152
SELECTING ROBUST INPUT SIGNALS FOR HVDC DAMPING CONTROLLERS
L. E. Jones G. Anderson
Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
ABSTRACT
A systematic procedure for selecting robust input sig-
nals for HVDC damping controllers is presented in
this paper. A set of robust signal candidates are identi-
fied by applying quantitative measures of modal con-
trollability and observability. The criteria for selecting
the robust signals from the set are formulated on the
basis of generic power system stability properties, lin-
ear control theory, requisites imposed by physical con-
straints, and rules of thumbs. The procedure follows
the conventional approach to determine robustness
which involves repeated small-signal analysis of a
power system over a range of operating conditions.
The steps in the procedure are discussed briefly. A
simplified AC/DC test system is used to illustrate the
procedure.
INTRODUCTION
It has been shown in theory and practice that the inher-
ently fast controllable properties of an HVDC system
can be utilized to provide damping to local and inter-
area electromechanical modes in a multimachine
power system (1, 2, 3). The literature on HVDC power
modulation is replete with applications that were de-
signed based on ad hoc trial and error approaches.
However, there is a lack of systematic and general
methodologies for analysis and synthesis of HVDC
damping controllers.
A pertinent issue when designing controllers is select-
ing an input signal which satisfies the specified stabili-
zation and performance objectives. Damping control-
lers are normally designed with fixed parameters to
stabilize one or more oscillatory modes in the power
system at a critical operating point. However, due to
the variability of the dynamics of the power system,
such controllers may not be able to provide damping
and satisfactory performance for a variety of operating
conditions. This reason and the fact that the choice of
feedback signal affects the structure of the controller
accentuate the importance of selecting robust input
signals for the HVDC damping controllers. The pro-
posed procedure is aimed at providing a tool for iden-
tifying robust input signals during the planning stages
of controller design and initial system studies.
‘AC and DC Power Transmission’, 29 April-3 May 7996. Conference Publication No. 423,O IEE, 1996
The outline of the paper is as follows. A summary of
robustness issues in power system is given. Thereafter,
the signal selection procedure is presented and the dif-
ferent steps are explained. Computational require-
ments to implement the procedure are stated. An illus-
trative example is given and the results discussed.
ROBUSTNESS ISSUES
As power systems grow in size and complexity, an
area of increasing concern deals with robust utilization
of controllable devices, i.e. HVDC, FACTS, to en-
hance stability (4).The power system is continuously
subjected to predictable and unpredictable, large and
small disturbances which constantly change the oper-
ating conditions, hence the dynamics. The small-signal
stability of the power system varies as the eigenstruc-
ture properties, i.e. pole-zero locations, controllability,
observability, change at different operating points.
The unpredictable changes are related to the funda-
mental robustness notion of uncertainty. This includes
uncertainty about the transmission system, load char-
acteristics, unmodeled dynamics, etc. The standard
analytical approach used to study power system small-
signal stability does not model the uncertainties; there
will always be disparities between the model and the
actual system. Thus, there is always a risk that control-
lers may not function as expected, which could jeop-
ardize the overall performance of the system. The ba-
sic aim of robust control is to obtain stable closed-loop
systems despite the presence of uncertainties.
In recent years, there have been some theoretical re-
search efforts to apply modern robust control tech-
niques which model uncertainty to power sytems, e.g.
the H, approach. The response from the power indus-
try to use these methods for actual synthesis of damp-
ing controller has been skeptical. This could be due
niainly to the computational complexities involved and
lack of methods to characterize the uncertainty in
power systems.
A more practical approach to test for robustness is
based on the repeated use of linear analysis, of the
power system over a range of critical operating condi-
tions which are assumed predictable. Uncertainties are
not modeled explicitly and it may not be possible to
 153
derive a "general" measure for robustness like in case
of the robust control theory. Instead, when utilizing
this approach, it is imperative that the premises upon
which a controller, signal, or system for that matter, is
considered robust be clearly stated. The proposed pro-
cedure is formulated according to this approach.
SIGNAL SELECTION PROCEDURE
The procedure for selecting robust input signals for
HVDC damping controllers is presented below and de-
tails of the each step are discussed briefly. Basically, it
can be divided in three parts. Part 1 involves determin-
ing the critical operating points using power flow re-
sults and eigenanalysis to identify the critical modes.
In part 2, measures are used to establish the relative
degree of modal controllability and observability, and
thereby obtain a set of robust signal candidates. Fi-
nally, general criteria are applied to select the robust
signals from the set.
Let R be the set of operating points.
1. Specify R. This is preceded by power flow calcula-
tions to obtain the initial values for eigenanalysis.
2. Perform an eigenanalysis to determine the critical
local and interarea modes.
