An An Optimal Placement of STATCOM Controller on 14-Bus IEEE Standard Test Transmission Network Using Particle Swarm Optimization

The bulk transport of electrical energy from a generating station to an electrical substation is facilitated by transmission network. Transmission network suffered from unavoidable power loss and there is need to minimize the loss so as to improve the overall efficiency of the network. By strategically placing Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) controller into appropriate location, power loss can be reduced. Factually, one of the most crucial Flexible Alternating Current Transmissions (FACTS) device that control electrical power and increase system power transfer capability is considered as STATCOM. STATCOM is typically installed on the transmission network to reduce power losses and improve the voltage profile of the system. To significantly reduce power losses and improve the system voltage profile, which will ensure the security and dependability of the power system, this research looks into the optimal placement of STATCOM controller on transmission system using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique. A steady state mathematical model of STATCOM-based Power Injection Mode (PIM) through voltage source representation was derived. The mathematical model was implemented into Newton-Raphson (NR) load flow and PSO technique was used to optimize the exact location of STATCOM in objective to minimize power losses, improve voltage magnitude profile and provide adequate voltage stability to the power system. The voltage magnitude, active and reactive power loss were achieved for load flow solution on 14-bus IEEE test system using Power System Analysis Toolbox (PSAT) in MATLAB Simulink. Results revealed that, all the terminal voltages are within the voltage limits of 1.040 p.u and 1.035 p.u., respectively. The total active and reactive power losses were able to reduce by 6.90 % and 9.13 % respectively. The STATCOM based PSO optimal placement gave a stronger compensatory impact because it helped to reduce power losses and improved the overall network STATCOM-based profile.