The Journal of Engineering

The 14th IET International Conference on AC and DC Power

Transmission (ACDC 2018)

Analysis of application effect of 220 kV UPFC eISSN 2051-3305

Received on 21st August 2018
Accepted on 17th September 2018
demonstration project in Shanghai grid E-First on 25th October 2018
doi: 10.1049/joe.2018.8364
www.ietdl.org

Yong Cui1 , Yinghui Yu1, Wei Bao1, Yuyao Feng1, Qiang Guo1, Wei Xie1, Minjie Jin1
1Electric Power Research Institute, SMEPC, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
E-mail: yongzhe578@163.com

Abstract: The feasibility study of unified power flow controller (UPFC) application in 220 kV Shanghai Grid is conducted based
on the analysis of the practical operation of the grid. The location selection method and scheme are proposed for the application
of 220 kV UPFC demonstration project. The application effect of the demonstration project of UPFC is evaluated from various
perspectives including enhancement of interface transfer capability, improvement of voltage stability performance of the grid and
contribution to balancing of reactive power in 220 kV sectionalised systems.

1 Introduction operated closely to the maximum transmission capability.

Unified power flow controller (UPFC) is generally considered to
be the most versatile Flexible Alternative Current Transmission
Systems (FACTS) device with wide control range and outstanding
control performance [1]. UPFC may realise separate or
simultaneous control of bus voltage, active and reactive power of
the branches through adjustment of the magnitude or phase angle
of the voltage output from the converters at the series side or
parallel side [2]. UPFC provides an efficient way for power flow
control and enhancement of interface transfer capability. In
addition, it may achieve the benefits of strengthening dynamic
reactive power support capability, improving dynamic reactive
power and voltage control and enhancing voltage stability of the
grid [3].
At present, three UPFC projects have been put into service
abroad, which including the UPFC project at Inez substation in the
US [4], the UPFC project at 345 kV substation of Marcy, New
York State [5] and the project Kangjin substation in Korea [6]. In
China, a 220 kV UPFC project has been accomplished in west
Nanjing Grid [7, 8]. These UPFC projects are generally
implemented to enhance the transmission capability and to improve
the reactive power and voltage support of the grid, and such
objectives have been achieved through the operation practice of
UPFC.
The feasibility study of applying UPFC in the grid of
metropolitan area of the large city is conducted by Shanghai Grid
co. in accordance with grid operation necessity and the
implementation plan of the National High Technology Research
and Development of China 863 program. In this paper, the
necessity of UPFC application in Shanghai Grid is investigated
based on analysis of grid operation practice. The UPFC location
selection rules and process are proposed, and the location selection
scheme of UPFC demonstration project is determined upon
evaluation. The circuit configuration and control strategy of the
UPFC device are presented, and the application effect of UPFC
demonstration project on Shanghai Grid is evaluated from the
perspectives of improvement of interface transfer capability, grid
voltage stability and reactive power balancing of the sectionalised
grid.
2 Location selection study of UPFC
demonstration project in Shanghai Grid
2.1 Necessity analysis
As the largest city grid of China, Shanghai Grid is characterised by
high load density and extremely limited land resources for building
up new transmission lines. Some transmission equipment are
J. Eng., 2019, Vol. 2019 Iss. 16, pp. 758-762
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Meanwhile, as overhead lines and cables both exist on some
interfaces, the transfer capability of the interfaces may be
significantly restricted due to parameter imbalance.
Shanghai Grid receives substantial power from the aggregated
hydraulic power plants in southwest China through four High
Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) systems. Due to large-capacity
power import (accounting for around 50% of the peak load of
Shanghai Grid) and peak regulation requirements, a large number
of local units have to reduce their output and even be shut down.
The dynamic reactive power support of the receiving-end grid is
weakened consequently, which exacerbate the voltage stability
performance of the grid [9].
The operation of Shanghai Grid has been constantly challenged
by the problems of low voltages during peak load hours and high
voltages during low load hours, which is mainly attributed to the
difficulty of reactive power and voltage control in the grid. In some
areas, bus voltages during peak load hours are relatively low due to
a shortage of capacitive reactive power while in the areas with
wide applications of cables, bus voltages during low load hours are
quite high due to the difficulty of inductive reactive power
balancing [10].
The analysis above shows that the operation of Shanghai Grid
needs to be optimised in the following major aspects involving
improvement of interface transfer capability, enhancement of
voltage stability of the grid and balancing of reactive power in the
sectionalised grid. As UPFC possesses benefit in all these aspects,
implementation of UPFC demonstration project may help Shanghai
Grid to develop a comprehensive and integrated solution to the
operational problems.
2.2 Location selection of UPFC demonstration project
To determine the appropriate location for application of UPFC
demonstration project in 220 kV Shanghai Grid, 220 kV
substations with necessity and space for UPFC installation need to
be selected for further evaluation. The optimal location for UPFC
application is then determined upon comprehensive analysis.
Due to the fact that 220 kV substations built up employ contact
design and Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) equipment, there is no
adequate space for UPFC to be installed in these substations. In
contrast, in those relatively older substations, space may be
obtained through the replacement of the traditional equipment with
much more space-saving GIS equipment. The implementation of
the UPFC demonstration project may be combined with the
upgrade plans of those substations. In accordance with the analysis
above, three 220 kV substations (Yunzaobang, Changchun and
