GCC CIGRE GCC POWER 2017 16-18 Oct 2017 Muscat, OMAN

Development & Verifications of Dynamic Load Modeling for the Main

Interconnected Transmission System in Oman
Authors: H. A. Al Riyami (OETC), A. G. Al Busaidi (OETC), A. A. Al Nadabi (OETC), M. N. Al
Sayabi (OETC), A. A. Al Habsi (OETC),
A. Szekut (TE), O. Antoine (TE), P. Josz, & R. Fahmi (TE)

Abstract: The Main Interconnected Transmission System (MITS) in the North of Oman is owned and operated
by Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC). The existing MITS has three operating voltages, i.e. 400kV,
220kV and 132kV. Starting from 2014, the transmission system of Dhofar region in the south of Oman is also
owned and operated by OETC. OETC has seen significant growth in demand over the past few years with
demands forecasts to reach in excess of 8 GW by 2020. The growth in demand is due to the development of
existing cities which would constitute an increase in domestic and industrial air conditioning units. The air
conditioning units are induction motors which have an impact on system voltage and reactive power
performance under abnormal system conditions i.e. faults. In order to capture the overall dynamic behaviour of
the load, numerous Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) were installed throughout the Main Interconnected
Transmission System & Dhofar System network in Oman for six months. The main purpose of PMUs installation
is to capture the real time synchronized voltage and current phasors under real time system behaviour in ten
grid stations. These PMUs were installed at the 132kV and 33kV systems and certain criteria has been agreed
between OETC and Distribution Companies for the PMUs location. This paper presents the collected data
ve been used to develop specific load models across the
country for the voltage stability study and to determine the size and location of Static Var Compensators (SVCs).
DIgSILENT Power Factory has been used to compare and validate the load model performance against historical
events such that the model is tuned to the natural behaviour of the system.

Key Words: PMU, Load Model Development, Voltage Stability, Induction Motors

1. Introduction of load percentage and share is common for GCC

The electrical power system is subject to continuous
change and one of the major reasons is due to load
growth, load nature and load attributes [1]. This
leads the system to operate close its limit especially
under times of peak loading. Thus the system
dynamics with respect to load dynamic plays an
important role in future system planning in order to
quantify the dynamic voltage stability of regions
within the power system. Dynamic voltage stability
is a function of the performance of the power
system and is driven by load characterisation [1-3].
conventional ZIP or static voltage dependent load
model to correlate and characterise the aggregate
load behaviour at the Bulk Supply Points (BSP).
Load dynamic behaviour is however one of the
major sources of uncertainty and therefore of
inaccuracies in power system analysis and mis-
characterization of the load behaviour can lead to
artificial system limits being imposed on the actual
power system itself or lead to under investment on
the transmission system [1].
In Oman the majority of load is made up of small
air conditioning units which are predominately used
for residential/commercial cooling. This attributes
to up to 55-60% of the national demand. This type
countries especially in the summer months in where
the peak occurs. The dynamics of these types of
induction motors plays a crucial role in system
voltage response and fault-recovery due to the
nature of load torque characteristics [2,4,5]. This is
especially true if and when the motors stall which
inherently leads to delayed system voltage recovery.
Such dynamics needs to be characterised precisely
in order to size with precision the appropriate
compensation devices or develop a reactive power
strategy [3]. Only by capturing the true system
phenomena under these given conditions can a
reliable long term reactive compensation strategy be
developed in the future for ensuring that the system
remains voltage-compliant, secure and adequate.
The paper describes the methodology for
developing a detailed and accurate load model for
the Oman system based on a measurement-based
approach [6]. The data obtained was then used and
quantified to develop a specific load model which
captures the effect of load disconnection and the
active and reactive power response during voltage
and frequency transients. The model parameters
were determined via an optimization solver using
MATLAB & DIgSILENT. The model fit was based
on the method of least squares. The load response
results in good agreement with the actual recorded

