By Chao Lu,

Bonian Shi,
Xiaochen Wu,
and Hongbin Sun

I
In developing a smart grid,
the measurement technology used plays
a fundamental role for advanced power-
system analysis and control. Phasor
measurement units (PMUs), as part
of a wide-area measurement system
(WAMS), increasingly constitute the
critical measurement infrastructures for
transmission and generation systems.
As of 2013, approximately 2,400 PMU
sets had been deployed in power grids in
China, covering all 500-kV substations
in the country and a number of important
power plants and 220/110-kV substa-
tions. In addition, more than 30 WAMS
center stations are in service, providing
important dynamic information about
power system operation. Most of these
PMU devices were deployed after 2006,
when an article introducing the basic
PMU/WAMS architectures and functions
in China was published in IEEE Power &
Energy Magazine. Here, we will briefly

Advancing
China’s
Smart Grid
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2015.2432372
Date of publication: 18 August 2015

60 ieee power & energy magazine 1540-7977/15©2015IEEE september/october 2015

 summarize recent and emerging
developments in China’s PMU/
WAMS communication and syn-
chronization network and then
present some major advanced
applications and novel pilot proj-
ects utilizing synchrophasor mea-
surement technology.

Recent Development
and Applications
of PMUs in China
China’s power transmission grid
is run by two major transmission
system operators, the State Grid
Corporation of China (SGCC)
and the smaller China Southern
Power Grid (CSG). Together, they
have deployed large numbers of
PMUs as part of a nationwide
mandate requiring that all sub-
stations in 500-kV networks and
above and all generators larger
than 100 MW be monitored by
PMUs. A map of China detailing
the deployment of PMUs is dis-
played in Figure 1.
As of the end of 2013, the
number of PMUs installed at
substations and power plants by
the SGCC was 2,027. Sorted by
©istockphoto.com/petmal voltage level, the installation of
PMUs is shown in Table 1.
All PMUs in operation are
provided by seven domestic manufacturers. The top four of
these (accounting for more than 98% of the total equipment
amount) are Beijing Sifang Automation Company, NARI-
Technology, the China Electric Power Research Institute
Phasor Measurement (CEPRI), and NARI-Relays.
Currently, 234 PMUs have been in operation for under a
Units in a Wide-Area year, 1,337 for more than one year but fewer than six years,
362 for more than six years but fewer than ten years, and 15
Management System for more than ten years. The distribution of PMUs by opera-
tion duration is charted in Figure 2, which shows that more
than 80% of these PMUs were installed during the past five
years. This indicates very rapid growth in PMU deployment
after the 2008 launch of China’s smart grid projects. In addi-
tion, the CSG has installed 373 PMUs, including 211 located in substations and 162 in power plants.
With the enhancement of synchronized phasor measurement technology, current practice for PMU
development in China has two main goals: supporting smart substation techniques and improving
measurement accuracy based on the latest standards for PMUs.
Approximately 100 PMUs supporting International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) stan-
dard 61850 have been commissioned in recent years. With the rapid development of smart substation

september/october 2015 ieee power & energy magazine 61

 200

180
Northeast
306
160
Northwest
272
140
North
631
120

100

Central East
Tibet 387 147 80
12

60

40
South
373
20

figure 1. PMU deployment in China as of 2012.

technologies, over 3,000 smart substations have been put into
operation, covering voltage ranges from 110 to 750 kV. Most of
these smart substations comprise low voltage levels; however,
approximately 100 high-voltage substations are required to be
equipped with the synchronized phasor measurement function.
Phasor measurement and communication functions realized in
this smart substation structure are displayed in Figure 3.
As shown in Figure 3, a PMU takes inputs from a merging
unit and a switchgear control unit via process buses, in accor-
dance with IEC 61850-9-2 sampled value and generic object-
oriented substations event protocols. After phasor calculation,
the phasors can be transmitted, at a slow rate, to a monitoring
server via station buses as Manufacturing Message Specifica-
tion transfer data. At the same time, phasors can be transmit-
ted, at a fast rate of up to 100 frames/s, to a substation phasor
data concentrator, in accordance with IEEE standard C37.118,
and then on to a remote dispatching center.
Chinese standards on PMUs are being updated to con-
form to recently released IEEE Standards C37.118.1 and
C37.118.1a. Much effort has been devoted to improving mea-
surement accuracy based on the most recently released PMU
standards. Since 2013, CEPRI has conducted testing of PMU
measurement accuracy according to these new standards,
and further work, including tests for supporting IEC 61850,
is also being carried out.
Data and Time Synchronization
Networks in Chinese Power Grids
For purposes of power transfer security and dispatch-
ing automation, applications based in the state power

table 1. The number and proportion of PMUs in SGCC generators and substations over 110 kV.

