Cairo University Electrical Power Systems (1) (EPM4050)

Faculty of Engineering Lab Experiment (3)

Electrical Power Engineering Department Transient Stability

Transient Stability
The ability of a synchronous power system to return to stable condition and maintain
its synchronism following a relatively large sudden disturbance arising from very
general situations like switching ON and OFF of circuit elements, or clearing of faults,
etc. is referred to as the transient stability in power system. In general practice studies
related to transient stability in the power system are done over a minimum period
equal to the time required for one swing, which approximates to around 1 sec or even
less. If the system is found to be stable during this first swing, its assumed that the
disturbance will reduce in the subsequent swings, and the system will be stable after
that as is the case.
Transient stability is conducted when new transmitting and generating system are
planned. The swing equation describes the behaviour of the synchronous machine
during transient disturbances.

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Stability criterion. In stability criterion method the dependence on the swing
curves of synchronous generators connected to the power system, swing curve of the
generator simply it is a relation between the power angle and time, from inspection of
all swing curves of generators the stability of system can be determined; if the power
angle settle to a value constant after certain time of transient which can be the old
value or anew stable one according to the event or case leading to the change
considered stable.

2.1-Methodology:
Using the ETAP program software for a small power system of a six generators and
applying the different cases and show how the stability evaluated.
1- open the power system shown below from ETAP.

Figure2.1. power system used in the stability study.

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 Transient
Stability
2- Select Transient Stability Study: Study

3- Edit case study:

When you are in the Transient Stability Analysis mode, you can access the
Transient Stability Study Case Editor by clicking on the Study Case button on
the Transient Stability Study Case toolbar.

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4- Apply different cases events (Disturbance) to the system and evaluate the
transient stability.
I. Three phase fault at line 5:
By applying a three phase fault at line 5 at time equal to 3s from start drawing the
curve of power angle versus time and clear the fault after 1 s by create event and
action by the program as follow:

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 Figure2.2. the setting of ETAP for the event and action of short circuit case.
 the following curves show the swing curves of the generators number
2,3,5 and 6, it is clear that the system stable for a 1 s clearing time:

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 Stable system

Figure2.3. power angle curve of the generators 2 and 3 for case of short circuit for 1 s
fault clearing time.
 Now we consider the effect of fault clearing time on the stability, if the
clearing time increased to be 6 s instead of 1 s, the curve shows that some
of generators is taken out of service since it reaches instability region and
exceed the allowable limits, so the system is observed to be unstable.
Unstable
system

Figure2.4. swing curve of the generators 2, 3, 5 and 6 for 5 s clearing fault time.
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  If the time increased to 9 s as example, the majority of generators taken
out of service and the system also to be un stable according to the
following curves:
Unstable system

Figure 2.5. Swing curve of the generators 2, 3, 5 and 6 for 9 s clearing fault time.
II. Three phase fault at Bus 3:

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 Unstable system

III. Sudden load change:

Appling sudden load change by removing the load number 2, the system observed to
be stable as shown in the following curves

Figure2.7. swing curve for generator 2,3,5 and 6 after load2 out.
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IV. change system impedance (line outage):
In this case the study based on the change of system impedance by transmission line
taken out of service, if the transmission line number4 taken out by opening the both
sides circuit breakers, the system observed stable as following: