Control of real power in a synchronous machine
using a SCADA system in a smart grid
Fabricio Espinoza, Manuel Mar, Elmer Ramirez and Julien Noel Department of Energy Engineering
Universidad de Ingenierfa y Tecnologfa
Lima, Peru
fabricio.espinoza@utec.edu.pe, manuel.mar@utec.edu.pe, eramirez@utec.edu.pe, jnoel@utec.edu.pe
Abstract-Today smart grids are changing the current concept
of power systems. It brings a lot of benefits for energy companies
and customers. The paper is one of the first steps in the
research of this topic in Peru. The main goal of this work is
to design and test a SCADA system for controlling real power
in a synchronous generator. The test were made in the Smart
Grids system laboratory at UTEC (Universidad de Ingenieria y
Tecnologia).
Keywords - smart grid, SCADA, control of real power,
synchronous generator
I. INTRODUCTION
Traditional grids are nowadays in a transItIOn towards
modern ones, known as smart grids. These are advanced
digital two-way power flow power systems, which present
advantages, like self-healing and adaptiveness, resilience and
sustainability, with foresight for prediction under different
uncertainties [1]. In a smart grid, it is possible the interopera-
tion with present and future standards of components, device
and systems that are cyber-secured against malicious attack.
Unfortunately, this concept of energy system does not look to
be near to Peru.
The Peruvian electric system, of which electric energy
production is composed of 49% of hydraulic power and 50%
of thermal power [2], operates in an unidirectionally way, it
means that the energy flux flows from the power plants to
the final consumers going through the transmission lines and
distribution grid. The main issues about the Peruvian electric
system are:
• Lack of energy efficiency in the system
• Limitations about the management of renewable energies
• The consumers don't have an active role in the system
• The system can't storage energy
• Lack of distributed generation, considering that almost
2.5 million of Peruvians don't have access to electricity
[3] due to the extreme conditions of the rural areas
• Limited environmental control in all the system
Considering this problematic and the needs of enhancing
power system using new technologies, the present investigation
is the beginning of a series of investigations to reach a
new approach of the Peruvian electric power system. In this
context, the advantages of smart grids are analysed.
Despite smart grids are newly studied in South America,
this technology represents a big step in the improvement of
978-1-5090-2532-9/16 $31.00
energy management, with the complexity of implementation in
grids that have been there since many years. However, some
benefits that would be obtained with the implementation of
smart grids are:
• Effective option for reducing the non-renewable energy
resources consumption
• A grid with more reliability, security and efficiency due
to real-time information an control technology [4]
• Deployment and integration of distributed generators,
including renewable energy resources
• Acquisition of timely data for customers along with
control options using bidirectional systems
• Development of standards for communication and inter-
operability between equipment connected to the grid
The purpose of the research is testing a control system for
only real power of a synchronous generator, which simulates
a hydropower plant, using a SCADA system in a smart
microgrid. The future investigation will focus on reactive
power and optimal dispatch of the energy. In the paper,
the used system is firstly described, including energy and
communication equipment. The next section explains how
the real power is changed using relationships between some
mechanical and electrical parameters. Then, the control system
is presented. After that, the results of the assays with different
outputs of the synchronous machine are shown and discussed.
Finally, the last section is about the conclusions about smart
grids and the experiment.
II. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
A. Microgrid
It is a 380 V microgrid. The synchronous generator works
as a hydropower plant, which is part of an electrical network.
Its architecture is shown in Fig. 1. The infinite busbar is
simulated by a three-phase 1.7 kVA AC power supply. It
represents a gate between the microgrid and the rest of the
system, so energy can enter to the microgrid or go out towards
other parts of the network. A double-fed induction generator
(DFlG), which works as a wind turbine, and an induction
motor, which is used as load, are connected in parallel with the
synchronous generator. The control center is for the operation
of protection and control devices. Both electrical and data
communications equipment are from Lucas-Nillle. In addition,
a SCADA system is used in order to monitor some parameters
© 2016 IEEE
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and control real power of the generator. The interface is

developed upon SCADA Designer, a Lucas-Niilles software,
and contains a virtual PLC.

