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Full-Text Articles in Science and Technology Studies

The Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Strategies And Analysis Of Current Challenges, Lasantha Meegahapola, Lanka Udawatta, Sanjeeva Witharana Dec 2013

The Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Strategies And Analysis Of Current Challenges, Lasantha Meegahapola, Lanka Udawatta, Sanjeeva Witharana

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

This paper presents different roots of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) strategies and challenges faced in terms of efficiency and economy of OTEC plants. The conversion strategies primarily focus on open cycle, closed cycle and hybrid plants. The efficiency studies mainly skew towards the effect of plant distance and thermal gradient towards plant efficiency. The economic analysis is based upon the effect of per unit cost for OTEC plant together with other important considerations such as Plant Factor (PF) and offshore distance, which determine the cost of power generation. Some illustrative examples are also provided using the derived equations under …


Impact Of Wind Generator Control Strategies On Flicker Emission In Distribution Networks, Lasantha Meegahapola, Sarath Perera Dec 2013

Impact Of Wind Generator Control Strategies On Flicker Emission In Distribution Networks, Lasantha Meegahapola, Sarath Perera

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

Renewable power generators are increasingly being integrated to electricity networks to achieve future renewable energy targets in power generation. In particular, wind power generation has already reported substantial penetration levels in electricity networks. Traditionally, flicker phenomenon is considered to be one of the power quality issues in power distribution networks due to fluctuating consumer loads connected to the network. Large-scale integration of wind power generators may create significant voltage fluctuations in distribution feeders due to stochastic and intermittent nature of the wind resources. This study aims to investigate and characterize the flicker emission under different control strategies for DFIG based …


Impact Of Wind Generation Mix On Transient Stability For An Interconnected Power System, Lasantha Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Jason Kennedy, Tim Littler Dec 2013

Impact Of Wind Generation Mix On Transient Stability For An Interconnected Power System, Lasantha Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Jason Kennedy, Tim Littler

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

The rapid growth of wind generation in many European countries is pushing power systems into uncharted territory. As additional wind generators are installed, the changing generation mix may impact on power system stability. This paper adopts the New England 39 bus system as a test system for transient stability analysis. Thermal generator models are based on a likely future plant mix for existing systems, while varying capacities of fixed-speed induction generators (FSIG) and doubly-fed induction generators (DFIG) are considered. The main emphasis here has been placed on the impact of wind technology mix on inter-area oscillations following transient grid disturbances. …


Characterisation Of Flicker Emission And Propagation In Distribution Networks With Bi-Directional Power Flows, D Perera, L Meegahapola, S Perera, P Ciufo Dec 2013

Characterisation Of Flicker Emission And Propagation In Distribution Networks With Bi-Directional Power Flows, D Perera, L Meegahapola, S Perera, P Ciufo

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

With the increasing penetration levels of intermittent and fluctuating energy sources such as wind generating systems in the electricity grid, resulting voltage fluctuations and flicker can be expected to become an important power quality considerations. Due to significant bidirectional power flows resulting from large renewable power generation systems connected to downstream, voltage fluctuations may propagate from downstream to upstream. The work presented in this paper investigates and characterises flicker emission and propagation resulting from fluctuating generating sources connected to a distribution network. Mathematical models are developed for flicker emission under different generator control strategies and flicker propagation to upstream network. …


Comparative Analysis Of Dynamic Line Rating Models And Feasibility To Minimise Energy Losses In Wind Rich Power Networks, Mathew Simms, Lasantha Meegahapola Dec 2013

Comparative Analysis Of Dynamic Line Rating Models And Feasibility To Minimise Energy Losses In Wind Rich Power Networks, Mathew Simms, Lasantha Meegahapola

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

Wind power generation has indicated an exponential increase during last two decades and existing transmission network infrastructure is increasingly becoming inadequate to transmit remotely generated wind power to load centres in the network. The dynamic line rating (DLR) is one of the viable solutions to improve the transmission line ampacity during high wind penetration without investing on an additional transmission network. The main objective of this study is to identify the basic differences between two main line rating standards, since transmission network service providers (TNSPs) heavily depend on these two standards when developing their line rating models. Therefore, a parameter …


