
scale problems ? (In order to control all the nuclear power
SVC system (Figure3) where a voltage drop of 6 k V can be
plants, conventional thermal and hydroelectric ones together
observed on the neighbouring pilot points. The setpoint step
in a region, an optimization problem with at least sixty
variables in a few seconds must be solved). performed is a large one and can be considered sigmficant.
Figure 2.- Pilot porn voltage withCSVC
Is the control reliable faced with the disturbances of the data
transmission network and the errors of network model ?

Is there any solution for gradual deployment of the CSVC in

order t o stagger investment costs ?

The answers to these questions are presented in section VI.

600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200
time ( 8 )
V. PERFORMANCES OF CSVC -ALBERNILLE -CEAFFARD CHAMPAGNIER

Various simulations were carried out on EUROSTAG [17] to

study the performances of CSVC on the French EHV network
including seven regions of control. But hereafter, the attention is
focused on results achieved for the south-eastern region of
France. This region involves 180 EHV nodes (30 nodes 400 kv),
100 generator units and a high degree of meshing (figure 1).
- ....
.,
V.l. Control of voltages on a highly meshed network k

The CSVC system must control the voltages at pilot points

around the setpoint values, while separating the evolution of 400
600 1W 800 9W loo0 1100 1200
those voltages. This is justified as operators generally want to lime (s)
make local modification only and can be performed easily by
adjusting the setpoint voltage of a pilot node. In order to avoid This performance is obtained through the existence of the
power reactive flows between control zones, the voltages at other network's structure modelled in the control law. Owing t o the
neighbouring pilot points must not be modified. This could be presence of sensitivity factors Cq and Cv in the quadratic form
more difficult to achieve when the network is meshed. (l),each controlling generator contributes, as a matter of priority,
to the control of the pilot point that is the closest to it. However, if
one of the pilot points can no longer be controlled by the nearest
 1298

generators, due t o a generator failure or t o an operation at full
reactive power capacity, the other generators in the region,
electrically further, will contribute t o control the voltage at that
point.
V.2. Better use of reactive power reserve
In the section IV.l, it has been seen that each group has a
"reference value" for reactive power generation which it strives to
reach, but the control of pilot points is still a priority.
The reactive reference Qref can be set to zero in order to promote
the building up of important reactive power reserves which can
be engaged in the event of load increase or failure. In Figure 4,it
can be seen that the reactive power produced by a generator at
the Saint-Alban power station is not as high with CSVC as it is
with a conventional SVC, the difference being 100 Mvar.
By contributing t o maintaining voltage at some representative
nodes of the network and making optimum use of reactive power
generation, CSVC helps t o improve network safety. In some
critical situations which may lead t o voltage collapse, CSVC can
stave off the fatal moment of voltage collapse for several minutes.
Those precious minutes give the operator time t o take emergency
measures such as blocking OLTC, remote load-shedding among
others.
Figure 6 shows the network voltage managing performance with
primary control only and with CSVC in a very severe load
increase situation (30% per hour, 60,000 MW of initial load),
without mo-g the generator operating schedules. This shows
that the network controlled with CSVC, in this example, can be
loaded 3,000 M W more compared with the one controlled only by
A\Xs
Fgurc 6. Albutvlllc pllot point voltage

Qref can also be chosen equal t o an average of instantaneous

reactive power generations in order t o achieve no dispersion of
reactive power levels between the generators. This mobile
average used as reference may be considered to constitute an
alignment constraint as in a conventional SVC system, while
being careless. The control dynamic is also less penalized than in
most of others SVC which have regard for a strict alignment of
reactive generations. In Figures 2 and 3, it can be seen that after
100s the voltage a t Chaffard is only 2 kV from setpoint value
370J : : i : : : : i : : : : : : : : : : : ,
with CSVC, whereas the gap is 6 kV with SVC. 500 580 660 740 820 900 980 1060 1140 1220 1300
time (s)