Smart mctenne
,

i, I C0517-1S I
, '
~------------------------ I

Fig. 2. Block diagram of hydropower plant simulator. Dashed lines mean

data sending for control or monitoring

~2~2~
C03301-5X
+----
CAN

PC 1~~rn.:~1 C0517-1S

USB
+----~ I C03636-6W6

Fig. 1. Architecture of the microgrid with electric and communications

structures Fig. 3. Block diagram of communication protocols with PC in simulator

B. Hydropower system III. REAL POWER IN A GRID-CONNECTED GENERATOR

The main goal of the SCADA system is the control of real
power of the synchronous generator. It simulates a hydropower
plant, which is a participant in the rnicrogrid. With other
devices, it is part of a hydroelectric generation simulator. All
the components are mentioned in Table I.
TABLE I
COMPONENTS OF THE HYDROELECTRIC MODULE
Component Code
Multifunction Relay C0330l-5X
3-Phase Synchronous Machine SE2662-5Q6
Servo Machine Test System C03636-6W6
DC-Exciter C0330l-5G
Synchronization unit C032l2-6V6
Power Quality meter C05l27-lS
Fig. 2 shows how the simulator works. SE2662-5Q6 is
a four-pole synchronous machine with salient-pole rotor. Its
nominal real power is 0.8 kW. C03301-5G feeds the field
winding of the generator and its armature ones are connected
to C0517-IS, which is used to monitor power behavior. The
synchronization process is controlled by C03301-5X. It is a
genset controller that changes the rotor speed to the same as
synchronous one (1800 rpm in a 60 Hz grid) through C03636-
6W6. Also, this device regulates the exciting current through
C03301-5G. These both parameters are configured previously.
As a smart grid, the components are sending information
between them without stopping. According to Fig. 3, the
computer (PC) receives data from the power quality meter
via Ethernet, from genset controller via CAN bus and from
servo machine system via USB. C03301-5X sends signals to
the speed and voltage regulator by simple cupper wire.
The SCADA system is designed for a synchronous genera-
tor. When it is connected to the infinite busbar, its speed and
terminal voltage are fixed. However, the variables that can be
regulated are the excitation current on the field winding and
the torque imposed on the shaft [5] through a prime mover.
This torque T is the only mean for changing the real power
input Pm, according to (1), since angular speed w is given by
the grid frequency.
Pm = Tw (1)
In hydroelectric plants, the applied torque on the shaft is
modified with the opening or closing of valves, which let pass
waterflow to the turbine. The mechanical power is transformed
into electric power, but part of it is scattered like mechanical,
iron and cupper losses. The final real power delivered, per
phase, to the system is expressed in terms of armature current
fa terminal voltage Vi and the angle e between them, as it
is shown in (2). If the prime mover receives more torque,
fa increases. Also, power input has not be too much for
destabilize the machine operation.
IV. CONTROL OF REAL POWER WITH SCADA
In SCADA Designer, it is possible to visualize the acquired
real-time data from C03301-5X, C0517-IS and C03636-
6W6. Also, the whole electrical parameters information can
be send from PC to those devices for changing performance
of generator. In this paper, the real power of the machine
is considered as the principal parameter to regulate. So, a
 3

SCADA system is designed, in which the servo machine TABLE II

system is controlled by PLC of SCADA Designer. For PLC EFFECTS OF REAL POWER CONTROL OF GENERATOR IN MICROGRID

programming, Structured Text is used.

% Pa(W) PB(W) PcCW)
o
o . J--1
-95.0 126.5 31.5 85.5 -106.0 11.0

L.::. I----.
10 -56.5 126.0 69.5 41.5 -101.5 9.5
Data
SE2662-5Q6
porqu~
- - C03636-6W6
Power 20
30
-28.5
1.5
126.0
123.0
97.5
124.5
16.5
-18.0
-108.0
-96.0
6.0
10.5
40 29.5 126.0 155.5 -40.5 -104.0 11.0
50 58.0 126.5 184.5 -78.5 -95.5 10.5
Fig. 4. Open-loop control of real power in synchronous generator 60 88.0 123.5 211.5 -98.0 -100.0 13.5
70 114.5 125.5 240.0 -131.5 -96.5 12.0
80 144.0 125.0 269.5 -157.0 -99.0 13.0
An open-loop control system for the experiment is created, 90 172.5 122.5 294.5 -183.0 -104.0 8.0
as it is shown in Fig. 4, with a PLC program. The controlled 100 202.5 126.0 328.5 -212.5 -101.5 14.5
variable is the real power and the manipulated one is the
torque [6]. When the generator gets synchronized, PLC takes
control of C03636-6W6 instead of genset controller. Due to Pz =PB+PC+PC (4)
real power depends on the torque applied to the machine,
the designed SCADA interface let the operator change this Variations in power flux are observed when the torque of
parameter from the PC with a slider. The position of the handle the synchronous generator is changed on SCADA interface.
is related to certain proportion of a maximum torque that is According to the Table II, a generator provides more real
determined on the PLC code. These data is sent to the servo power to the grid when a higher torque is applied to the
machine system and this makes the generator provides more shaft. Through designed SCADA interface, these operation
real power to the grid. Fig. 5 presents the mentioned interface. is executed with the slider that changes the proportion of a
maximum torque (2 Nm for the experiment). Fig. 6 indicates
that the relationship between real power and imposed torque,
-104 or the percentage of the maximum torque, seems to be lineal.
This makes sense according to (l), because the angular speed
1.410
is stuck on the synchronous one (1800 rpm). Hence, (1) is
70.00 transformed into a linear function.