Voltage level 1,000 ±800 750 ±660 500 330 220 110
(kV) (±400)
Total number 7 6 39 26 723 165 861 200
Proportion (%) 0.35 0.30 1.92 1.28 35.67 8.14 42.48 9.87

62 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2015

dispatching digital network (SPDnet) demand high reli-
Over Ten
Over Ten Years
Years
ability, real-time responsiveness, and safety. This requires 0.77% Under One Year
0.77%
guaranteeing key performance requirements such as 12.01%
network time delay and convergence time. Currently, in
Six
Six
accordance principles developed for dual independent to Ten Years
backbone networks and multiple layers of integration, 18.58%
18.58%
a unique data dispatching network is applied, based on
exclusive channels (combining a synchronous digital hier-
archy, Internet protocols, and optical fiber) using the URL
stratification structure and alternate route functions. The One to Five Years
network utilizes highly reliable core equipment, together 68.63%
with double master controls. A three-level border gate-
way protocol route is used to realize a multiprotocol
label-switching virtual private network, through which
figure 2. Distribution of PMUs over 110 kV by operation
different types of network tasks can be isolated and the
duration.
safety of dispatching tasks can be maintained. A quality
of service strategy is employed to ensure that transmis-
sion bandwidth and real-time demand of data flow are met centers, DL/T 634/5 (104) for real-time data communication
for important tasks. between a central station and substations, and DL/T 860 7-2
For data synchronization, SDPnet is designed as a three- (which is IEC 61850 compatible) for data communication
layer structure: a core layer, a backbone layer, and an inte- within a substation. In addition, IEEE standard C37.118 is
gration layer. The core layer consists of state, backup, and used for PMU/WAMS phasor data communication.
regional dispatching centers, along with a few related pro- Time-synchronization management is another criti-
vincial ones. The backbone layer contains the majority of cal infrastructure for PMU/WAMSs. For this, the BeiDou
provincial dispatching center nodes. The integration layer navigation satellite system provides the main time clock
includes directly dispatched power plants, substations, and source, with accuracy of 20–100 ns. The Global Position
converter stations. System serves as the auxiliary clock source, with accuracy
Several national standards have been established for real- of 6–12 ns, while synchronous digital hierarchy offers a
time data application in power systems, including DL/T 476- further backup solution. A hierarchical management sys-
2012 for real-time data communication among dispatching tem is implemented for monitoring time synchronization

Control-Center
PDC
Control-Center Side

Substation Side

Gateway Gateway

Station-Level Monitoring
PDC
Devices Panel
Station Level
Firewall

Bay Level IED PMU IED Other IEDs

Process Level
Merging Switchgear Security Security
Unit Control Unit Zone I Zone II

figure 3. PMU functions in a smart substation. PDC: phasor data concentrator; IED: intelligent electronic device.