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system response, indicating that the load behaviour
has been reliably captured. The models are then
used to develop a reactive power strategy for 2022.
2. Load Modelling Background
Load models can be used for a wide range of power
system studies ranging from steady state analysis to
harmonic and electromagnetic studies [7-9].
Traditionally aggregate models are used to simplify
the total representation of the distribution network
showing the active and reactive demands
downstream at a given grid station. This was
originally done to minimise computation time,
complexity and accuracy of the dispersed load on
the distribution system by
representation. However in the past 30 years the
need for developing accurate load models has
become essential for system planning as the systems
have been pushed towards more demanding
operating conditions. Figure 1 presents the
evolution and application of various load models in
the past 30 years depending on the typical
applications.
Figure 2 presents the load model developed in this
paper. It is worth noting that the proposed load
model structure takes into account the
comprehensibility of the load model but also the
easiness to use the dynamic model for future
planning studies in Power Factory. The model
includes:
A feeder representing the distribution system
equivalent impedance and related voltage drop;
A large motor characterizing industrial load;
A small motor characterizing air conditioning
load;
A static exponential component;
Shunt compensation.
Therefore, the aggregate load model structure
shown in Figure 2 has been represented through two
Factory built-in library model). The Power Factory
model used during this project is
illustrated in Figure 3 [10].

RMS/EMT
FULL COMPLETE/
DETAILED
MODELS

MEASUREMENT
BASED MODELS

MOTOR MODELS/
AGGREGATED
COMPOSITE
MODEL

VDL MODEL Figure 2-Proposed Load Model

ZIP MODEL

Steadystate

Figure 1-Various Load Model

An aggregate load composite structure has been

Figure 3-Complex Load Mode
used to model the various motors and static loads in
Model [8]
a simple way. This choice has been made for the
ease of interpretation and to try to keep a physical The complex load model takes into account two
sense to the aggregated load model while ensuring parameters to calculate the slip-torque
that the computation timing remains acceptable for characteristics. This is done according to the
long term planning studies. Finding the right following equation:
percentage of each type of motor at a feeder is
typically the result of detailed feeder composition
knowledge from the system operator and is
validated/adapted during the load identification
process. The frequency dependent rotor impedance model is
considered as suitable model for the sake of load

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GCC CIGRE GCC POWER 2017
modelling for power system stability studies. The
model considers mechanical dynamics while flux
dynamics are neglected. The slip-torque
characteristic is significantly different for small
residential motors and large industrial motors. As
example, a realistic characteristic for a small size
motor is presented in Figure 4. During a voltage
disturbance, the electrical torque ( ) decreases
proportionally to the square of the voltage. The
speed and speed deviation can then be calculated
using the swing equation and mechanical load
equation:
The mechanical load is represented by the following
characteristics:
These equations show that other parameters are
important (i.e. the equivalent inertia of the motor
and load ( ) and the load mechanical torque
coefficients (A, B and C)).
Figure 4-Example Slip-Torque Characteristics of Small
Motors
The motor load model is reduced to three
unknowns:
Inertia;
Torque-slip characteristic (which is determined
by two parameters, the critical slip and
operating slip);
Mechanical torque equation (which is
determined by two parameters, while the third
parameter is dependent on the two others).
The choice to use two distinct motors decreases the
number of parameters and the most likely range for
each parameter. For example, a large induction
motor will have a quadratic load mechanical torque,
an operating slip below 1% and a critical slip below
5%. A small motor is more likely to have a constant
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16-18 Oct 2017 Muscat, OMAN
load mechanical torque, an operating slip between
5-10% and a critical slip around 30-40%. These
typical ranges are enforced as constraints to the
optimization problem and this allows to derive
physically realistic load models.
3. Measurement Campaign
In order to develop a representative load model of
the Oman system, a measurement campaign was
undertaken over a six months period from August
2016 to February 2017. Twenty Phasor
Measurement Units (PMU ) were installed at ten
dedicated locations in the Oman power system for
the purpose of load behaviour monitoring. These
locations were identified by OETC & DISCO as
regions of significant interest and include: Muscat,
Al Batinah North, Al Shariqya and Dhofar as they
represent the diversity of the load behavior and
nature. This is shown in Figure 5 [11].
Figure 5 : OETC Measurement Campaign Sites
In each location, two PMUs are installed at different
locations of the same substation. One PMU is
connected at the secondary of the step-down
transformer in order capture the total load
behaviour. The second PMU is connected to one
specific feeder, such that the monitoring can capture
the incoming data upstream as well as downstream
on the specific feeder. This is shown in Figure 6.
2x125 HV
MVA
Tx
3-phase V & I for OETC-DNO
one dedicated Tx INTERFACE
feeder
MV
3-phase V & I for one
dedicated MV feeder
Figure 6 : PMU Installation
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The PMUs are time-synchronized through the GPS