758
Fig. 1 Configuration of the grid within the vicinity of UPFC
Fig. 2 Circuit diagram of UPFC demonstration project
Gumei) are determined for location selection of UPFC
demonstration project.
Effects of UPFC application in these three substations are
analysed. The analysis indicates that the application of UPFC in
Yunzaobang substation may improve the transfer capability of
Yunzaobang–Zhabei interface effectively through power flow
control and enhances voltage control capability of the sectionalised
grid of Yanghang as well as the voltage stability of the grid while
UPFC applied at Changchun substation or Gumei substation is
solely employed as dynamic reactive power source providing
benefits of voltage control to the sectionalised grid but no
contribution to improvement of transfer capability.
Therefore, Yunzaobang substation is determined to be the
optimal location for application of UPFC demonstration project
through evaluation of space considerations and application
benefits.
3 Design and control strategy of UPFC
demonstration application
3.1 Circuit of UPFC
The Zhabei–Yunzaobang interface consists of three lines including
Zha–Yun2258, Zha–Yun2210 and Zha–Yun2205. Due to the fact
that the impedance of Zha–Yun2258 differs considerably from that
of the other two lines, power flow distribution on this three-line
interface is uneven, the transfer capability of the interface is
restricted consequently. In order to improve the transfer capability
of the interface through equalising the power flow on the three
lines, UPFC may be installed on Zha–Yun2258 line. Fig. 1
illustrates the installation location of UPFC on Zhabei–Yunzaobang
interface and configuration of the grid within the vicinity.
Fig. 2 displays the circuit diagram of the UPFC demonstration
application. The AC side of UPFC is connected into the 220 kV
grid through its series part and parallel part. Switching the switch
disconnectors and breakers enables the device to be operated as
UPFC, SSSC, single STATCOM or double STATCOMs. Table 1
presents the status of the switch disconnectors and breakers under
various operation modes of the device.
The UPFC device for demonstration project is composed of the
series transformer, parallel transformer, converter valves, bridge-
J. Eng., 2019, Vol. 2019 Iss. 16, pp. 758-762
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side reactor, thyristor-controlled bypassing breaker, breakers and
switch disconnectors. The series transformer of the UPFC with the
rated capacity of 50 MVA is designed as an outdoor oil-immersed
three-phase three-winding transformer with no-load tap changer
and the winding connection mode of III, yn0d11. The leakage
impedance voltage of the series transformer is 12%, and natural
oil-cycling self-cooling design is employed. The parallel
transformer of the UPFC with the rated capacity of 100 MVA is
designed as an outdoor oil-immersed three-phase three-winding
transformer with no-load tap changer and the winding connection
mode of Y, yn0d11. The neutral point at the valve side of the
parallel transformer is grounded through a resistor. The leakage
impedance voltage of the transformer is designed to be 10%, and
the natural oil-cycling self-cooling method is employed. The rated
capability of the modularised multi-level converter is 50 MVA. The
rated DC voltage and the rated AC line voltage are 20.8 and 19.2
kV, respectively. The rated AC current and the rated arm-path
current are 752 and 900 A, respectively. The quantity of the arm-
path sub-modules is 28(26 + 2). The parameter of IGBT is 3300 V/
1500 A. The reactance of the dyr-type arm-path reactor is 7 mH.
The short-duration fault current with standability of the thyristor-
controlled bypassing breaker is 9.94 kA/100 ms.
3.2 Control strategy
The UPFC's control strategy of AC bus voltage is demonstrated in
Fig. 3. It may be observed that the bus voltage control of UPFC is
realised through control of AC reactive power and DC current
which is completed by the converter.
The UPFC's control strategy of power flow is demonstrated in
Fig. 4. The method of decoupling the active power control and
reactive power control enables the controls of active power and
reactive power to be independent, and the open-loop voltage
injection control is provided.
The functionality provided by the control system of the UPFC
demonstration project includes DC voltage control, AC bus voltage
control, shunt compensation control, constant power flow control
of transmission line and interface power flow equalising control
[11–13].
759
 In addition to maintaining stable voltage, the converter at the
parallel side of the UPFC may realise the following functionalities:
i. Shunt compensation control: Reactive power may be sent to
the grid or absorbed from the grid in accordance with the
commands of the local control system or the remote
dispatching centre. The maximum reactive power adjustment
capability may be within [−50 Mvar, 50 Mvar] under the
operation mode of single STATCOM while the maximum
reactive power adjustment capability may be within [−100
Mvar, +100 Mvar] under the operation mode of double
STATCOMs.
ii. AC bus voltage control: When the voltage of 220 kV
Yunzaobang bus varies beyond the allowable operation range,
UPFC may send or absorb reactive power so as to keep the bus
voltage within the allowable range.
The converter at the series side of the UPFC introduces a series
voltage into the transmission lines and realises control of the power
flow consequently. Its major control functionality includes
i. Constant power flow control: The active power and reactive
power of Zha–Yun 2258 line may be controlled to the
designated values.
ii. Interface power flow equalising control: The power flow of
Zha–Yun2258 line may be controlled in accordance with the
operation conditions and transmission capabilities of the three
lines on Zhabei–Yunzaobang interface so as to keep the power
flow on the three-line interface equalised.
iii. Operation rating-based power flow control: When the Zha–
Yun2258 line is operated within its rating, the voltage
introduced into the line by the converter will be zero, and no
power flow control is implemented. When the power flow of
Zha–Yun2258 line is beyond its operation rating, the converter
will respond and control the power flow to be within the rating.
In addition, UPFC's fault ride-through capability makes it be
able to maintain operation upon fault occurrence in the system
within certain vicinity [14].