september/october 2015 ieee power & energy magazine 63

 status. Various systems and devices, including a power-grid
dispatch and control system, substation-level monitoring
systems, and synchronized intelligent electronic devices
within substations, run coordinately to realize the synchro-
nization monitoring.
Different synchronization protocols have been adopted
inside substations. The Network Time Protocol is applied for
equipment at the station-control level; at the bay level and
process level, optical fiber pulse per second or Inter-Range
Instrumentation Group B codes are applied to set time. Cur-
rently, IEEE Standard 1588 version 2 is applied to communi-
cations between substations and control centers.
Recent Developments and New
WAMS Frameworks in China
All of the national, interregional, and provincial dispatch-
ing centers have been deployed with WAMS central stations,
and the total number was 39 at the end of 2013. In addition,
some control centers in metropolitan power grids, such as
Guangzhou and Shenzhen, have designed and are in the pro-
cess of constructing their own WAMS.
Two comprehensive dispatching support platforms have
been developed (D5000 in the SGCC and OS2 in the CSG)
to integrate control-room deployed systems for such func-
tions as energy management, dynamic security assessment,
and dispatcher training. WAMS is one of the core subsys-
tems in these platforms as well. The framework of a typi-
cal WAMS is demonstrated in Figure 4. In addition to the
measurement terminals (PMUs) and the communication net-
work, the WAMS central station is composed of several serv-
ers, including ones for front communication, Web functions,
Advanced Application
Server
Front Communication Server Real-Time Data Server
SPDnet
SPDnet
Remote PMU PMU
Data Center
figure 4. Model framework of China’s WAMS.
64 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2015
historical data, real-time data, and advanced applications.
Among these servers, the real-time database and advanced
application servers are the key components.
Real-time database techniques oriented specifically to
power system equipment have been developed based on
common information model criteria, wide-area distributed
storage, and direct location methods. (These represent a sub-
stantial increase in access efficiency relative to those of the
previous system used in China.) The scope of data access is
extended from local to remote areas, which meets the need
for highly efficient real-time data sharing over the entire
network. Several techniques including fixed-time duration,
equal data time interval, and hash-table indexing have been
used to satisfy the requirements of storing and searching
massive data amounts. The real-time database reaches pro-
cessing capability levels of 5 million events per second.
Many successful advanced applications based on PMU
data or WAMS have been implemented in both the D5000
and the OS2 platforms. Most of these can be categorized
as either model and parameter identification/validation or
as real-time dynamic monitoring and warning. In addition,
wide-area control and protection have been studied and dem-
onstrated based on PMU/WAMS. These major application
categories are described in the sections that follow.
Power System Model and Parameter
Identification and Validation
Load Model and Parameter Identification
Much of the disturbance data recorded by PMUs showed
significant differences between the simulation results and
Historic Data Server
and Disc Array
Real-Time Monitoring and
Analyzing Workstation
Firewall
Office
WEB Server Network
Office Terminal
 Based on the real-time dynamic data of PMUs, online identification
methods for different kinds of faults or disturbances have been
designed and implemented.

real system responses, mostly caused by errors in the system
models and parameters, especially of the load. To validate
the simulation accuracy, four field tests of artificial three
phase-to-ground short circuits in 500-kV substations were
conducted in the Northeast China Power Grid on 25 March
2004 and 29 March 2005. Based on the PMU measurement
data collected, several frequently used load models were
studied, including static load with different percentages of
constant impedance, current, and power (ZIP) and different
combinations of static load and induction motor load, based
on IEEE-recommended parameters. However, the measured
curves could not be matched using any of these models.
Hence, CEPRI proposed a new synthesis load model (SLM),
shown in Figure 5(a), in which the major improvement is the
addition of a distribution impedance and a reactive power
compensation capacitor. By using this SLM, most field test
results can be better matched; typical results are shown
in Figure 5(b).
Based on previous studies, the traditional load model was
replaced by the SLM for the Northeast China Power Grid
in the simulations and dispatching after July 2006, and the
power transfer limits between different provinces in this area
were enhanced by approximately 450 MW without affecting
the security of the real system. After 2007, the SLM model
and parameters were also validated by recorded PMU data
after many disturbances in North China and Middle China
regional power grids and some provincial grids. This model
is also implemented in the Power System Analysis Software
Package, which is the most popular power system simulation
software in China.
In addition, several load parameter identifications and
management systems based on PMU and an energy manage-
ment system (EMS) have been adopted by provincial power
systems in Hebei, Henan, Guangdong, and Fujian. The Fujian
system, which was completed by Hohai University in 2008,
is a typical example. First, the loads in substations are clas-
sified according to the one-day load curve in the emergency
management system. Then, the parameters for every load cat-
egory are identified based on the measured data from PMUs
or a digital fault recorder; some parameters may also be sum-
marized through the data collected by smart meters. Finally,
generalization of the load models and parameters is validated
and improved using some new PMU data after contingencies.
Generator Parameter Identification
Generator parameters can vary greatly under different oper-
ating conditions. Several identification or parameter opti-
mization techniques, such as genetic algorithms, have been

P/ MW

650
Composite Load Model
Real Measured Data
600

P+ jQ 550

RD + jXD 500
I-Type Induction Motor
Distribution Impedance

PL + jQL 450

400

t/s
C ZIP M
0 5 10 15 20
(a) (b)

figure 5. Comparisons among recorded PMU data and simulations using different load models: (a) the configuration of
the CEPRI SLM and (b) the active power of the 500-kV Yongyuan-Baojia line on 29 March 2005.