signal via WAMSTER in order to dispose of wide The ISE is averaged over the entire signal length. In
area monitoring of the region and to record the data. the case of a long signal and a short disturbance,
Trigger settings were used in order to detect events this might lead to an under-estimation of the error.
as abnormal system conditions. These conditions To overcome this limitation, an envelope is defined
includes under & over voltage and frequency around the signal. Only samples outside the
measurements, phase unbalance and rate of change envelope are used to estimate the error. Figure 8
of voltage and frequency. An example of the PMU illustrates an error tolerance envelope of 1%.
triggered recording is shown in Figure 7 in where
the positive phase sequence voltage and frequency
is displayed under a single phase fault at Rusail grid
station. For every event the voltage and current
phasors are recorded in real time, and extracted later
for analysis and for identification of the load model
parameters.

Figure 8: Error tolerance example, the ISE is computed

only for samples outside the tolerance envelope.

According to the load model structure defined in the

Figure 7: Positive Phase Sequence voltage and previous section, Table 1 shows the parameters to
frequency at Rusail (Muscat) under a Single Phase Fault. adjust in order to obtain a load model that will
match the measurements. Table 1 illustrates that a
4. Optimisation Technique
single composite model (static load and small motor
The integral square error (ISE) is a common dynamics) is used first. This model contains 10
performance indicator used to compare simulation parameters. If required by the load identification
results and measurements. For the sake of load process, a second load which represents a large
modelling, the ISE takes into account both active motor is added to the model. This second motor
and reactive power observables. The ISE is load contains 7 parameters.
computed for each individual event and is then
The objective of the optimisation process is to
summed by PMUs. This is done to obtain a more
evaluate what is the best load model amongst the n-
generic load model capable of fitting several
dimensional space of possible candidates.
incident recordings and this avoids over-fitting on a
particular event.
N events N
1 1 2
ISEMVA ( ) MVAmeas (i ) MVAsim ( , i )
N events K 1 N i 1

(4)

Where:
MVAmeas, is the recorded active and reactive
power measurements during the incidents;
MVAsim, is the simulated active and reactive
power consumptions of the load;
N is the number of sample points;
is the number of selected events for a
particular PMU;
he parameters of the load model to be Figure 9: the pre-defined set of load model candidates is
identified (i.e. the optimization variables). spread over the n-dimensional space of possible
solutions.

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Parameter Name Range

% Load %small & static 0 100%
Share % large 0 100%
% small motors (Dynamic) 0 100%
% static (Dynamic) 0 100%
alpha 1 2
beta 5 7
Motor(s)
Critical slip 3-40%
Normal operating slip 0.1-10%
Inertia 0.01-2s
Exponent mechanical torque 0-2
Table 1: List of parameters to optimise for the load
identification process

Based on the load survey, literature review and Figure 10 : No of events per region
engineering experience, ranges of values for each
parameter are defined. A multitude of load model
parameter sets are then created to cover these ranges
of values, as illustrated in Figure 9. For each
selected voltage disturbance, a DIgSILENT Power
Factory simulation is performed for each parameter
set. The ISE is then computed for each simulation
and the load parameter set having the lowest ISE is
chosen as best candidate.

This process is an iterative process and if no

parameter set is deemed accurate, an optimisation
process creates other sets of parameters, which are
Figure 11 : Occurrence of Fault Disturbances for
then used in the simulations. Using pre-defined summer & winter
parameter sets has shown great results and allows an
easy interpretation of the results. Another advantage For each incident, the minimal direct sequence
of this method in comparison to the classical
optimisation process is that it is not dependent on pre & post disturbance of active power consumed
the incidents on which the parameters are optimised.
This removes the risk of overfitting the data and distinct characteristic variables for indicating the
allows a better generalisation of the results.
This is shown below in Figure 12 for the whole
5. Results of Measurement & Load Model campaign. It can be seen that minor disconnection
Development

There were a total of 694 triggers for under-voltage disconnection of up to 30% of the load and greater
disturbances throughout the measurement is greater than 20%.
campaign. Figure 10 presents the number of events
recorded per region within Oman throughout the
measurement campaign. For each of these events,
the phase components which experienced the
disturbance are analysed. For example, if the trigger
in each phase is activated, it would be categorized
as a three-phase event. The number of events
categorized by single-phase, two-phase and three-
phase fault is shown in Figure 11.

