Synchronous condenser

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search In electrical engineering, a synchronous condenser (sometimes synchronous capacitor or synchronous compensator) is a device identical to a synchronous motor, whose shaft is not connected to anything but spins freely.[1] Its purpose is not to convert electric power to mechanical power or vice versa, but to adjust conditions on the electric power transmission grid. Its field is controlled by a voltage regulator to either generate or absorb reactive power as needed to adjust the grid's voltage, or to improve power factor. The condensers installation and operation are identical to large electric motors. Increasing the device's field excitation results in its furnishing magnetizing power (kvars) to the system. Its principal advantage is the ease with which the amount of correction can be adjusted. The energy stored in the rotor of the machine can also help stabilize a power system during short circuits or rapidly fluctuating loads such as electric arc furnaces. Large installations of synchronous condensers are sometimes used in association with high-voltage direct current converter stations to supply reactive power. Unlike a capacitor bank, the value of reactive power from a synchronous condenser can be continuously adjusted. In addition, reactive power from a capacitor bank decreases with voltage decrease, while a synchronous condenser can increase current as voltage decreases. However, it does have higher losses than a static capacitor bank.[1] Most synchronous condensers connected to electrical grids are rated between 20 Mvar and 200 Mvar and many are hydrogen cooled.

Contents

1 Theory 2 Application 3 References 4 External links

Theory

V curves for a synchronous machine. A synchronous condesnsor operates at nearly zero real power.As the machine passes from underexcited to overexcited, its stator current passes through a minimum. As the load on a synchronous motor increases, the stator current Ia increases regardless of excitation. For under and over excited motors, the power factor (p.f.) tends to approach 1 with increase in load. The change in power factor is greater than the change in Ia with increase in load. The magnitude of armature current varies with excitation. The current has large value both for low and high values of excitation. In between, it has minimum value corresponding to a certain excitation. The variations of I with excitation are known as V curves because of their shape. For the same output load, the armature current varies over a wide range and so causes the power factor also to vary accordingly. When over-excited, the motor runs with leading power factor and with lagging power factor when under-excited. In between, the power factor is unity. The minimum armature current corresponds to unity power factor.

Application
An over-excited synchronous motor has a leading power factor. This makes it useful for power factor correction of industrial loads. Both transformers and induction motors draw lagging currents from the line. On light loads, the power drawn by induction motors has a large reactive component and the power factor has a very low value. The current flowing to supply reactive power creates losses in the power system. In an industrial plant, synchronous motors can be used to supply some of the reactive power required by induction motors. This improves the plant power factor and reduces supply current. A synchronous condenser provides step-less automatic power factor correction with the ability to produce up to 150% additional Mvars. The system produces no switching transients and is not affected by system electrical harmonics (some harmonics can even be absorbed by synchronous condensers). They will not produce excessive voltage levels and are not susceptible to electrical

resonances. Because of the rotating inertia of the condenser, it can provide limited voltage support during short power outages. The use of rotating synchronous condensers was common through the 1950s. They remain an alternative (or a supplement) to capacitors for power factor correction because of problems that have been experienced with harmonics causing capacitor overheating and catastrophic failures. Synchronous condensers are also very good for supporting voltage. The reactive power produced by a capacitor bank is in direct proportion to the square of its terminal voltage, where a synchronous condenser's reactive power declines less rapidly, and can be adjusted to compensate for falling terminal voltage. This reactive power improves voltage regulation in situations such as starting large motors, or where power must travel long distances from where it is generated to where it is used, as is the case with power wheeling, the transmission of electric power from one geographic region through another within a set of interconnected electric power systems. Synchronous condensers may also be referred to as Dynamic Power Factor Correction systems. These machines can prove very effective when advanced controls are utilized. A PLC based controller with PF controller and regulator will allow the system to be set to meet a given power factor or can be set to produce a specified amount of reactive power. On an electric power system, synchronous condensors can be used to control the voltage on long transmission lines, especially for lines with relatively high ratio of inductive reactance to resistance.[2]

References
^ a b B. M. Weedy, Electric Power Systems Second Edition, John Wiley and Sons, London, 1972, ISBN 0-471-92445-8 page 149 2. ^ Donald Fink, Wayne Beaty (ed) Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers Eleventh Edition, Mc Graw Hill, 1978, ISBN 0-07-020974-X ,page 14-33
1.

External links

A Short Course on Synchronous Machines and Synchronous Condensers Specifying and Using Synchronous Condensers for Power Factor Correction and Voltage Support Whitepaper on Power Factor and PF Correction as it relates to Power Quality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronous_condenser = source..........

The compensation equipment is necessary for voltage control Series Capacitors are sometimes installed in series in distribution substations, receiving substations for improvement of power factor.

Shunt capacitor are switched on during high inductive loads. They are switched off during low loads. Shunt capacitors are also included in static VAR sources (SVS) Shunt Reactors are necessary with long EHV transmission lines to copensate the reactive power of the line capacitance during low loads. Static VAR Sources(SVS): These are thyristor controlled shunt capacitors and shunt reactors which give rapid, stepless control of reactive power (VAR). These are connected in receiving stations and distibution sytsems or we can say Shunt reactor : to provide reactive power compensation during low loads. Series Reactor: To reduce the short circuit current or starting currents Shunt capacitors: To povide compensations to reacive loads of lagging power factor Series Capacitors: Compensation of long lines "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
CONTROL OF VOLTAGE & REACTIVE POWER Injection of reactive power -Static & Synchronous Condensers