september/october 2015 ieee power & energy magazine 65

 Substation state estimation
provides an effective alternative by
prefiltering bad data.
employed to realize generator parameter identification. The
input PMU curves are the generator terminal and excitation
voltages, with the objective of minimizing the error between
the simulated generator current and the current measured by
the PMU. The identified generator parameters include syn-
chronous reactance, transient reactance, subtransient reac-
tance for direct and quadrature axes, and their corresponding
time constants. The moment of inertia can also be identified.
Monitoring and Analyzing
Real-Time Power System Dynamics
Substation State Estimation
Traditional state estimation (SE) is implemented in the elec-
trical power control center using measurements remotely
collected from the supervisory control and data acquisition
(SCADA) system. Identifying topology errors is a major
challenge for traditional SE.
Substation state estimation (SSE) provides an effective
alternative by prefiltering bad data using a detailed model and
redundant local measurements. In SSE, the zero impedance
subnetwork, with circuit breakers (CBs) as zero impedance
branches, is handled at each voltage level separately. In tra-
ditional SE, the topology must be determined first to build
nodal equations using Ohm’s law. With SSE, only the analog
measurements from the PMU and SCADA systems are used
to first solve the local SE for each voltage level using Kirch-
hoff’s current law. The estimated power flows across each CB
are then used to check for potentially bad CB status data. In
this process, the detected bad analog and topology data are
1.05%
Bad Analog Data Rate
Bad Digital Data Rate
1.00%
0.80% 0.41%
0.08%
0.60%
0.40% 0.04%
0.20%
0.00% Before SSE After SSE
figure 6. A comparison of bad analog and digital data
rates before and after SSE.
66 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2015
decoupled, making them minimally susceptible to the mea-
surement errors of CB status. Bad topology data can be further
identified using methods such as a hypothesis test.
With a small problem size, the complete utilization of
fast-sampled PMU measurements becomes possible. This
benefits SSE in terms of accuracy and reliability. The
dynamic transformation of topology, power flow, and phasor
changes can be captured with the PMU. A three-phase sys-
tem imbalance can also be monitored through three-phase
substation modeling.
Statistical analysis via Monte Carlo simulation shows that
the rates of bad analog and digital data can be significantly
reduced by SSE (Figure 6). The local SSE results are sent to the
control center to further enhance the reliability of the global SE.
In China, the SSE method was initially implemented in
four 500-kV experimental substations in the power system
of East China. Recently, it has also been applied to other
power companies’ substations. A field test reveals that data
quality can be greatly improved with SSE using hybrid
measurements from the WAMS/SCADA system. The aver-
age computing time for SSE is 20 ms, which is feasible for
real-time application.
Identifying and Assessing
Low-Frequency Oscillation
Low frequency oscillation (LFO) is always a stability threat
for China’s interconnected power grids. A comprehensive
solution for monitoring and assessing LFO stability has been
employed in a number of the country’s power dispatching
centers. The solution includes three functions:
✔✔ real-time warning regarding harmful oscillation
based on ringdown signal identification
✔✔ early warning about small oscillation based on statistics
✔✔ identification of oscillation modes and mode shapes
based on the power systems’ ambient data.
With this solution, weakly damped oscillation modes can be
detected early, and dispatchers can make effective decisions
based on the identified information.
The Prony algorithm is the basic method for detect-
ing and identifying oscillation based on ringdown signals
after disturbances. This algorithm has been implemented
in many dispatching systems. A number of advanced algo-
rithms such as the Hilbert–Huang transform and estima-
tion of signal parameters via rotational invariance tech-
niques have also been tested in the provincial power grids
of Zhejiang and Sichuan.
 16 Mode 1 (0.48 Hz ~ 0.55 Hz)
500 14 Mode 2 (0.71 Hz ~ 0.72 Hz)
Mode 3 (0.36 Hz ~ 0.43 Hz)
12

Damping Ratio (%)

400
Line Power (MW)

Ringdown Data 10
Ambient Data
300 8

200 6
4
100
2
0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Time (min) Time (min)
(a) (b)

figure 7. Identifying an LFO event: (a) power oscillation on 21 April 2008 in the CSG and (b) identification results ob-
tained using the ARMA method.