Table 1 Breaker status of UPFC device under various modes

STATCOM1 STATCOM2 Double STATCOMs UPFC SSSC
QS01 close close close close open
QS02 close close close close open
QS11 open open open close close
QS12 open open open close close
QS13 close close close open open
QS14 close close close close close
QS21 close close close close open
QS31 open open open open close
QS41/QS42 open open open close open
QF01 close close close close open
QF11 open open open open open
QF12 close close close close close
QF21 close close close close open
QF22 close close close close open
QF23 close open close close open
QF31 open open open close close
QF32 open open open open open
QF33 open close close open open

Fig. 3 Control strategy of AC bus voltage

Fig. 4 Control strategy of transmission line power flow

760 J. Eng., 2019, Vol. 2019 Iss. 16, pp. 758-762

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Fig. 5 Power flow of the grid upon loss of Zha–Yun 2201 line (570 MW)
Fig. 6 Power flow of the grid with UPFC upon loss of Zha–Yun 2210 line (620 MW)
Fig. 7 Power flow of the grid with UPFC upon loss of Zha–Yun 2210 line (620 MW)
Fig. 8 Step response of reactive power from 0 to 50 Mvar
4 Application effect analysis of UPFC
demonstration project
The application effect of UPFC demonstration project in Shanghai
Grid is evaluated from various perspectives including enhancement
of interface transfer capability, improvement of grid voltage
stability and reactive power balancing in the sectionalised grid.
4.1 Enhancement of interface transfer capability
Zhabei–Yunzaobang interface consists of three lines which are
Zha–Yun2258, Zha–Yun2210 and Zha–Yun2205. The underground
cable circuit of Zha–Yun2258 has the maximum transmission
capacity of 310 MW, and the other two lines both consisting of an
overhead transmission part and underground cable part possess the
maximum transmission capacity of 310 MW upon enhancement of
dynamic transmission capability. However, unequalised power
flow exists on this three-line interface due to impedance
unequalisation. Zha–Yun2258 with smaller impedance carries
larger power flow than the other two lines, which contributes to the
fact that the transmission capability of the interface is restricted to
570 MW by the overloading of Zha–Yun2258 line under N − 1
contingency of loss of Zha–Yun2210 line. Fig. 5 illustrates the
power of the interface under the critical N − 1 contingencies.
As UPFC is installed at Zha–Yun2258 line, power flow of 2258
line may be controlled rapidly and effectively, and the power flow
on the interface becomes equalised. Consequently, the transmission
capability of the three lines may be fully utilised and the transfer
capability of the interface may be improved to 620 MW. Fig. 6
displays the power flow of the interface under N − 1 contingency of
loss of Zha–Yun2210 line upon the application of the UPFC
demonstration project.
When Zhabei–Yunzaobang interface with no UPFC installed
carries the power flow of 620 MW, the power flow of the interface
under N − 1 contingency of loss of Zha–Yun2210 line is shown in
Fig. 7. It may be observed that the power flow on Zha–Yun 2258
line has reached 330 MW and exceeded its maximum transmission
capability of 310 MW.
Therefore, the application of UPFC on Zha–Yun2258 enables
the transfer capability of Zhabei–Yunzaobang interface improved
from 570 to 620 MW.
J. Eng., 2019, Vol. 2019 Iss. 16, pp. 758-762
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4.2 Improvement of voltage stability
To accommodate the substantial power imported from the
aggregated hydraulic power plants in Southwest China, a large
quantity of the local units in Shanghai Grid have to be shut down,
which exacerbates the voltage stability performance of the grid.
The analysis indicates that Yanghang sectionalised grid (where
