Impact of Current Limiting Reactor on Bulk Power Network – A Case Study

The Southern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has experienced significant load growth in the recent past and expected to continue to do so in the foreseeable future. This resulted in the addition of local generation in the region, as well as the installation of tie-lines to the national grid to reinforce the local power network. The strengthening of the local grid subsequently resulted in a couple of critical 380 kV substation buses to exceed their short circuit duty ratings. This paper proposes the installation of Current Limiting Reactor (CLR) to mitigate the short circuit duty and studies the resulting impact of the CLR on the bulk power network in the region. The study is conducted by modelling the system network, and the results for short circuit study, steady-state analysis and transient analysis are discussed in the course of this paper. Recommended modifications are also briefly discussed to improve the steady state stability of the network.