Given that disturbances in real power systems are relatively
rare, the identification of oscillation based on ambient data is prac-
tical for early warning and decision making. Several improved
methods based on the auto-regressive moving average (ARMA)
model and recursive algorithms have been studied and imple-
mented by Tsinghua University and Beijing Sifang Automation
Company as a key function in the CSG’s data-mining system.
We use an LFO event that occurred on 21 April 2008 as
an example. The ambient and ringdown signals are shown
in Figure 7(a). Figure 7(b) demonstrates the identification
results of three interarea oscillation modes using the ARMA
method. The results can be validated by Prony calculations
based on the ringdown data. The software interface is shown
in Figure 8. The oscillation frequencies and damping ratios
of the different oscillation modes are estimated for an hour.
This system helps in realizing constant monitoring of small
signal stability in the CSG.
Identifying Power Grid Disturbances
When a disturbance occurs in power systems, the control
center operators receive numerous warnings and information
about the sequence of events. However, this information usu-
ally only contains breaker trips and protection relay actions.
Operators cannot directly determine the kind of fault that actu-
ally led these disturbances to occur. The causes can generally
be identified by analyzing fault recording wave files after the
fault events. However, this analysis is time consuming. Based
on the real-time dynamic data of PMUs, online identification
methods for different kinds of faults or disturbances have been
designed and implemented. The types of faults or disturbances
identified include short circuit faults, generator breaker trips,
phase-shift failures by dc converters, and islanding.
In some cases, the message-relaying action cannot be trans-
mitted to the dispatching center because of issues such as com-
munication traffic under system faults. However, the dynamic

Frequency (Hz) Damping Ratio (%)

YN-GD Mode YN-GZ Mode Hainan Mode

0.58 Hz
YN-GD Mode
8.40%

0.40 Hz
16.40 %

YN-GZ Mode
Damping Ratio (%) 0.76 Hz
0.33%
Hainan Mode

figure 8. Real-time LFO monitoring software interface of the CSG data-mining system. YN: Yunnan; GD: Guangdong;
GZ: Guangzhou.

september/october 2015 ieee power & energy magazine 67

 responses measured using PMUs
can derive both the fault type and
Parameters its position, so the dispatcher can
quickly determine what kind of
fault occurred and on which part
of the power grid. This information
is important as dispatchers decide
whether further measures should be
taken to maintain safe operations.

Assessing Generator
Output Changes Ancillary Services
Evaluations Ensuring safe and reliable generator
operation, requires ancillary services
such as speed control and excitation
control. When the system frequency
deviates from the nominal frequency
over a certain threshold, the unit
power output and frequency curve
Frequency Changes
can be analyzed to assess their con-
tribution to the primary frequency
regulation. Based on the active power
and the frequency measurement
provided by the generator’s PMU
figure 9. The performance assessment of a generator’s primary frequency regulation. during a frequency disturbance, the
performance parameters of the gen-
erator’s primary frequency regulation can be calculated. These
1.2
2 parameters include delay time, response time, frequency dead
U (p.u.)

1
8
0.8 zone, speed variation ratio, and contribution energy. Figure 9
6
0.6 shows the result of such an assessment of a generator’s primary
4
0.4
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 frequency regulation during a frequency disturbance. Monitor-
t (s)
ing of a generator’s excitation control can be carried out in a
(a)
similar way.
8
0.8 A generator’s primary frequency regulation function is
ddU (p.u.)

6
0.6
4
0.4 Threshold
Thr
h eshold extremely important in maintaining the frequency of a power
2
0.2 grid within a secure range when it suffers an active power
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 deficit, such as the tripping of a large generator. In a number of
t (s) tests on some generators’ primary frequency regulation func-
(b) tion, even though it seemed that this function had switched on, it
was actually switched off. The system frequency response may
figure 10. The detection of voltage dips during faults. be deteriorated in this condition. For this reason, every genera-
tor with the primary frequency regulation function switched on
should be monitored and assessed. Unlike in previous years
0.7 when the SGCC had no such assessment system in place,
0.6 today all large generators are assessed, and system frequency
Active Power (p.u.)

0.5 characteristics are thus improved.

