Protection from voltage dips with the dynamic voltage restorer:

Russell Buxton (Dynamic Power Ltd)

Introduction

Dynamic Power Limited @PL) is a 50/50 joint venture between Rolls-Royce and
Scottish Power. The Company provides a range of power quality enhancement systems,
known collectively as “Custom Power”. These systems, based on technology developed
by Westinghouse, are designed to protect users from disruptions to their operations
which result from power supply disturbances.
A Custom Power device provides “wide area” power quality protection: that is to say a
single device can protect all of a plant’s critical loads, rather than protecting a single load
like a UPS product.
The Custom Power products are appropriate for large energy users which are particularly
sensitive to the quality of electricity supply (e.g. chemical manufacturers, paper mills,
semi conductor factories, automotive factories) and to the electric utilities supplying these
users.

The processes employed by these industries are becoming increasingly soplvsticated and
in many instances this has resulted in plants becoming more susceptible to production
losses resulting from imperfections in supply quality. Although the UK enjoys very high
levels of power quality, a typical industrial user might experience between 10 and 50
power quality -related disturbances in a year. No utility can guarantee that its supply will
be fiee of such disturbances since they are caused by events outside its control.

Power Oualitv Costs

Power quality problems encompass a wide range of disturbances, ranging from

intermittent voltage surges, to ongoing events, such as harmonic distortion. Voltage dips -
temporary reductions in ac voltage - are the major source of power quality-related
problems. Many dips are of short duration (less than looms) and less than 20% lost
voltage. Most equipment will ride through these events. At the other extreme there are
dips in excess of 50Oms and greater than 80% lost voltage. These are tantamount to
complete supply failures. There are however a significant number of intermediate events
which are sufficient to cause sensitive equipment to shut down.

Electronic equipment such as variable speed drives is more sensitive to power

disturbances than traditional machinery. For instance, a voltage sag resulting in 70% of
normal voltage for six cycles might trip a VSD while a computer and contactor will be
unaffected. A voltage sag to 60% for 12 cycles will affect the computer as well as the
VSD, but lies outside the sensitivity threshold of the contactor.

It is difficult to place a value on the impact of power quality problems, but it is safe to say
that unscheduled shutdowns can cost tens of thousands of pounds. Along with the

3/1

Authorized licensed use limited to: The George Washington University. Downloaded on July 31,2023 at 10:15:08 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 tangible costs of lost production time (and therefore sales), wasted raw materials and
damaged equipment, there are also indirect costs, such as the damage to customer
confidence caused by missed delivery schedules.

Damaged equipment costs are more complex than they might appear. The obvious costs
are those items that fail at the time and must be replaced immediately. However, other
items may be weakened by the disturbance and may fail some time later: drive thyristors
are a good example.

The DVR

Dynamic Power’s two principle Custom Power devices are the Dynamic Voltage
Restorer (DVR) and the Distribution - Statcom (D - Statcom). They are complementary
devices which provide simultaneous power control and power quality functions. The
DVR is best suited to protecting sensitive loads from incoming supply disturbances such
as voltage dips. The D - Statcom is ideal for protecting the distribution system from the
effect of polluting loads, such as harmonics. Either device can be connected at any
distribution voltage level to protect whole or large portions of a plant with a single
solution.

The DVR and D - Statcom share the same basic hardware. Both use modular power
electronics and are available in sizes &om 2 MVA to lOMVA in 2 W A increments. The
principal difference is that the DVR connects into the distribution system through a series
transformer (or more accurately three single phase transformers) and the D - Statcom is
connected via a shunt transformer.

At the heart of the DVR is a three phase voltage source inverter: a solid state power
electronics device which converts ac to dc and vice versa. By fast switching a dc source,
the DVR is able to synthesize an ac waveform. The DVR constantly monitors incoming
supply voltage and compares it with a reference voltage. In the event of a disturbance it
injects three single phase ac output voltages of compensatory amplitude, phase and
harmonic content. This ensures that the voltage seen by the load is of the desired
magnitude, preventing unnecessary process interruptions.

The primary side of the DVR injection transformer is sized to carry the full line current.
The primary voltage rating is the maximum voltage the DVR can inject into the line for a
given application. The secondary voltage is controlled by three single phase bridge
inverters, connected to a common dc link. The bridge outputs are filtered before being
applied to the injection transformer and are independently controllable to allow each
phase to be compensated separately.