3. Augment the state matrix with control constraints
of the HVDC control strategies.
4. Establish the controllability of each critical mode
from the HVDC converter terminal.
- every critical mode must be controllable from the
input for all points in IR.
5. Specify the candidates of input signals, and com-
pute the observability of each controllable critical
mode. Rank the signals in descending order ac-
cording to the observability measures for all points
in R.
6. Discard the signals in which the critical modes are
unobservable for R. The remaining signals form
the set of robust input signal candidates.
7. Apply the selection criteria to the set obtained in
step 6.
8. Select the robust signals which best satisfy the cri-
teria.
Discussions
The steps in the procedure are discussed further and
the different computational tools are explained. Nu-
merical algorithms and related issues can be found in
the literature, e.g. (2). A small-signal analysis package
with routines to calculate the quantities necessary to
fully use the procedure is required.
Steps 1.2.3
Eigenanalysis is the basic tool in the study of power
system stability and control. The mathematical model
can be expressed either in the standard or the general-
ized state space form (5, 6). The latter is preferred
when studying the effect of HVDC power modulation
in damping slow oscillatory modes. In particular the
impact of the implicit reactive power modulation can
be assessed.
Step 4.5.6
Generally, the dynamics of a linear time invariant sys-
tem cannot be modified unless its eigenstructure can
be controlled from the input and observed in the out-
put signal. It is therefore important that the in-
putloutput relationship results in good controllability
and observability characteristics for the critical modes
at all the points in R. The system will be stabilizable
only if all critical unstablle modes are controllable. An
unobservable mode cannot be controlled since the out-
put measurement contains no information about it.
Thus it is important to know how these "abilities"
change following changes in the operating condition
of the power system.
Measures which can be used to quantify the control-
lablility/observability of the critical modes are based
on Singular Value Decomposition (7), and geometric
interpretations of the righaeft eigenvectors and in-
pudoutput vectors (2).
SteD 7
The analysis in this step is carried out to identify the
elements in the set of robust input signal candidates
which best satisfy the robustness criteria. These crite-
ria are formulated from generic power system stability
properties, linear control theory, requisites imposed by
physical constraints, and rules of thumbs.
7a) The spectrum of the signal should be dominated by
the critical modes.
7b) For a given signal, power modulation should nei-
ther destabilize other st.able modes observed in the
spectrum, nor generate ne:w unstable ones.
7c) Local signals or signads derived from them are pre-
ferred to global signals which require additional tele-
communication and may {causereliability problems.
7d) The transfer function between the input and output
should not have zeros in the right half plane (RHP).
7e) Critical modes should not be at close proximity to
RHP zeros or poorly damped zeros.
 154
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A three machine system with DC power modulation is
used to illustrate the procedure. The example is chosen
to be simple so as to insure transparency of the basics
of this approach. The machines were represented by
the classical model, and the network and DC-system
were modeled appropriately for studying slow oscilla-
tions.
I- E3
6 2
Figure 1. Three machines system
The set of operating conditions used in this example is
obtained by varying the effective impedances in the
network. This may also include constant impedance
loads in the system. There are two undamped electro-
mechanical modes in this system. The machines in the
model could be aggregates of different groups of co-
herent machines, and there is a mutual exchange of en-
ergy oscillations between machines swinging with re-
spect to one another in each oscillatory mode as shown
in Figures 2 and 3 in Appendix 2. The case studied as-
sumes that only active power is modulated.
The dynamic state variables are the rotor angle and
speed, using the well-known swing equation. The al-
gebraic variables are the voltage magnitude and phase
angle which interface the machines to the network
through the active and reactive power balance equa-
tions at each bus. The generalized state space model of
the power system is given as follows:
EX = AX+ BU
y=cx
x = (Aal ... Amn, Aal ... AZn, A€), AV), state vector.
E = diag(M1 ... Mn, v l , 0, 0), vl = n-dimensional vec-
tor of ones.
A = state matrix consisting of the right hand sides of
equations.
B = input vector of dimension 2n + 2; B(2n +1) = 1,
all other elements zero.
C = vector which determines the output feedback sig-
nal.
U = APd’ input (3)
APd=Ky,power modulation,K is the feedback gain. (4)
The equations used to obtain the matrices are given in
Appendix 1. When the HVDC control strategies, e.g.
constant extinction angle, are taken into consideration,
the matrices are augmented appropriately with the al-
gebraic constraints.
The minimum singular value 0 of matrices C and 0
measure the degree of controllability and observability
respectively of the critical mode hi (7, 8). If Q is zero
for matrix C, then the mode can not be controllable
from the input. Likewise, if Q is zero for matrix 0,
then the mode cannot be observed in the output signal.
It is assumed that E is singular, therefore, the model is
in the generalized state space form.
c = (A- hiE B) (5)
The candidates of input signals are the machine speeds