0.4
0.3 Detected Power Ramp
Intelligent Alarm System for Cascading Tripping
0.2
0.1
of Wind Turbines and Wind Farms
0
Wind turbines in China suffer from cascading tripping
–0.1 induced by internal or external wind farm faults. Such
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 cascading tripping may occur when groups of wind farms are
Time (s)
located close to one another electrically, and events like these
figure 11. The identification of power ramps during cas- put considerable pressure on utility companies. However,
cading failures. because of commercial secrecy, utility companies have no

68 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2015

 In developing a smart grid,
the measurement technology used plays
a crucial role.

access to wind turbine monitoring data. Using PMUs installed grid. Based on calculations for observability and controllability,
at step-up substations, an intelligent alarm system can detect six PMUs across three provinces spanning over 1,000 km as
when cascading tripping events occur, trace the entire process, well as three HVdc links with capacities of more than 11 GW
and subsequently assess the impact. were chosen for inclusion in this system. The controllers were
The cascading failures of wind farms can last from sev- coordinated to damp two dominant inter-area oscillation modes
eral seconds to as much as a minute and are accompanied by that limited long-distance transfer power. The configuration of
sudden voltage dips because of contingencies, the continu- the system is shown in Figure 12.
ous loss of active power, and the increase in voltage. Mean- Some new oscillations with high frequencies (about 5 Hz)
while, under the most violent fluctuation scenarios, the caused by time delays and the characteristics of the quick
magnitude and speed of a wind farm’s output power ramps response of HVdc were investigated, and a solution using a low-
can reach 25% of installed capacity within 5 min; these val- pass filter was proposed. Based on the improved online Prony
ues are far below those under cascading scenarios, in which identification, the controller parameters can be adapted accord-
the magnitude and speed can reach 100% of installed capac- ing to changes in oscillation frequency. The WADC system was
ity within five seconds. The intelligent alarm system detects implemented in a real-time system and carefully tested using
large voltage dips at the common coupling points of wind the CSG’s real-time digital simulation (RTDS) platform, which
farms as start-up conditions and then identifies the power comprises more than ten racks of RTDS and real HVdc control
ramps within a minute-based time window. All detected and protection cubicles. After field debugging and trial opera-
events are synthesized to obtain a whole picture of the cas- tions, the performance of the system was validated in 2008 and
cading failures. One example is shown in Figures 10 and 11. 2009 through the artificial block and de-block of three differ-
ent HVdc links and by tripping a 500-kV ac tie-line. The field
Wide-Area Control and Protection test results show that commissioning the WADC system has the
potential to increase the damping ratio of the dominant modes
Wide-Area Damping Control from 5% to more than 15%. This increase indicates a transfer
Efficiently suppressing inter-area LFO requires that global limitation enhancement of 650 MW in the CSG. These test
dynamics for different areas be established. Here, PMUs results are shown in Figure 13.
play a crucial role in real-
time and continuous damp-
ing control. In designing
wide-area damping control GZ
(WADC) systems, the fol- PMU
lowing issues should be AnShun
GaoPo GGII HVDC
considered carefully:
✔✔ selection of feedback
XingRen
signals and control sites GD
YN LuoDong
✔✔ controller structure, BaoAn
LuoPing GGI HVDC
parameters, and adapt-
ability Canto
✔✔ modeling and com- GX
pensation of random
TSQ HVDC
time delay in the com-
Control
munication system.
Unit Central
The WADC system com­ HN
Control Station
missioned by the CSG in
2008 is a representative proj-
ect that operates in a par- figure 12. The configuration of the HVdc WADC system implemented by the CSG. GX:
ticularly complicated power Guangxi; HN: Hainan; GG: Guiguang; TSQ: Tianshengqiao.

september/october 2015 ieee power & energy magazine 69

 Much of the disturbance data recorded by PMUs
showed significant differences between the simulation results
and real system responses.

3.5 32

Between (YN + GZ) and GD (º)

3 31
Between GZ and YN (º)

2.5 30
2 29

Power Angle
Power Angle

1.5
28
1
27
0.5
26 With GGI HVDC WADC
0 With GGI HVDC WADC
25 With GGI and GGII HVDC WADCs
–0.5 With GGI and GGII HVDC WADCs
No WADC
–1 No WADC 24
–1.5 23
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Time (s) Time (s)
(a) (b)

figure 13. The field test results for the CSG’s HVdc WADC system.

Research on the implementation of the WADC has been
extensive, with power system stabilizers (PSSs) being used
as controllers. In 2013, this kind of wide-area PSS was
installed in both the Silin power plant in Guizhou province
and the Ertan power plant in Sichuan province.
and accelerate fault clearance. Field disturbance recordings
show that the fault clearance time for a circuit breaker failure
can be decreased from 1.0–2.0 s to 0.2 s with the aid of the
WAP system. Based on this WAP platform, a fast auto-switch-
ing of wide-area backup power supply can be fulfilled.