Yunzaobang substation is located) is susceptible to high risk of
voltage instability. The application of UPFC in this sectionalised
grid may provide dynamic reactive power support and improves
the voltage stability of the grid consequently. Fig. 8 presents the
reactive power response of UPFC upon receiving the command of
stepping the reactive power from 0 to 50 Mvar.
It may be observed that the step response time is only 20 ms
while the over response and steady control error upon step
response process are both 2% [15]. It indicates that UPFC is able to
provide rapid reactive power response and stable control
performance.
The voltage stability analysis results indicate that application of
a UPFC with the maximum reactive power output of 50 Mvar in
Yunzaobang substation may improve the voltage stability margin
of Shanghai Grid under the critical contingency by 500 MW
accounting for 1.6% of the peak load of Shanghai Grid. The
voltage stability analysis results are summarised in Table 2.
4.3 Reactive power balancing of sectionalised grid
The difficulty of inductive reactive power balancing has always
challenged the operation of Shanghai Grid. The reactive power
balancing analysis indicates that there is inductive reactive power
shortage of 110 Mvar in Yanghang sectionalised grid.
As cable circuits commonly applied around Yunzaobang
substation contribute considerable charging power, the application
of UPFC may absorb the capacitive reactive power and provide
inductive reactive power compensation effectively. It may provide
the maximum inductive power compensation of 100 Mvar under
the operation mode of double STATCOMs, which alleviates the
difficulty of reactive power balancing in 220 kV sectionalised grid
of Yanghang. In addition, UPFC may provide capacitive reactive
power compensation when the capacitive reactive power shortage
exists in the grid during peak-load hours.
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Table 2 Voltage stability margin of the Shanghai grid under the critical contingencies (MW)
Operation mode Base load Load increment margin with UPFC Load increment margin without UPFC
normal operation 31,000 7070 7110
loss of one transformer at Yanghang substation 6310 6460
loss of Xuhang–Yanghang double lines 5210 5410
blocking of Fufeng DC system 4200 4490
blocking of Fufeng and Yihua DC systems 3520 4020

5 Conclusions
UPFC provides a feasible and comprehensive solution to the major
problems in the operation of Shanghai Grid including interface
power flow control, grid voltage stability improvement and
reactive power balancing of 220 kV sectionalised grid.
A 220 kV Yunzaobang substation is selected to be the location
for the application of UPFC demonstration project based on a
comparison of space-taking, installation location and application
effect of UPFC, and the UPFC is determined to be installed on
Zha–Yun225 line so as to solve the unequalised power flow
problem of Zhabei–Yunzaobang interface due to impedance
unequalisation.
The application of UPFC demonstration project on Zha–
Yun2258 line may improve the transfer capability of Zhabei–
Yunzaobang interface from 570 to 620 MW and increase the static
voltage stability margin under the critical contingency by 500 MW
accounting for 1.6% of the peak load of Shanghai Grid. The
application of UPFC demonstration project in 220 kV sectionalised
grid of Yanghang enables the inductive/capacitive reactive power
shortage during valley/peak load hours to be effectively resolved
and helps to realise reactive power balancing in the sectionalised
grid.
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762 J. Eng., 2019, Vol. 2019 Iss. 16, pp. 758-762

This is an open access article published by the IET under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/)