Fig. 5. Designed SCADA interface displaying magnitude and percentage of

torque.

V. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

A three-phase 300/400 V transformer is added for coupling
the DFIG to the network and the induction motor is in no-load
operation. In the experiment, the wind turbine is providing
energy and the load is consuming. The real power of the
synchronous generator is changed from the SCADA system.
The results can be found in Table II.
The synchronous machine supplies power Ph and the DFIG
provides power Pw . Pc is the total amount of produced power
by generators within the microgrid, as it is defined in (3). The
power on busbar is PB. The induction motor consumes real
power Pc. The relation in (4) is considered as power losses
Pl on lines or in the equipment. Imposed torque and power
parameters are measured respectively with C03636-6W6 and
four C0517-1S, one by each device.
(3)
Fig. 6. Real power variation in synchronous generator because of changes in
torque
Higher real power from the synchronous generator means
more relevant participation of this source in the grid. In
other words, generated power Pc within the system increases
because of the imposed torque, and even gets to be over
consumed power Pc at a determined torque. which is constant
since the load on the motor is not changing. Fig. 7 explains
it better. The energy supply-demand balance happens on
the intersection of the blue (Pc) and red (Pc) lines (0.4
Nm approximately), which is the critical torque for energy
equilibrium. With less applied torque than the critical one,
there is an energy shortage and power from external sources is
provided through the busbar. Hence PB , which is represented
 4

grid, but nowadays it is not very developed in South America.

400 i-----:--,-----,-----,---,----------:---;::r:====::::::;l
_. - Generation Furthermore, an algorithm for automatizing power regulation
300
..... - . - Consumption based on real-time data about the demand would be helpful
1 -.-Busbar
for reducing losses and for making the grid smarter.

REFERENCES
[II J. Momoh, Smart grid. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE Press, 2012.
[21 "Generaci6n de Energfa Electrica", MINEM, Lima, 2014.
[31 "Acceso a la electricidad: Tres millones de peruanos aun no acceden
a la electricidad", Proexpansion.com, 2014. [Onlinel. Available:
http://proexpansion.comles/articles/670-acceso-a-la-electricidad-tres-
millones-de-peruanos-aun-no-acceden-a-ella.
.300 L----:c':----,-L_-,-L-_,-L-_-'---------':------'-_--,L-_--L------'
[41 K. Ogata, Modern control engineering. Boston, MA: Prentice-Hall,
o 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2010, pp. 1-10.
Torque (Nm) [51 Grainger, J. J., Stevenson, W. D. (1994). Power system analysis.
McGraw-HilI.
Fig. 7. Generated (Pg ) and consumed (Pc) power variation because of [61 A. Kumar, "Reactive Power Control in Electrical Power Transmission
changes in power of synchronous generator. The difference between them System", International Journals Engineering Trends and Technology, p.
is the power in busbar (PB). 1711,2016.
[71 Optimal dispatch in Smart Power Grids with partially known deviation",
Iowa Research Online, pp. 10,11, 2015.

by the green line, is positive. On the other hand, if the imposed

torque is more than the critical one, it causes an energy
overproduction. The part of energy that is nor used goes away
from the local network through the busbar. So, PB is negative
in these situations.

VI. CONCLUSIONS
This paper is one of the first approach in smart grids
concept. It tries to promote future investigation in the topic,
which represents a disruptive change in the concept of power
systems. Improvement in efficiency and security, as well as
promotion of renewable energy resources are consequences of
the smart grids implementation. Also, this article focused on
the control of a hydropower generator that is convenient due
to the importance of this energy source in the Peruvian matrix.
But it can be also applied for thermoelectric power plants.
The equipment that is used in the experiment is provided by
Lucas-Ntille. The main goal is designing and testing a SCADA
system for control of real power in a salient-pole synchronous
generator. The control system changes the applied torque for
regulating the real power. When this parameter was varied by
the SCADA interface, the power flux in the grid where it is
tested is also modified. Within the grid, the infinite busbar is
simulated by a three-phase AC power supply. A DFIG and
the synchronous machine provides power to the microgrid.
An induction motor works as consumer. The results show a
linear dependence between torque imposed on the shaft of the
machine and real power. In addition, it can be observed that the
power in busbar changes, which indicates if there is an energy
shortage or an overproduction. Therefore, it can be concluded
that the control system works as expected.
Future work will considerate the design of a system for
remote control of real and reactive power, which would
facilitate the implementation of the economic dispatch because
the output power must be re-allocated among generators [7]. In
addition, a remote control system would promote integration
of the actors on the power grid (generation, transmission and
distribution), which is one of the core characteristics of a smart