Most voltage dips are asymmetric, or unbalanced. In such cases the DVR can draw
energy from the high voltage phase(s) and transfer it to the low voltage phase(s). In the
event of a more serious dip the DVR must exchange real power with the line and draws
energy fiom an energy storage system; normally a capacitor. Energy is exchanged

Authorized licensed use limited to: The George Washington University. Downloaded on July 31,2023 at 10:15:08 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 between the dc link and storage capacitors by a dc to dc voltage conversion circuit.
During normal line voltage conditions following the dip, the energy storage device is
recharged fkom the ac system by the DVR.

Reactive power exchanged between the DVR and the distribution system is internally
generated by the DVR without any ac passive reactive components.

The DVR need not be fully rated to the load requirements. Installing a DVR capable of
injecting an additional 50% rated voltage for a short period could effectively screen a
load from the majority of dips, while the remainder would be sufficiently reduced in
severity that plant equipment would be able to tolerate them. For example, a 4MVA load
capable of riding through dips of greater than 80% retained voltage could be protected by
a 2MVA DVR fiom dips to as little as 30% retained voltage. The optimum economic
solution for a given application depends on the ride through capability of the existing
equipment, typical dip profile and costs of potential shutdowns.

The Custom Power devices are compact ( typically about the size of an articulated lorry
trailer - 1Om * 3m * 3m) and easy to install, requiring minimal civil works. Custom
Power is a lower cost option than UPS and also offers lower lifetime operating costs. This
is because UPS systems require a high level of maintenance and the batteries often leak
and have to be replaced as ofken as every five years. Furthermore, they are very
inefficient, with losses as high as 20%. Dynamic Power can protect whole or partial plant
loads with a single Custom Power installation which will provide power control and
power quality functions simultaneously.

IN SERVICE EXPERIENCE
Orian Rum Comuanv. USA

The first DVR to enter service was installed by Westinghouse at the Orian Rugs Co. plant
in the USA. This is a highly automated facility with two main processes. Yarn is
manufactured from polymer chips by a high speed extrusion and yarn winder (godet)
process. The selected yarns are then supplied to automated looms that produce the final
rug product. Both manufacturing processes utilize many critical mechanical and
electrically sensitive components.

The Orian plant is served by a single 12.47 kV feeder fiom a 20 MVA substation
transformer four miles away. The feeder has a 600 kVAr switched capacitor bank and
450 kVAr permanent capacitor bank. There are two main transformers serving the yarn
plant and the weaving mill, rated at 2000 kVA and 1500 kVA respectively. The total
Orian load is approximately 3500 kVA at a power factor of 0.8.

3 I3

Authorized licensed use limited to: The George Washington University. Downloaded on July 31,2023 at 10:15:08 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 The feeder supplying Orian typically experienced about two voltage sags per month
capable of tripping plant production. Those sags were often 30 cycles or less and caused
the Voltage to dip to around 40% of nominal. A voltage sag of less than 90% of nominal
voltage could t i p some plant equipment.

A 2MVA DVR, with 660 kJ of Energy Storage was installed in the s m e r of 1996 and
corrected its first in-service sag on September 4,1996.
The DVR would have eliminated more that 80% of previously recorded sags.

Florida Power Corporation

The 2MVA DVR at Econlockhatchee was installed as part of Florida Power

Corporation’s new Power Quality Program. This DVR installation is unique among the
existing DVR applications in that it provides protection from voltage disturbances to an
entire distribution feeder. All other applications provide voltage disturbance protection
to a single sensitive load customer or portion of a single customer’s load. This
demonstration facility provides a direct comparison between the improved power quality
on the feeder protected by the DVR and the power quality on the other 5 unprotected
feeders.

During October of last year the DVR corrected eleven major dips, one of lasted for
approximately three seconds.

