Engineering Commons^™

A Resilience Metric For Modern Power Distribution Systems, Tyler Bennett Phillips

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Modern society has become increasingly reliant on the functioning of critical infrastructure. It is considered so vital that its incapacitation or destruction would have debilitating effects on the global economy, national security, and public health and safety. The electrical power system is uniquely positioned, as it is essential for all other sectors of critical infrastructure to operate as intended. However, it is constantly at risk due to factors such as natural disasters, climate change, aging infrastructure, and cyber threats. Thus, ensuring the efficient and continuous supply of electricity is of utmost importance and the topic of this dissertation.

The work …

High- And Low-Voltage Mitigation In Distribution Systems Using Residential Static Volt-Ampere Reactive Compensators, Andrés Valdepeña Delgado

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Power distribution systems are experiencing a fast transformation from simple one-way radial feeders to complex systems with multiple sources and bidirectional power flows. The rapid increase of Distributed Generation (DG) connected to the distribution system over the last decade, especially solar photovoltaic (PV), has been the key element to this transformation.

The variable nature of PV-based DG has increased the complexity of voltage regulation in distribution systems. Electric Utilities are facing an increasing number of voltage issues in distribution systems with high penetration of DGs, leading customers to experience voltage levels outside of range A of the ANSI C84.1 standard. …

Demand-Side Load Management Using Single-Phase Residential Static Var Compensators, Muhammad Kamran Latif

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Distribution systems are going through a structural transformation from being radially-operated simple systems to becoming more complex networks to operate in the presence of the distributed energy resources (DERs) with significant levels of penetration. It is predicted that the share of electricity generation from DERs will keep increasing as the world is moving away from the power generation involving carbon-emission and towards cleaner energy sources such as solar, wind, and biofuels. However, the unstable behavior of the renewables resources presents challenges to the already existing distribution systems. One such problem is when the distribution feeder experience variable power supply due …

Swarm Behavior To Mitigate Rebound In Air Conditioning Demand Response Events, Jason Yasuto Kuwada

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Thermostatically Controlled Loads (TCLs) have shown great potential for Demand Response (DR) events. However, it has been commonly seen that DR events using TCLs may cause demand rebound, especially in homogeneous populations. To further explore the potential for DR events, as well as the negative effects, a stability and resilience analysis were performed on multiple populations and verified with agent based modeling simulations.

At the core of this study is an added thermostat criterion created from the combination of a proportional gain and the average compressor operating state of neighboring TCLs. Where DR events in TCLs are commonly controlled by …

Real-Time Fault Detection And Reconfiguration Of A Three-Phase Electric Motor Drive, Danyal Mohammadi

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Variable-frequency drives (VFDs) are widely used for control of electrical machines such as induction motors (IMs) or permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). Similar to other electrical devices, these drives are subject to failure. Several types of faults are associated with VFDs. For instance, faults such as an open-switch fault, a short-circuit switch fault are the two common faults in VFDs. These faults can yield catastrophic consequences if proper remedial action is not taken.

A unique remedial topology for the post-fault period and a new pulse width modulation (PWM) strategy are proposed so that not only the motor drive can continue the …

Hardware Realization Of A Residential Static Var Compensator, Muhammad Kamran Latif

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Conservation by Voltage Reduction (CVR) is the implementation of a distribution voltage strategy whereby all distribution voltages are lowered to the minimum allowed by the equipment manufacturer. This strategy is rooted in the fact that many loads consume less power when they are fed with a voltage lower than nominal. Electric utility companies consider CVR as a potential solution for managing power in distribution networks. However, a difficult challenge is to keep end-of-line (EOL) voltages within an acceptable range of the ANSI Standard C84.1. Therefore, to achieve maximum benefit from CVR, electric utilities should be able to regulate residential voltages …

Dual-Input Dc-To-Dc Converter Topologies And Control Schemes, Shaun Alan Stickel

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Dual-input DC-to-DC converters are power supplies that draw power from two sources simultaneously and deliver power to a single load, the ratio of power drawn from each source and be held constant with changes in the load. Applications for dual-input power supplies are computer systems, mobile systems using energy harvesting, and systems needing redundant power supplies. This writing covers the operation and control of dual-input DC-to-DC converters that implement a non-inverting buck-boost function and utilize only a single power path.

Traditionally, a dual-input power supply is created by placing two standard power paths in parallel. This adds considerable control complexity …

Dynamic Rating Of Transmission Lines For Improved Wind Energy Integration In Complex Terrain, Tyler Bennett Phillips

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Transmission congestion is a growing concern that could limit integration on new renewable energy projects to the electricity grid. Because construction of new transmission lines is a long and expensive process, transmission service providers are investigating dynamic line rating (DLR) mehtods that could potentially increase capacity of existing transmission lines. DLR is a smart-grid technology that enables rating of power lines based on real-time conductor temperature that is dependent on local weather conditions. whereas conventional practice relies on a static rating, which is based on conservative local weather assumptions to limit transmission line sag.

With todays improved wind and weather …

Matlab/Simulink Implementation And Analysis Of Three Pulse-Width-Modulation (Pwm) Techniques, Phuong Hue Tran

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

With advances in solid-state power electronic devices and microprocessors, various pulse-width-modulation (PWM) techniques have been developed for industrial applications. For example, PWM-based three-phase voltage source inverters (VSI) convert DC power to AC power with variable voltage magnitude and variable frequency.

This thesis discusses the advantages and drawbacks of three different PWM techniques: the sinusoidalPWM(SPWM) technique, the third-harmonic-injection PWM(THIPWM) technique, and the space-vector PWM (SVPWM) technique. These three methods are compared by discussing their ease of implementation and by analyzing the output harmonic spectra of various output voltages (poles voltages, line-to-neutral voltages, and line-to-line voltages) and their total harmonic distortion (THD). …