Kalyan Sen

Presentations: 

SMART Power Flow Controllers – A Necessity for Future Power Grid

Power flow control techniques have been practiced, from using inductors, capacitors, transformers and load tap changers in the earlier days of electrical engineering to power electronics-based solutions in recent years. Even though the costs and complexities of the available solutions vary widely, the basic underlying theory of power flow control is still the same as it has always been. The question is which solution one should employ. The answer depends on knowing what the true need is. The power industry’s pressing need for the most economical ways to transfer bulk power along a desired path may be met by building new transmission lines, which is a long and costly process. Alternately, it may be quicker and cheaper to utilize the existing transmission lines more efficiently. The key is to identify the underutilized transmission lines and harness their dormant capacities to increase the power flows to the lines’ thermal limits using the most cost-effective and time-tested solutions.

The presentation is designed to provide the basic principles of power flow control theory, an overview of the most commonly used power flow controllers, and future trends. The audience will hear from an expert who actually designed and commissioned a number of power electronics-based FACTS controllers since their inceptions in the 1990s. Two reference books are as follows.

1. Introduction to FACTS Controllers: Theory, Modeling, and Applications (ISBN: 978-0-470-47875-2), IEEE Press and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2009
2. Power Flow Control Solutions for a Modern Grid using SMART Power Flow Controllers (ISBN: 978-1-119-82435-0), IEEE Press and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2022.

Voltage Regulation Schemes for Utility and Industrial Applications

Electric power sources are frequently located away from population centers. Therefore, the electricity must be transported from the power sources to consumers through transmission and distribution lines. The voltage changes its magnitude and phase angle at any point along a line due to the voltage drop across the line impedance, which is caused by the flow of current in the line. However, the voltage at a point-of-common-coupling with a load must be maintained within the regulatory limits. Voltage regulation techniques have been practiced in power grid applications with the use of inductors, capacitors, transformers and load tap changers (LTCs) since the earlier days of electrical engineering. However, the latest trend is to use more and more power electronics-based solutions. Even though the costs of the available solutions vary widely, the basic underlying theory of voltage regulation is still the same as it has always been. The voltage control techniques are applicable in electric transmission lines as well as various other applications, such as motor drives, flicker control, harmonic mitigation, and so on. In examining the various solutions for voltage regulation, the presenter discusses how these solutions address both functional needs and cost demands.

The presentation is designed to provide the basic principles of voltage regulation theory, an overview of the most commonly used voltage regulators, and future trends. The audience will hear from an expert who actually designed and commissioned a number of power electronics-based FACTS controllers since their inceptions in the 1990s. Two reference books are as follows.

1. Introduction to FACTS Controllers: Theory, Modeling, and Applications (ISBN: 978-0-470-47875-2), IEEE Press and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2009
2. Power Flow Control Solutions for a Modern Grid using SMART Power Flow Controllers (ISBN: 978-1-119-82435-0), IEEE Press and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2022.

SMART Power Flow Controllers – A Necessity for Future Power Grid

Voltage regulation and power flow control techniques have been practiced, from using inductors, capacitors, transformers and load tap changers (LTCs) in the earlier days of electrical engineering to power electronics-based solutions in recent years. Even though the costs and complexities of the available solutions vary widely, the basic underlying theories of voltage regulation and power flow control are still the same as they always have been. The question is which solution one should employ. The answer depends on knowing what the true need is. The voltage control techniques are applicable in electric transmission lines as well as various other applications, such as motor drives, flicker control, harmonic mitigation, and so on. In examining the various solutions for voltage regulation, the presenter discusses how these solutions address both functional needs and cost demands. The power industry’s pressing need for the most economical ways to transfer bulk power along a desired path may be met by building new transmission lines, which is a long and costly process. Alternately, it may be quicker and cheaper to utilize the existing transmission lines more efficiently. The key is to identify the underutilized transmission lines and harness their dormant capacities to increase the power flows to the lines’ thermal limits using the most cost-effective and time-tested solutions.

The presentation is designed to provide the basic principles of voltage regulation and power flow control theories, an overview of the most commonly used voltage regulators and power flow controllers, and future trends.

The tutorial is organized in the following way.

Part 1: A high-level overview of various voltage regulators and power flow controllers and their features.

Part 2: Traditional power flow controllers – voltage regulating transformer, phase angle regulator, shunt inductor/capacitor, and series inductor/capacitor; Voltage-Sourced Converter (VSC).

Part 3: VSC – 6-pulse, 12-pulse, 24-pulse, 48-pulse harmonic neutralized and PWM VSCs.

Part 4: Modeling and implementation of the VSC-based technology, comparison of theory, simulation, and field results; special applications of VSC-based technology; Sen Transformer.

The audience will hear from an expert who actually designed and commissioned a number of power electronics-based FACTS controllers since their inceptions in the 1990s. Two reference books are as follows.

1. Introduction to FACTS Controllers: Theory, Modeling, and Applications (ISBN: 978-0-470-47875-2), IEEE Press and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2009
2. Power Flow Control Solutions for a Modern Grid using SMART Power Flow Controllers (ISBN: 978-1-119-82435-0), IEEE Press and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2022.