Figure 12 : Disconnection Behaviour

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GCC CIGRE GCC POWER 2017 16-18 Oct 2017 Muscat, OMAN

The identification is based on selected

representative recordings for the identification
process. The load model identification has been
performed per region and a single model will be
used per region. The results showed a good fit with
the ISE as it is less on average than 5% error. Figure
13 to Figure 15 present the various faults
experienced in Al Batinah North, Al Buraimi and
Muscat. Each graph shows a particular event, the
measured voltage disturbance in pu (top), simulated
and measured active power in MW (middle); and
simulated and measured reactive power in Mvar
(bottom). As the model is tested over a number of
incidents, the obtained model can be considered as a
global load model. Therefore, one load model is
obtained for each site having a PMU. Neighbouring
Figure 14 : Al Buraimi Load Model response under 3ph
engineering knowledge and similarity with the Fault
measured sites. The optimisation does not include
the load disconnection behaviour as it tends to be
modelled in the power system model; however an
offset is applied in the optimisation to ensure that
the post fault response is accounted for. The ideal
incidents are small to medium voltage disturbances
as the true response of the motor stalling and
delayed voltage response can be captured at the grid
stations. Larger faults such as three phase faults can
lead to inaccuracies due to large fault current which
makes the optimisation challenging, as the
distinction in reactive current and dynamics could
not be differentiated easily and is very dependent on
start-up motor characteristics, which are not critical
for planning studies. However the fit is similar for
active power, based upon the actual incident. Figure 15 : Muscat Load Model response under 1ph
Fault

6. Load Model Integration for voltage stability

studies

The level of rotating load is an important aspect to

voltage stability as it will define the level of stalling
on the power system under a fault. The various load
models are applied to the OETC power system
model in order to assess accurately the level of
compensation for the future. Ideally the
compensation should be located as close to the load
(or load centre) as possible to mitigate/minimise the
effect of stalling. The largest demand centre within
Oman is Muscat, thus faults in and around this
region leads to motor stalling in various load
pockets. In essence Muscat acts as a copper plate,
thus any fault in or around the region leads to wide
Figure 13 : Al Batinah North Load Model response
spread stalling in the region. Motor stalling is the
under single phase fault
critical aspect of motor stability and the ability for
the motors to re-accelerate to a new stable operating

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GCC CIGRE GCC POWER 2017 16-18 Oct 2017 Muscat, OMAN

point is crucial for voltage stability. In the process

of the motor being stable or non-stable large
reactive currents can be experienced due to the fact
that the torque of the load can be greater than the
developed torque of the motor (due to a lower
torque slip characteristic following a dip in voltage
during faults). If the voltage recovers in such that
the electrical torque is greater than the load torque
then the motor recovers stability and does break
down towards stalled conditions. Figure 16 shows
the impact of motor stalling, and it can be seen that
reactive consumption can easily be as high as 400%
of the steady state reactive load as the locked rotor
current is in essence absorbed by the motor (typical
around 5-6 times of the current). Figure 17 shows
the motors re-acceleration ability even though larger
reactive power is consumed temporarily. However
if the motor continuously stalls as in Figure 16 it
will continue to consume large amounts of reactive
power until a protection device is triggered in where
the motor is disconnected from the system. The Figure 17 : Motor Re-acceleration under a system fault,
stability of the motor is a function of voltage, the Q consumed by the motor.
load torque characteristic and the motors torque and
slip characteristic which is a function of the motors
parameters and design. As the majority of the
motors in Muscat are small and therefore
characterized by a low inertia and constant torque
load characteristic, it is expected that most of the
motors will stall if a fault occurs and this is reflected
in the system study. Figure 18 presents the
improved voltage performance of key DISCO grid
stations in Muscat after a three phase fault in
Muscat which is cleared in 90ms.