Wide-Area Protection Application Outlook for PMU/WAMS

Existing protection systems are distributed control systems
that mainly use local information to detect power system
faults and abnormal states. To solve the problem of coordi-
nating among different backup protection systems, wide-area
current differential backup protection is utilized. In this way,
faults can be correctly identified and cleared, and the time
for fault clearance shortened. In the case of power loss after
fault clearance in a bus or substation, fast recovery can be
achieved under this wide-area protection (WAP) platform.
Since it went into operation in December 2011, the Duyun
WAP project has been implemented on seven 110-kV substa-
tions in the Duyun district of Guizhou. The communication
structure of the system is designed in a ring-like form; its
architecture is shown in Figure 14. The system consists of
two (one for redundancy) master stations and seven subsid-
iary control stations. A master station can analyze the mode
and status of a power grid, determine fault locations, and
send corresponding commands to control stations. A subsid-
iary control station is responsible for acquiring electrical and
state quantities and issuing protection and control functions
that only require local substation information.
The coordination among backup protection systems can be
realized by using the WAP system to isolate faulty components
Applications in China
In the past decade, an increasing number of PMUs and WAMSs
have been put into service, and the development of synchro-
phasor technology has allowed its advanced application in
power grid management, stability enhancement, and efficiency
improvement. Current application trends include switching
from offline to online and from monitoring to control. Some
demonstration projects have been commissioned in China and
have shown excellent performance and strong potential. How-
ever, the huge amount of data measured by the PMU/WAMS
system remains far from being fully exploited to meet all smart
grid requirements. Combining China’s PMU/WAMS with big
data technology offers an important opportunity to extend their
combined applications further. Other research directions include
developing high-precision PMUs and exploring the applications
of PMU data in power distribution systems and in some indus-
trial power systems.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Key Basic Research
Program of China (2012CB215206, 2013CB228203), the
Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of
China (51107061), and the Innovative Research Groups

70 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2015

 As of 2013, approximately 2,400 PMU sets
had been deployed in power grids in China, covering all 500-kV
substations in the country.

Guizhou Duyun
Wide-Area Protection System

WAP Master Station WAP Master Station

Set A Set B
Ethernet

WAP
Management Station

220-kV Mawei 110-kV Xinzhai 110-kV Libo 110-kV Zhouqin 110-kV Sandu 110-kV Danzhai 220-kV Duyun
Control Station Control Station Control Station Control Station Control Station Control Station Control Station

figure 14. The architecture of the Duyun WAP system.

of the National Natural Science Foundation of China
(51321005).
For Further Reading
X. Xie, Y. Xin, J. Xiao, J. Wu, and Y. Han, “WAMS applica-
tions in Chinese power systems,” IEEE Power Energy Mag.,
vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 54–63, Jan./Feb. 2006.
Y. Tang, D. Zhang, H. Zhang, F. Zhu, Y. Jiang, W. Jiang,
and H. Zhao, “Synthesis load model and its fitting param-
eters in simulation of large disturbance test carried out in
northeast China power grid (in Chinese),” Power Syst. Tech-
nol., vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 75–78, 2007.
W. Huang, Z. Fang, K. Li, H. Zhao, Q. Chen, and P. Ju,
“Online synthetic load modeling system for Fujian power
grid (in Chinese),” Power Syst. Technol., vol. 33, no. 1,
pp. 37–41, 2009.
C. Lu, X. Wu, J. Wu, P. Li, Y. Han, and L. Li, “Implemen-
tations and experiences of wide-area HVdc damping control
in China southern power grid,” in Proc. IEEE PES General
Meeting, San Diego, CA, 2012.
Q. Li, H. Sun, J. Wang, B. Zhang, W. Wu, and Q. Guo, “Substa-
tion three-phase nonlinear state estimation based on KCL,” in Proc.
IEEE/PES Power Systems Conf. and Expo., Phoenix, AZ, 2011.
J. Mu, H. Sun, Q. Guo, W. Wu, F. Xu, and B. Zhang, “De-
sign of an online intelligent alarming system for cascading
failures of group of wind farms,” in Proc. IEEE PES Gen-
eral Meeting, Vancouver, Canada, 2013.
Biographies
Chao Lu is with Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Bonian Shi is with Beijing Sifang Automation Company,
Beijing, China.
Xiaochen Wu is with the China Southern Power Grid,
Guangzhou, China.
Hongbin Sun is with Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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