Figure 4.- Reactive power of generator Saint-Alban

VI. CSVC DEPLOYME%T
- 700
VI.l. Reduced optimizing time for problems with many
variables

As stated in section IV.2, it must be checked that the CSVC

operating time is compatible with real-time requirements on
large-scale problems.
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
The CSVC algorithm is divided up into three main parts : data
bme (s)
acquisition and filtering, formalising and solving of the
V.3. Voltage control in case of failures and load variation optimization problem, preparation and sending of commands. A
major part of the CPU time taken by the system algorithm is
In case of failures (unit or llne tripping), AVRs contribute to dedicated t o solving the optimization problem.
enhance voltage holding but sometimes this can be not enough
efficient and sufficient. Consequently the network remains The operating times for the optimization software developed by
~

weakened. After the actions of AVR, the CSVC allows to maintain
and restore the voltage profile by mobilizing and co-ordinating
reactive generations. It is therefore possible t o prevent from
voltage collapse on the control area.
Figure 5 shows the rapid restoration of the pilot node's voltage by
the CSVC after a drop of 5 kV caused by a tripping of units, in
less than three minutes.
-
Figure 5 Tnpprns ofw,Albamlle pllot pant voltage
EDF were measured on UNIX workstation, which is extremely
common hardware. In this way, it was observed that the time
achieved fits with the requirements of a real-time use. The time
delay is half a second for problems including about sixty variables
and several hundred constraints. This result was obtained thanks
to the use of the active constraint method [18] which is one of the
most efficient and reliable for solving of quadratic optimization
problems with linear constraints (see Appendix). There are two
main reasons for this :

412 1
Each stage of the algorithm deals only with inequality
constraints (i.e. which are satisfied in terms of equality by the
current solution), referred to as "active constraints" which is
how the method got its name.

Linear algebraic techniques are used in the algorithm. These

techniques are comparable with base change operations in the
simplex method and ensure convergence into a f ~ t number
e
of iterations.
300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1wO 1100 1200
tunc (E)
Compared with the reduced gradient method, for example, the
active constraint method is more reliable and faster. It deals with
 1299
ill conditioned problems more effectively and cuts down CHAFF ALBERT CPNIE
computing time considerably (by a factor of 20 for ill conditioned
problems and by a factor of 100 for others). Generator x units
Bugey x4 0.087 0.056 0.041
VI.2. Reliability and robustness St-Alban ~2 0.1 0.053 0.048
La Bathie x4 0.027
Some other iinportant features that make CSVC possible to
achieve like its reliability and its robustness have also been Le Cheylas x2 0.021 0.043 0.01
studied : La Coche x4 0.023
Super-Bissorte x5 0.02
- The closed loop allows some deviation in sensitivity factors.
Villarodin x2 0.011 0.023
So, in normal circumstances or with a small load increase, the
sensitivity matrices is revised at a relatively low frequency. Malgovert x4 0.014
But calculation of these matrices are also triggered in La Saussaz x2 0.011
asynchronous mode by an event or an incident (change of Genissiat x4 0.01
topology, unit tripping, major load change).
Grand' Maison x12 0.047
- The reliability of methods implemented in the algorithm Monteynard x4 0.021
(atering, mobile limits) to attenuate the effects of delays or Cordbac x2 0.012
measurement errors occurring in transmission of data [19]. St-Guilherme 0.02
For example, the mobile limits method consists in reducing
control dynamics when some variables draw close t o their Table 1 - Coefficients Cv linking voltages at pilot points t o
limits, by modifying those limits for the following command generator terminal voltages
steps.
With the example presented in the region of Rh8ne-Alpes, more
As an example, Figure 6 shows that oscillations due to delayed than 60 generators are selected for the CSVC, with about 50
remote information and to the pilot point voltage reaching the hydroelectric power stations. The total controlling reactive power
maximum limit disappear when the mobile limit method is used. generation level is 8,000 Mvar.
Figme 7.- Albertville pilot point voltage
The second degree of co-ordination is to use a unique remote

