A Means for Tuning Primary Frequency Event Detection Algorithms

Power system balancing authorities are routinely affected by sudden frequency fluctuations. These frequency events can precipitate cascading outages and cause damage to both customer-owned and utility equipment. In this document, we describe an Algorithm Evaluation Environment that uses a suite of metrics to evaluate an algorithm and quantify its efficacy. Using the Algorithm Evaluation Environment, a detection algorithm can be tuned to best match the definition of a frequency event as defined by experts within the context of their own balancing area. We demonstrate the utility of the Algorithm Evaluation Environment using a regression-based frequency event detection algorithm. This algorithm can detect frequency events within a short period of time after the onset of an event. The algorithm has four parameters that can be adjusted, making it highly tunable and therefore suitable for demonstration of the Algorithm Evaluation Environment.