and the bus frequency at the DC terminal. A robust
signal is selected from the set of robust input signal
candidates after applying the criteria in step 7. The as-
sumed set, a, of operating points, and computational
results are given in Appendix 2.
Active power modulation
The operating conditions of the power system are de-
termined by changing the line reactance. Tables l and
2 show that only the mode corresponding to the sec-
ond eigenvalue is controllable at all points in a, When
the requirement in step 4, that every critical mode
must be controllable in a, is not satisfied, the task of
selecting robust input signal becomes meaningless.
This is due to the fact that an eigenvalue cannot be
shifted with a feedback if it is not controllable from
the input. This is so irrespective of how observable the
corresponding mode is in the robust input signal candi-
dates. If 2
! should consist only of the operation point at
which both modes were controllable, see Table 2, the
set of robust input signal candidates are given in Table
4. Based on selection criteria 7a and 7c, the local bus
frequency will be chosen. Criteria 7d and 7e were not
applied to this example as the required software was
not available. However, these criteria are very impor-
tant (9, 10, 11) and must be applied when robust input
signals are to be selected during detailed system stud-
ies and planning. At this point, some general com-
ments about 7d and 7e will be given.
It has been confirmed that the location of the zeros of
a dynamic system gives an indication as to the ease
with which its eigenstructure can be controlled, hence
its stability. This is so especially in the case of a non-
 155
minimum phase system, i.e. zeros located in the right
half complex plane. The variable non-minimum phase
behavior of the power system increases the uncertainty
of correct phasing, and consequently heightens the risk
that a controller destabilizes a critical mode close to
RHP zeros. The three generic properties of system ze-
ros stated below justify the need to include their ef-
fects in the procedure for selecting robust input sig-
nals.
1. The proximity of zeros to a critical mode is closely
related to the controllability of the mode with respect
to the input signal.
2. The location of zeros determine the relative ampli-
tude and phase of various modes.
3. Zeros tend to limit the frequency range over which
beneficial effects of controllers can be achieved.
Important comment
In the example used to illustrate the selection proce-
dure, the active power modulation was assumed to be
modulated without affecting the reactive power. In re-
ality, HVDC active power is coupled to the reactive
power consumption. The linearized algebraic con-
straints of the HVDC link can be used to include the
effects of the implicit reactive power modulation (1).
This will result in a change in the input vector where
the element corresponding to the reactive power bal-
ance equation at the DC terminal bus is expressed as
function of the active power modulation. The magni-
tude of this element will depend on the type of control
strategy used, e.g. constant extinction angle, positive
slope modification.
Results from application of the proposed procedure to
a more detailed AC/DC power system incorporating
the effects of the aforementioned coupling between ac-
tive and reactive power will be reported in a forthcom-
ing project report.
CONCLUSIONS
A systematic procedure for selecting robust input sig-
nals for HVDC damping controllers has been formu-
lated and presented. The procedure follows the con-
ventional approach to determine robustness which
involves repeated small-signal analysis of a power sys-
tem. One advantage with this approach is that select-
ing a signal can be performed with marginal computa-
tional effort once the set of robust feedback signal can-
didates for the range of operating conditions is
obtained. This procedure can be used as a tool during
the planing stages of controller design and initial sys-
tem studies.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The financial support firom ABB Power Systems and
the Swedish Board for Industrial and Technical Devel-
opment (NUTEK) is highly appreciated.
REFERENCES
1. Smed, T., 1991, "Interaction Between High Voltage
AC and DC Systems", Ph. D Thesis, Royal Institute of
Technology, Sweden.
2. Kundur, P., 1993, "Power System Stability and
Control", McGraw-Hill.
3. Jones, L., 1994, "Power System Damping with
HVDC", Report: A-E13S-9409, Royal Institute of
Technology, Sweden.
4. Hauer, J. F., 1993, "]Robustness Issues in Stability
Control of Large Electric Power Systems", Proc. 32nd,
Conf. on Decision and Control, Santanio, TX, 2329-
2334.
5. Verghese G. C., et al., 1981, "A Generalized State
Space-Space for Singular Systems", IEEE Trans.
Automat. Contr., Vol. AC-26, No. 1, 811-831.
6. Aplevich, J. D., 1991, "Implicit Linear Systems",
Springer-Verlag .
7. Hamdan H. M. A, Hamdan A. M. A., 1994, "The
Use of Decentralized Mmeasures of Mobility for Feed-
back Signal Selection and Optimum Siting of Power
System Stabilizers", ETEIP, Vol. R, No. 1,6147.
8. Jones, L., Anderson, G., 1995, "On Quantifying
Rules of Thumbs for Povver Modulation to Damp Slow
Oscillations", Proc. 27th, North American Power Sym-
posium, Montana, 129-1135.
9. Martins, N., et al., 1992, "Efficient Methods for
Finding Transfer Function Zeros for Power Systems",
IEEE Trans on Power Systems, Vol. 7, No. 3, 1350-
1361.
10. Hauer J. F., 1987, "Reactive Power Control as a
Means of Enhanced Interarea Damping in the Western
US Power System", IEEiE Publication 87THO1875-5-
PWR, 79-92.
11. Larsen, E. V., et al., :l994, "Concepts for Design of
FACTS Controllers to Damp Power Swings", IEEE,
SM 532-2 PWRS.
 156