Bonlac Foods, Australia

The Bonlac Foods Ltd. Stanhope Dairy has three main processes: the production of whole
milk from farmers’ milk; production of milk powder kom farmers’ milk, production of
cheese from farmers’ milk.
The most electrically sensitive process is powdered milk production. The flame control
valves on the dryers used during this process are extremely sensitive to voltage drops and
momentary losses of milk supply.
The Bonlac load is approximately 5.25 MVA and the facility is served by a 22 kV feeder
from Powercor’s Kyabram substation 11 miles away.
The 22kV feeders from Kyabram average 20 to 25 faults annually, but fault rates rise
during the suIllIzler due to storms and bird nesting. On the 66 kV line supplying Kyabram,
15 to 20 faults occur annually. About 60% of the 22 kV and 66 kV feeder faults cause
voltage dips sufficient to disrupt production at Bonlac. In an average year, 20 to 27 faults
on the Powercor system cause Voltage dips that disrupt production at Bonlac.
In the powdered milk process, Voltage dips of less than 90% of nominal voltage cause
relays controlling the flame control valves to drop out and the milk supply to the dryers to

Authorized licensed use limited to: The George Washington University. Downloaded on July 31,2023 at 10:15:08 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 be disconnected. Dips have also caused blower motors to trip which also disconnects the
milk supply.
Often, voltage dips result in a product being below specification. However, some dips
cause long process downtimes if the dryers need cleaning. Unscheduled long downtimes
result in the destruction of incoming farmer’s milk because it cannot be stored on site and
must be used within 24 hours.
A 2MVA DVR was installed in early 1997. During its first winter of operation it
corrected thirty-seven dips over a three month period, seventeen of which were judged to
have been sufficiently serious to have disrupted Bonlac’s operations.

Caledonian PaDer

The first DVR installation in the UK is at the Irvine facility of Caledonian Paper, part of
the UPM Kymmene Group - the largest paper maker in Europe.

Caledonian Paper produces about 230,000 tonnes per year of high quality lightweight
coated (lwc) paper for the publishing industry and is the only lwc manufacturer in the
UK. The operation uses an eight and a half metre-wide paper machine with a design
speed of 1 4 0 W min. Typically the process will run for three months without
intemption.

Scottish Power serves Caledonian Paper via a 132kV transmission line which is stepped
and the total plant load is 47MVA. The paper machine accounts for approximately
8MVA and this load is critical with variable speed drives tripped by voltage dips of less
than 90% retained voltage for more than 2 or 3 cycles.

Scottish Power has invested heavily in upgrading plant and protection schemes to ensure
that the quality of supply is as high as technically possible. However, Caledonian Paper is
still exposed to an average of 30 voltage dips per year, primarily during the lightning
season. Each of these has the potential to cause disruption to the paper making process.

Typically these dips are around 60% of nominal voltage for less than 200 milliseconds
(10 cycles), although the worst dips are as low as 40% retained voltage for up to 0.5
seconds.
In the event of a shut down it typically takes 8 hours to restart production, meaning a loss
of 240 tonnes of paper production. At paper prices of about f600/tonne, this translates
into an outage cost of over f 140,000 in lost production alone.

Furthermore, sudden disruptions can cause damage to the paper making equipment,
particularly the “felts” that carry the paper on the rollers. These are set very close together

315

Authorized licensed use limited to: The George Washington University. Downloaded on July 31,2023 at 10:15:08 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 to produce a single sheet of paper. In the event of a motor tripping, a “wad” of paper can
be forced through the gap between the felts causing up to &50,000 worth of damage.
Caledonian Paper’ experience suggests that there is also likely to be secondary damage.
Some components, such as thyristors, do not fail immediately, but they are weakened by
sudden shut downs and tend to fail 2 or 3 weeks later.

Scottish Power and Caledonian Paper have been working together to resolve this problem
with the joint objective of “zero defects at point of use”. The solution in this case was to
isolate the critical loads in the plant and protect them with a 4MvA DVR, with 800W of
energy storage. The capacity of the DVR is determined by the level of injected voltage
and the duration of the required support. Although the equipment could have been sized
for 100% voltage injection, the best economic solution was to choose 50% injection as
this would eliminate the vast majority of dips. A similar approach was taken to the
selection of the amount of energy storage.

The DVR is expected to produce substantial savings for Caledonian Paper when it enters
service at the beginning of 1998.

In conclusion, Dynamic Power Limited provides the most cost effective, complete
solutions to power quality problems at the distribution level, resulting in significant
savings for industrial customers. DPL can protect whole or partial plant loads with a
single Custom Power installation which will provide power control and power quality
functions simultaneously.

This product incorporates technology developed for the Electric Power Industry under the
sponsorship of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Westinghouse Electric
Corporation (Westinghouse) and Sure - TECH LLC, a technology development company
owned by EPRI and Westinghouse.

3 I6

Authorized licensed use limited to: The George Washington University. Downloaded on July 31,2023 at 10:15:08 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.