4201 ,.,
..
..
~,~
_- -.-._ .I
,~..
... .-. _ -
I
.- - ...
.
signal for a set of regulating units. This is particularly useful for
sets of small units as hydro ones that are not individually
important but are globally signi6cant. This kind of co-ordination
can also be used when there is a single transmission channel for a
set of units.
410
600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 An example of this intermediate co-ordination has been used for
time (s) French hydro units which are often controlled by only one
7--- -- monitoring computer located at each site. Sometimes, a same
w i t l o l l mobile lm - with mobile lirmts computer can be used for several sites.
__
For controlling these units by the CSVC, a "level" signal is
VI.3. Different co-ordination degrees for gradual calculated for each set of regulating units. The signal is computed
deployment using the variations of terminal voltage AU, solution of the
optimization problem, and the sensitivity matrices Cq. The "level"
To implement the CSVC system, the m a i n h m e computer must signal is transmitted to the monitoring computer which controls
be installed on the control centre as well as interface equipment one or several hydroelectric power sites and is used as a setpoint
in the regulating units and pilotlsensitive substations. These of an existing control loop governing reactive power generation
equipment allow the acquisition of local measurements every 10 (diagram 1).
seconds and the exchange of data and remote signals with the
..........................
mainframe computer through a TCP/IP transmission network.
The other data, topology and load, are provided by the SCADA.

Obviously it is better to have a complete co-ordination of reactive

Control rentio 1. " L 3
Compute of
resources with individual remote signals but in order to spread 'l0vel' ngnd I
out the investment costs relative to these devices on several
years, different degrees of co-ordination can be found depending 3
I
on the influence of generators or static compensators.

Consequently it is possible to implement gradually the CSVC

system on a large power system.

The first degree of co-ordination is to remote control the most

important units only and the other ones remain in primary mode.
For this, the sensitivity matrices of the control scheme are used
to obtain information on the effect of generators with respect t o Diagram 1. - Intermediate co-ordination using a unique "level"
the pilot points selected (Table 1). signal for a set of units
1300
The last degree of co-ordination is a full one, where all the units
are individually remote controlled.
Rgyre 8 shows the performance obtained with the intermediate
co-ordination where several sites of hydroelectric units are
controlled by a unique "level" signal, in case of units tripping. The
difference compared with the complete co-ordination is not really
significant.
412 1 J.L. Fernandez, "Secondary Voltage Control and Pilot Bus
3W 4W 500 6W 7W 8W 9W 1wO llW 1200
tMC (6)
VII. CONCLUSION
Voltage control on the power transmssion network becomes
essential as changes occur on the network : networks are
operated closer t o their limits, customer requirements as regards
quality are increasing. Utllities are becoming more and more
interested in this field even though effective development is stdl
meeting implementation difficulties.
The organization of voltage control with three levels that are
consistent in time and space has proved t o be efficient in
operation for the French network. With automatic local primary
control and regional secondary control, the voltage level is better
managed in routine operatmg conditions.
In order t o avoid the present limitations of its secondary voltage
control, EDF has considered replacing it by the design of a new
secondary voltage conttol model called CSVC This new control
scheme allows t o take into account operating constraints and t o
manage interaction between coupled areas. Design and
development studies carried out in the form of dynanuc
simulations on EVROSTAG have shown that the CSVC
performances satisfy general requirements for a secondary
control and improves the management of voltage prof3e and
reactive resources.
The results described in this paper show that the CSVC system is
able to handle a highly meshed network with a large number of
different and heterogeneous generators. It ensures the control of
voltages at pilot points in satisfactory dynarmc conditions and
with a computing time that fulfills real-tme reqwements. This
shows that the CSVC will be really helpful in all kind of network.
Moreover it only needs a few reliable measurements in the pilot
substations and an input on the generators AVR.
Furthermore, the CSVC system can be put i n t o operation on a
gradual basis. This gradual deployment allows coexistence with
the existing control system and utilisation of existing equpment.
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 1301

Appendix -
p = max( p E %+,A("+ p6) S a}
Optimization of quadratic problems with linear constraints
Active constraint methods
It's existing a constraint 1 P J which is not verified by x' and
is active in x". It is added in order to construct a new set J"
Problem (P) raised : Minunize a convex quadratic form with linear which is regular. The iteration is repeated with
constraints x" and J"= J U fl}.

