A case study of an adaptive protection scheme for the web-of-cells concept

Abstract

The future power system is envisaged to be smarter, more communicative, more automated. These principles also apply to the protection methods ensuring system's safety. Within the Web-of-Cells framework of the ELECTRA IRP project aiming to develop novel voltage and frequency control concepts, smart protection systems become an important issue. In view of the control managing flexible and unpredictable grid conditions automatically, the protection systems must be able to change their behavior dynamically reflecting the prevailing power system state and continually identifying the disturbed grid conditions. This paper presents a case study of an adaptive protection scheme which roots on the coordination of distributed intelligent electronic devices, and where the adaptive functionality is based on a centralized communication control. The adaptive scheme has been applied to a representative cell grid and it addresses appropriate actions by protection devices to cope with the flexibility required by the Web-of-Cells concept.