Power System Operation

Overview

Upon completion of this program the technician will understand the concepts and technology of electric power system operation and dispatch. Particular attention is given to emergency situations and system recovery.

Who Benefits:

Power system operators. Company and customers benefit from increased efficiency and reliability of system operation.

Language Availability:

English and Spanish

Format:

• Video

Video Support Material:

Reproducible student workbook and instructor guide available with each module.

View the Learning Objectives

Program Segments

5101 Review of Electrical Fundamentals I

Ohm's law, power and energy; energy and power calculations; ac voltage generation; ac power in resistive circuits; rms value; effects of inductance and capacitance; power triangle; power factor; introduction to per unit system and per unit calculations.

5102 Review of Electrical Fundamentals II

Generator synchronism and frequency; three-phase circuits; balanced vs. unbalanced operation; voltage, current and power relationships in three-phase systems; Wye and Delta connections; inductive and capacitive circuits; impedance triangle and impedance calculation; voltage drop calculation.

5103 Elements of the Power System I

Introduction to power system components; generation: hydro, fossil, nuclear; components of a generator; generator capability curve; power transmission: overhead lines, cable, ac vs. dc; electrical characteristics of lines; pi-section representation of lines.

5104 Elements of the Power System II

Transmission line and cable loading limitations, line charging; substations: purpose, layout, equipment, busbar configurations, reliability; transformers: theory, types, cooling, taps, 3-phase connections; circuit breakers: disconnects; surge arresters; capacitor banks; other equipment.

5105 Elements of the Power System III

System compensation; Ferranti effect; shunt reactors, shunt capacitors; series capacitors; static compensators; protective relaying; types: overcurrent, directional, impedance, differential; load characteristics; summary of tapes 3, 4 and 5.

5106 Steady-State Power Flow

Power demand and supply; effect of load-generation imbalance on system frequency; load angle and its relationship to power transfer capability; phase angle limits; consequences of exceeding phase angle limits; power transfer; the per unit system and power equation.

5107 Power Flow Studies

Division of power flow; basic power flow principles in parallel circuits; load flow studies and case examples; effect of phase-shifting transformers; effect of line outages; effect of generation outages; distribution factors; re-distribution of power as system operation conditions change.

5108 Steady-State Voltage Control

Voltage ranges and standards; voltage control by generators; control by transformers; control by capacitors, reactors, static var compensators; applications to transmission and distribution systems; voltage control studies.

5109 Economic Operation I

Evaluating the system load, load curves and operating reserves; unit commitment; production cost; economic dispatch calculation (edc); system lambda; base points, participation factors, losses and penalty factors; system frequency control; turbine governor characteristics; governor set points; speed droop; frequency control in isolated and interconnected systems.

5110a Economic Operation II

Analysis and pricing of power interchange; actual net interchange (ani) vs. net interchange scheduled (nis); multiple interchange; economy A and economy B transactions; basic operating principles of automatic generation control; calculation of ace; agc in allocation of generation change; unit control modes.

5110B Economic Operation III

Operating characteristics and types of hydroelectric plants; principles of economic scheduling of hydroelectric plants; example and analysis of economic scheduling on a two unit hydro-thermal system; scheduling techniques used on a full-sized power system; procedures used to develop economic operating schedules for pumped storage plants.

5111 Constraints of Steady-State Operation

Equipment rating and loading limitations; MVA loading capability of system components; voltage and frequency limitations; effect of overvoltages on system equipment; contingency assessment; definition and types of contingencies; predicting overload/overvoltage problems; alleviating overload on network; use of "G" and "D" factors.

5112 Dynamic System Performance Concepts

Steady state vs. dynamic state; system disturbances and examples; power angle equation; power angle curves; stability limits; machine dynamic stability; equal area criterion; maintaining system stability; system design and its effect on system stability; loss of synchronism; relays and restoration procedures.

5113 Equipment Response to Abnormal Conditions I

Normal and abnormal operating conditions; types of outages and operator action; definition and relationship between system states (normal, alert and emergency); operation of turbine governors; division of load changes; frequency regulation; relationship between governor and the AGC; governor response to sudden loss of generation; boiler-turbine control system.

5114 Equipment Response to Abnormal Conditions II

Voltage control using excitation; types and characteristics of excitation systems; voltage setpoints; high side voltage control; transformer drop compensation; generator protection from over/under excitation; voltage control during abnormal conditions; capacitor banks, shunt reactors; AGC operation during abnormal conditions; operator control of AGC; phase shifter operation; load characteristics and LTC transformers; introduction to relays; primary and backup relay schemes; types of relays and their function during abnormal conditions.

5115 Power System Communications

Use of communications in power systems; voice communication between operators; data telemetry and control; relay applications; types of power system communication (telephone, microwave, radio, carrier); carrier signal concept; am/fm communication; multiplexing techniques; power line carrier function and general configuration; coupling, filtering and blocking equipment; operating considerations.

5116 Protective Relaying A & B

Relay fundamentals; operating principles of overcurrent, distance, differential and pilot wire relays; philosophy of relay protection; relay application schemes; remote backup, local backup and breaker failure relaying; application of overcurrent and distance relays; pilot relaying, load shedding relays, out-of-step blocking and tripping relays.

5117 Normal Operating Hazards and Safety A & B

Boiler and turbine loading limitations; boiler differential expansion; turbine rotor stresses; cold/hot starts; procedures for unit loading; examination of electrical and thermal stresses on system equipment; overvoltages and operator action; load rejection; series line switching and reclosing; sequence of switching series lines; synchro-check; single pole reclosing; effect of overvoltages on transformers and surge arresters; implementing clearance procedures; hazards associated with isolation equipment malfunction; supervisory and metering systems; methods of checking data.

5118 Emergency Conditions

Types of metered data available in control room; frequency indication of abnormal conditions; turbine off-frequency limits; interchange variation during emergencies, internal vs. external disturbances, interpreting combination of indications, diagnosis of problem based on metered data; operator actions during severe overload, sagging voltage conditions, severe load-generation unbalance, falling frequency; effect of sectionalization, implementation of reserves, load shedding.

5119 Recovery from Major Disasters

Overview of restoration process; sectionalization; cold load pickup, types of load, inrush due to load pickup, preventing tripping due to inrush; generator loading and frequency control; black start, islands, synchronization; voltage control during restoration; voltage limits, causes of high and low voltage, means of controlling voltage.

5120 System Operating Manual

Structure of NERC manual; AGC control action; details of ACE calculation; frequency bias setting; time error correction; inadvertent interchange and compensation guidelines; control performance criteria; reliability guidelines; generation, transmission reserves; emergency transfer capability; emergency operating practices; operator training; control center facilities; backup power supplies.