It is thus demonstrated that the algorithm converges into a finite

i
1
min f(x) = -x. Cx + b. x number of iterations.
(P) xEIRn 2
(A.x<a,
Biographies

Definitions: Hy Vu was born in Saigon (Vietnam) in 1966. He received his

Set of active constraints I(x) is the set of h d m s
i ~ { ....
l ,n} defined by :
I(x) = {i, ( h ) i = 3.
A point xo is said t o be realizable if, and only if,
AxO5a.
A set J C I(x) is said to be regular (at point x) if vj E J, the AJ(?)
are linearly independent. If, in addition, rg(AJ(x)) = rg(AI), 1 is
said t o be maximum.
Aleorithm: The idea is, starting from a realizable point x of the
problem (p), t o attempt t o improve that point x by minimizing f
on an affine variety which is the intersection of active constraints
in x If this variety is empty, minimization occurs on all the
possible directions in x.
The improved point x, referred t o as the x successor, is
determined by successive iteratlons in the following manner.
Let J c I(x) be regular.
We consider KJ = {6 c +6= 0}, and we solve the problem
degree in Computer Engineering from the Ecole Nationale des
Ponts et ChaussBes. He has been research engineer at EDF since
1990. His research interests are power systems operations,
especially network restoration and voltage control
Patrick Pruvot was born in france in 1959. He graduated from
the Ecole Nationale SupBrieure d'Electricit6 et de MBcanique de
Nancy, in 1982. He has been with EDF since 1983 and is now
Head of the Power system control group. His main fields of
interest include voltage control, OPF, AGC, unit commitment and
restoration technique. He is a IEEE member.
Christian Launay was born in France in 1959. He graduated
hom the Ecole Nationale SupBrieure des Arts et Mbtiers, in 1984.
He entered in 1986 as a regional control center operator. Since
1991, he has been research engineer. His main field of activity is
voltage control.
Yves Harmand was born in France in 1950. He graduated from
the Ecole Nationale SupBrieure des TBlBcommunications. He
joined EDF in 1974 and worked successively at the Studies and
Research Center and at the Power Transmission Operation
Division. He is now manager of the Power System Dynamics and
Control branch. He is a IEEE member.

1
min f(x+6)
6 ~ K j
(Pj 1
A j ( x ~ - 6=) a j

-
We can demonstrate that ( p ~allows
) a solution, 6

Note that x' = x +

The improvement process is continued according to the nature of
XI.

- If x' is realizable, there are two possible cases depending on

- value of p, the Kuhn-Tucker multiplier for (PJ) at point
the
6:

if vj E J, pj 2 0, then x' is optimal for 0 ,

if k E J exists such that pk 0, we proceed with the

algorithm with x' and all the active constraints J \ &};