Introduction

Tap changing transformers

Objective type questions

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Objective type questions
1. Reactive power in a single-phase a.c circuit is a product of a. Voltage times the current in a circuit b. Voltage times the current times the cosine of the angle between the voltage & current c. Voltage times current times the sine of the angle between the voltage & current Ans.c 1. In a lightly loaded transmission line of such a length that the capacitive reactance is appreciable, the receiving end voltage

a. Is always less than the sending end voltage b. May exceed the sending end voltage

c. Is always equal to the sending end voltage Ans.b 3. On a long high voltage transmission line under heavy load conditions, Var compensation can be provided by installing a. Series inductive reactors b. Series capacitors c. Shunt inductive reactors Ans.b 4. If a synchronous motor(properly synchronized to the supply) is running on no load with negligible loss then a. b. c. d. Ans.c 5. The minimum armature current of he synchronous condenser corresponds to a. b. c. d. Ans.d 5. When synchronous condensers are used to provide vars, leading Vars are provided by a. Increasing the field current b. Decreasing the field current c. Increasing the speed of the machine Ans.a 5. Vars are characterized by the fact that they always flow a. From points of low voltage to points of high voltage b. From points of high voltage to points of low voltage c. Between two points having the same voltage 0.8 lagging p.f zero pf lagging 0.8 pf leading unity pf The stator current will be very high the stator current will be zero the stator current will be very small the back emf will be more than the supply voltage

Ans.b

Introduction Relation between voltage, power, and reactive power at a node: Voltage drop between two nodes1 and 2,at voltages V1 and V2 respectively, connected by a short transmission line of impedance R + j X is = (RP2 +XP2)/V2 where P2, Q2 is the real and reactive power at node V2. For most power networks X>> R and the voltage drop determines Q. If V1 is in phase advance of V2, then the power P flows from node1 to node2. If V1 >V2, then reactive power is transferred from node1 to node 2. If by varying the excitation of generators at nodes 1 & 2 V2 is made >V1, then the direction of Q will be reversed from node 2 to node1. Hence P can be sent from node 1 to node2 or from node 2 to node1 by suitably adjusting the amount of steam (or water0 admitted to the turbine and Q can be sent in either direction by adjusting the voltage magnitudes. These two operations are approximately independent of each other if X>>R. Generation & absorption of reactive power If a scalar voltage difference exists across a reactive link, the reactive power flows towards the node of lower voltage. Or, if there is a deficiency of Q at a point, this has to be supplied from the connecting lines and hence the voltage at that point falls. If there is a surplus of Q generated (lightly loaded cables absorb leading or negative vars and hence generate positive vars) then the voltage will rise. Voltage can be controlled at a node by injecting into the node a Q of the correct sign. Other methods of controlling the voltage are the use of tap changing transformers and voltage boosters. Synchronous generators These can be used to generate or absorb Q. The ability of the generator to supply Q is determined by the short circuit ratio (S.C.R=1/Xs). In modern machines SCR is made low for economic reasons and hence the inherent ability of the machine to operate at leading power factors is not large. The Var capacity of the generator can be increased by the use of continuously acting voltage regulators. An overexcited machine generates reactive power. An underexcited machine

absorbs (or generates negative or leading) Vars. The generator is the main source of supply to the system of both positive & negative Vars. Overhead lines & Transformers When fully loaded an overhead line absorbs Q (=I2X per phase). On light loads, the shunt capacitance of long lines may become predominant and the lines become Var generators Transformers always absorb Q. Vars absorbed by a transformer = (VA of load) 2* Xpu/Rated VA where Xpu is the pu reactance of the transformer. Underground cables are generators of Q owing to their high capacitance. Loads A load of 0.95 pf lagging implies a Q demand of 0.33 kVar per kW of power. In planning a network it is desirable to assess the Q requirements to ascertain whether the generators are able to operate at the required power factors for the extremes of load to be expected. Injection of reactive power -Static & Synchronous Condensers Three methods of injecting Q at the loads are: 1. Static shunt capacitors 2. Static series capacitors, and 3. Synchronous compensators Shunt capacitors & reactors Shunt capacitors are used for lagging power factor circuits. Shunt capacitors are disposed along routes to minimize losses and voltage drops. On light loads, when the voltage is high, the capacitor output is large and the voltage tends to rise to excessive levels. Shunt reactors are used for leading power factor circuits, as in lightly loaded cables. Series capacitors The major drawback of series capacitors is: high overvoltages are produced when a short circuit current flows through the capacitor and special capacitive devices have to be incorporated (e.g. spark gaps) Merits of series capacitors

1. If the load Var requirement is small, series capacitors are of little use. 2. If voltage drop is the limiting factor, series capacitors are effective. Voltage fluctuations due to arc furnaces are also evened out. 3. If the total line reactance is high, series capacitors are very effective and stability is improved. Synchronous compensators Synchronous motors running without mechanical load can absorb or generate Q depending on the excitation. As the synchronous motor losses are considerable compared to static capacitors, the power factor is not zero. When used with a voltage regulator, the compensator can automatically run overexcited at times of high load and underexcited at light loads. The advantage of the synchronous compensator is its flexibility of operation for all load conditions. Reactive power requirement for the voltage control of long lines An expression for determining the Q at the receiving end may be derived in terms of the receiving end power Pr, complex A, B parameters of the line such that the receiving end voltage, Vr is equal to or a specified ratio of the sending end voltage, Vs. Tap changing transformers To determine the tap changing ratios required to completely compensate for the voltage drop in the line, the product of the transformer tap ratios ts and tr at the two ends f the line is made equal to unity. This ensures that the overall voltage level remains in the same order and the minimum range of taps in both transformers is used. http://cindulkar.tripod.com/notes15.htm= source