Appendix 1.

Ecluations
The active power on the line between Bus d and Bus i
is given by
Pdi = EiVsin(Gi-O) (X)- 1
Figure 3. Shape of Mode 2
and reactive power by

Qdi=(v2-vEiCOS($e))(x)- (1.2)
8.8623j
where d = DC power injection bus, i = generator bus,
and Ei is a generator’s constant voltage behind the
transient reactance. V and 0 are Bus d voltage magni- TABLE 1 - Controllability 1measure for a( )
tude and angle respectively.
MiAb; = -APid (1.3)

TABLE 2 - Controllability measure for Q(2)

Signal Observability Observability

n = number of generators. Equations (1.3) and (1.4)
Mode 1 Mode 2
represent each machine and, (1.5) and (1.6) are the ac-
tive and reactive power balance equations respectively. 0.0348 0.0122
O1
m a t i n g conditions
In this system, the following data are assumed for Q.

E l = E 2 = E 3 = l;G1 = 6 2 = 63 - 0
0
1

0 0.0163 1
TABLE 3 - Observability measure
1 for Q( )

M i = 0.0127, M2 = 0.0318, M3 = 0.0191

Signal Observability 0bservabiIity
a(1): X1 =I .O, X2 = 0.4, X3 = 0.9 Mode 1
R(2): XI =1.0, X2 = 0.8, X3 = 0.9 (U 0.0538 0.0163
0, 0.0119 0.0444 I
Appendix 2.
0 0.0184 0.0295

-
M1 M3
- - - -bM2

Machine 3 not participating

Figure 2. Shape of Mode 1