if x' is not realizable, we take x" = x + p6

where
1302

Discussion MVAr rating in the major load areas, plus many 230-kV
banks up to 169 MVAr rating. Centralized automatic
J. L. Sancha and J. L. Fernhndez (Red ElCctrica de Espafia, control would be most useful for the large shunt capacitor
Spain): banks. This could be relatively simple discontinuous
control where remote generator reactive power measure-
We o m u n d the authon for this very good paper in which they present
simulation results OW with their new Coordinated Secondary Voltage contrd ments augment local voltage measurement [E, pages
system (CVSC). We would like to ask them some questions not covered in the papcr 1761791. Discontinuous shunt capacitor bank control
but implicit in it:
supplements continuous local control by generators, and
First of dl we would likc to know how the authors propose to seIeu the pilot has advantages in that controller stability and adverse
buses. In the example shown in &e paper (figure 1) two out thne pilot buses appear
located at generating buses.Wouldn’t it be better to control buses nearer the loads?. interaction are not large concerns. Controller action can be
A secondquestion is related to the cunbm1 generators. How BIC they dectcd?.
fast (about one-half minute time frame). Centralized
In the papet it is said that 60 generators are selected for secondary voltage corn1 m automatic control may also be useful for our 5001230-kV
region of Rhsnc-Alpcs. Is the number of control generators similar m other regions?. autotransformers which have on-load tap changing, but are
Couldn’t if be ntduocd m order to lower installation costs?. How is the n u m b of
corttrol gamators (orthe neededcontrolM V A r capacity) evaluated?. now manually controlled. The authors may wish to
ThcthirdquCs(i0nis about the selection of the control m.Thcoonad ~ n a s comment.
used m thc a v c cars fmn coordinating d e control areas (zones) used Finally, could the authors provide an update on experience
pzcyiollslr mthe SVC system. How are these BMS mergad into regions or how can
~ l r c g i o nm such s ~a way
~ that
~ additionalcoordination mong the new with secondary voltage control? Related to Figure 7, have
regions is not ntcdcd?.
oscillations or instabilities occurred? Is the coordinated
We agah Gongratulate the authorsfor their very interestingpaper. secondary voltage control being implemented?
Manuscript received August 17, 1995. References:
A. CIGRE Task Force 38.02.12, Criteria and Countermea-
sures for Voltage Collapse, 1995.
~ ~ r s oW.n Taylor, Bonneville Power Administration, B. S. Koishikawa, S. Ohsaka, M. Suzuki, T. Michigami,
Portland Oregon: I commend the authors for their and M. Akimoto, “Adaptive Control of Reactive Power
pioneering of centralized automatic voltagelreactive power Supply Enhancing Voltage Stability of a Bulk Power
control. Transmission System and a New Scheme of Monitor on
Voltage Security,” CIGRE, paper 38139-01,1990.
Various forms ?f improved voltage control are described in
a recent CIGRE report [Al. For generating plant network C. P. Nedwick, A. F. Mistr, Jr., and E. B. Croasdale, “Reac-
side voltage control, automatic methods range from AVR tive Management: A Key to Survival in the 199Os,”
transformer drop compensation to local power plant IEEE D-ansactions on Power Systems, Vol. 10, No. 2,
pp. 1036-1043, May 1995.
network voltage control (exemplified by reference B), to the
European secondary voltage control based on remote D. P. Pruvot and C. Launay, “Recent Developments and
Researches a t EDF for Improvement of Voltage Con-
measurements and “pilot nodes.” As an alternative o r trol,” Proceedings of Bulk Power System Voltage Phe-
complement to special automatic controls, transmission nomena II Voltage Stability Security and Control, pp.
and distribution shunt capacitor bank energizations to 177-186, Davos Switzerland, 22-26 August 1994.
keep network voltages high, and to keep reactive power E. C. W. Taylor, Power System Voltage Stability,
reserves a t generating plants, are effective (exemplifiedby McGraw-Hill, 1994.
reference C).
It’s likely that the preferred methods differ from network to Manuscript received August 23, 1995.
network, and depend on network structure and reactive
power compensationpractices. Based on the information in H. Vu, P. Pruvot :
reference D, it appears that generators rather than static We would like to thank the discussors for their interests in
compensation are the primary source for reactive power in the paper a n d their thoughtful comments. We expect the
the EdF network. following will answer to their questions.
For the French network, are 225-kV and 400-kV transmis-
For Mr. Sancha and Mr. Fernandez,
sion network shunt capacitor banks controlled as part of
secondary voltage regulation? In the past, a method for structural analysis of power
What are typical power factor ratings for generators and system has been studled and proposed [l]. This method,
what are typical operating power factors during heavy load combining the concept of electrical distance and the theory
conditions? For Figure 4, the reactive power output of the of information, allows the identification of Secondary
Voltage Control (SVC) zones on the French power grid.
Saint-Alban plant seems high? Does Figure 4 represent
outage conditions? Are 225-kV or 400-kV shunt capacitor For the CSVC system, owing to its “coordination” feature,
banks to increase generator reactive power reserves a the choice of control elements is not a crucial problem. The
consideration? control elements are determined according to general
BPA practices are different than EdF in that centralized voltage control rules rather than special constraints
imposed by the system.
control of generator AVR setpoints is not used. During
heavy load conditions, we keep network voltage profiles Helpful elements to determine the control configuration are
high and flat by use of 230-kV and 500-kV shunt capacitor sensitivlty factors (expression of electrical distance t h a t
banks, and by use of transformer drop compensation and looks lrke the concept developed m [l])and operator’s
local high side voltage control at generating plants. We knowledge. In the case of the French system, we also
have nine 500-kV shunt capacitor banks of around 350 dlspose of existing SVC feed-back experience.

