A COMPREHENSIVE STABILITY INVESTIGATION OF THE ATHABASCA-POINTS NORTH POWER SYSTEM

This thesis presents the principal results of an investigation of the Athabasca-Points North power system (APNS) that is of longitudinal structure. Its stability and stabilization by coordinated power system stabilizers (PSSs) were studied. The effects of the existing controllers on system stability are reported. If PSSs are not in service, the various modes of the system are either negatively or poorly damped and low frequency oscillations are present. Eigenvalue analysis shows that speed governors have little influence on damping while additional excitation control can considerably depress the sustained oscillations. In order to realize this control and to enhance the overall system stability, a coordinated design procedure for power system stabilizers has been developed based on generator coherency, total coupling factor and non-linear simulation. A PSS designed using this procedure is robust to different operating conditions and is very effective for damping out oscillations following both small and large disturbances. Comprehensive simulation studies were conducted and the results obtained are presented