Figure 18 : Voltage Response with load model &

Dynamic Compensation

Figure 19 presents the comparison of the reactive

Figure 16 : Motor Stalling under a system fault, Q
consumed by the motor.
outputs from generic SVC and STATCOM models
during faults. The Static Var Compensator (SVC)
consists of a shunt capacitor and a thyristor
controlled shunt reactor which can be continuously
adjusted through power electronics control. In
essence the thyristor controlled reactor fine-tunes
the reactive power output of the SVC, and hence
regulates the voltage at the direct connected busbar.
. The dynamic model for the SVC is a generic
CSVGN5 using standard parameter values [10]. The
Static Compensator (STATCOM) is based on a
PWM converter model represents a self-
commutated, voltage sourced AC/DC converter
(capacitive DC circuit) [10]. The circuit is built
from valves with turnoff capability, which is usually
found in GTOs or IGBTs. The dynamic model
employed for the STATCOM is a generic PQ

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controller via a Vdc-Q control. The STATCOM has
the advantage of supplying full reactive power
regardless of system voltage (i.e. it is not limited by
the BV2
reactive power output is reached [4]). The
STATCOM has an inbuilt overloading capability
provided that the DC capacitor is not discharged
from the voltage source converter. This tends to be
desirable for weak grids in where a lot of induction
an overload capability which can be incorporated at
the design phase However STATCOMs can have an
overlo
from 25-300% of its design rating.
Figure 19 : Comparison of Dynamic Reactive Power
Outputs
7. Conclusions
A six-month measurement campaign has been
performed to identify the load model for the Omani
system. The monitoring campaign was achieved
through Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) as part
of a wide area monitoring scheme for selected
9.0 References
[1] A.Atiah, B.Stedall, S.Dawood,P.Josz,
CIGRE 2015, 2015).
[2] K.Karoui, Y.A. Jebril, A.I. Ibrahim, S.A.
Development based on Monitoring and
Confrence & Exhibition, February 19-22,
2011.
[3] Y. A. Jebril, A. I. Ibrahim, S. A. Shaban, S.
A. Al Dessi, K. Karoui, F. Depierreux, A.
detailed dynamic load model and
implementation staged testing of DEWA
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16-18 Oct 2017 Muscat, OMAN
substations in the main regions of Oman. The
recordings obtained were processed and used to
develop a dedicated DIgSILENT load model for the
Oman system. The global analysis of the recordings
reveals that most of the incidents occurred during
the off-peak season with single phase faults being
the most common. However a number of three
phase faults were also identified. A detailed analysis
of the recorded incidents highlights the main trends
observed during the measurement campaign. The
recorded incidents indicated prolonged voltage
recovery was observed with disconnection of load.
This highlights the high presence of air conditioner
in the more densely populated areas of Oman. A
composite complex load model structure with both
dynamic and static components has been used for
identification and model development. The
identification of the load model per region is carried
out through a global non-linear constrained
optimization algorithm, although restrained to a
limited number of pre-defined load model groups.
The load model developed portrayed the best fit
between the model parameter optimisation and the
measurements. The methodology presented is in
good accordance to the measured responses and
have been used for system studies to identify the
voltage performance of the various regions as well
as the level of compensation required.
8.0 Acknowledgement
The authors appreciate the support from the various
distribution companies in Oman for the cooperation.
The authors would also like to thank STER for
exhibition, Doha, Qatar, Oct. 2010.
[4] T.Mangold, D. Langner, M. Sezer, M.
STATCOM in contemporary and future
transmission systems, GCC Power,
Novembe
[5]
detailed dynamic load model and
implementation staged testing of DEWA
Doha, QATAR, (2010).
[6]
Real Application of Measurement- based
Load Modeling in Large-scale Power Grids
Systems, Vol.24, No.4,pp. 1756-1764
(2009).
[7] IEEE Task Force on Load Representation
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representation for dynamic performance Using an Automated Algorithm and

on Power Systems,
Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 472-482 (1993). 2008 General Meeting, Pittsburgh, U.S.
[8] K. Yamashita, S. M. Villanueva, S. Z. (2008).
[10] DIgSILENT 2016 Technical Reference.
Methodologies for Load Model [11] Oman Electricity Transmission Company
Five-Year Annual, Transmission Capability
Hakodate Colloquium (2012) Statement (2017-2021), 2016.
[9] Maitra, A. Gaikwad, P. Pourbeik, D.
Brooks

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