1. Choice of pilot nodes
Pilot nodes must have voltage variations which are
representative of the voltage variations at their neighboring
buses. So, the pilot nodes must have a strong short-circuit
power.
The electrical distance between two pilot nodes must also
be weak enough to avoid useless transfer of reactive power
on transmission lines. However, this criterion is not really
required if an OPF or a Tertiary Control is used.
2. Choice of control Venerators
The criteria to select control generators are :
- from the electrical point of view, generators near the pilot
nodes a n d having significant generation capacity ;
- from the economic point of view, generators have enough
appropriate equipment (AVR, tele measurement a n d
control).
In the paper, we said t h a t about 60 generators have been
selected i n the region of RhSne-Alpes. This number results
from an evaluation based only on electrical distances a n d
generation capacities.
3. Choice of control areas
The CSVC has been designed to manage the voltage profile
for all kind of transmission network, and there is no limit
about the control area size. The paper showed CSVC
performs on a meshed grid within a small area. The CSVC
t a s k is obviously easier on a wide area constituted by
several zones weakly connected.
If two control areas are "electrically" tied by some
transmission lines and controlled with two independent
CSVC, overshoots of the voltage profile in one region caused
by modification of voltage profile in other region could
theoretically occur but in practice way they are limited on
the French network. Moreover, an overall OPF or a Tertiary
Control could solve this problem by giving new set points to
avoid reactive power transfers. An improvement of the
CSVC [2] by taking into account reactive transfers on inter
area lines could also be imagined.
For Mr. Taylor,
On the French system, the reactive compensation is
organized i n several stages. The first one are realized with
capacitor banks and var metric relays that are installed on
the MV and HV grids (near loads). On the EHV network the
compensation is mainly provided by generators but in some
1303
regions where there is a lack of generation, a significant
number of capacitors are also used. To ensure the overall
coherency with generators a n d to take the best advantage of
their capacities, these static compensators are all remote
controlled by the Secondary Voltage Control. As EDF has
been using this control since the early 1980's, the efficiency
a n d compatibility with continuous compensation means has
been practically shown.
Nevertheless, discrete compensation devices, such a s
capacitor banks, remote controlled tape changers and so on,
have some drawbacks t h a t must be emphasized. The
switching ontoff can cause some nuisance with sudden and
fast variations in voltages (sometimes transient over
voltages) that industrial consumers don't like. That's the
reason why on the French network we try to tqke
advantage of generators which provide continuous control.
About power factor ratings, EDF's practice is t o use the full
possibilities of the equipment. Therefore operating power
factors are important. Moreover, most of power plants are
equipped with performance AVR a n d it is possible to only
keep small margins between the set point of the AVR's
limiting loops a n d the protective relays threshold.
About experience with the CSVC, an on-line test will start
at mid 96. EDF has developed already a prototype of the
system which h a s been tested i n a close loop simulation
environment [3]. The factory acceptance tests has begun.
About oscillations or instabilities, CSVC deal with them
through the "mobile limits" method tested and presented i n
the paper.
Once again, we thank the discussors for their valuable
comments a n d contribution.
References
[l] P. Lagonotte, J.C. SabonnadiAre, J.Y. Most, J.P. Paul,
"Structural analysis of the electrical system : application to
Secondary Voltage Control i n France", IEEE Transactions
on Power Systems, Vol. 4, No. 2, May 1989.
[2] M. Ilic, X. Liu, G. h u n g , M. Athans, C. Vialas, P. Pruvot,
"Improved Secondary a n d New Tertiary Voltage Control",
IEEE PES 95 WM 137-0 PWRS
[3] P. Pruvot, P. Di Bono, C. Launay "A voltage control
prototype for a new EMS function", to appear in proceeding
of SIPOWER '95, Cancun, M e i c o
Manuscript received September 5 , 1995