Benefits of Main Reactor based SVC in utility applications

This thesis focuses on static reactive power compensators in utility applications. The objectives for the thesis are to disclose the benefits of the Main Reactor based Static VAr compensator (SVC) compared to the conventional SVC, to find out the most important factors affecting the feasibility of different compensator technologies and to perform a case study, which illustrates the benefits of the Main Reactor concept. Static compensators, like SVC and Static synchronous compensator (STATCOM), are used in utility applications to provide voltage control and power oscillation damping and to increase capacity and stability of the network. Reactive power compensating has a major role in controlling the voltage of the transmission system, especially during fault and transient situations. Additionally, reactive power compensation can be used to reduce losses in the transmission system in a steady state. Due to STATCOMs modularity and good tolerance for varying network conditions, its competitiveness has improved, compared to SVC. Sometimes conditions in the power system are so harsh that the performance of the traditional SVC is not sufficient enough to meet all the requirements. Main Reactor concept improves the performance of SVC and provides a cost-effective, competitive alternative for STATCOM based solutions. This thesis outlines the technical background for the improved performance of Main Reactor SVC. Characteristics of the Main Reactor SVC are discussed from the most important aspects for the designing process. The case study presented in this thesis revealed the competitiveness of the Main Reactor SVC under challenging network conditions