Flicker Mitigation Strategy For Dfigs During Variable Wind Conditions, Lasantha Meegahapola, Brendan Fox, Damian Flynn Dec 2013

Flicker Mitigation Strategy For Dfigs During Variable Wind Conditions, Lasantha Meegahapola, Brendan Fox, Damian Flynn

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

This paper presents a flicker mitigation scheme for the doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) during variable wind conditions. The flicker mitigation strategy was developed based on the distribution line X/R ratio and the active power deviation from the average active power during variable wind conditions. Flicker emission was analyzed using a flicker meter based on the IEC standards. Both short-term and long-term flicker severities were analyzed during the time period of study. The flicker mitigation strategy was evaluated under different system conditions such as X/R ratio, distribution line length, shortcircuit capacity (SCC), and wind variability. It is shown that the proposed …


Optimal Power Flow With Variable Wind Conditions, S Durairaj, L Meegahapola, D Flynn, B Fox Dec 2013

Optimal Power Flow With Variable Wind Conditions, S Durairaj, L Meegahapola, D Flynn, B Fox

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

This paper presents simulation studies of an electric arc furnace (EAF) model in the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. EAF was modeled as a current source controlled by a non-linear resistance. Voltage flicker, a phenomenon of annoying light intensity fluctuation, caused by EAF, has been a major power quality concern for both power companies and customers. A model was developed for the electric arc furnace and it was applied in the simulation studies of distribution static synchronous compensator (DSTATCOM) for voltage flicker mitigation. The controller for DSTATCOM was designed based on DQ-model for the reactive power management which helps in the mitigation of …


Voltage And Power Quality Improvement Strategy For A Dfig Wind Farm During Variable Wind Conditions, L Meegahapola, T Littler, B Fox, J Kennedy, D Flynn Dec 2013

Voltage And Power Quality Improvement Strategy For A Dfig Wind Farm During Variable Wind Conditions, L Meegahapola, T Littler, B Fox, J Kennedy, D Flynn

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

This paper presents a voltage and power quality enhancement scheme for a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) wind farm during variable wind conditions. The wind profiles were derived considering the measured data at a DFIG wind farm located in Northern Ireland (NI). The aggregated DFIG wind farm model was validated using measured data at a wind farm during variable generation. The voltage control strategy was developed considering the X/R ratio of the wind farm feeder which connects the wind farm and the grid. The performance of the proposed strategy was evaluated for different X/R ratios, and wind profiles with different characteristics. …


Impact On Transient And Frequency Stability For A Power System At Very High Wind Penetration, Lasantha Meegahapola, Damian Flynn Dec 2013

Impact On Transient And Frequency Stability For A Power System At Very High Wind Penetration, Lasantha Meegahapola, Damian Flynn

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

This paper analyzes the impact on transient and frequency stability for a power system at very high wind penetration (40% wind). Wind penetration is based on the doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG), and a systematic approach has been adopted for wind power integration. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out for each wind integration scenario and for different wind generator loading conditions. A range of fault locations has been selected for stability analysis based on the proximity to synchronous generation and wind farms. The analysis has shown that transient stability performance is subject to fault location in the network, especially when …


Optimal Allocation Of Reactive Power Resources To Minimise Losses And Maintain System Security, Eknath Vittal, Lasantha Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Andrew Keane Dec 2013

Optimal Allocation Of Reactive Power Resources To Minimise Losses And Maintain System Security, Eknath Vittal, Lasantha Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Andrew Keane

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

Modern doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) wind turbines have significant reactive power control capability, even during low wind speed conditions. This can improve system security by providing terminal voltage control at buses in the system. Generally, such control employs the full range of reactive power production from the turbine which can lead to increased system losses. By utilizing optimal power flow analysis, and limiting the range of reactive power production at certain wind farms, system losses can be minimized. If the reactive power of the wind farms are optimized to achieve the minimum system losses this may adversely affect the voltage …


Transient Stability Analysis Of A Power System With High Wind Penetration, Lasantha Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Tim Littler Dec 2013

Transient Stability Analysis Of A Power System With High Wind Penetration, Lasantha Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Tim Littler

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

This paper presents transient stability analysis for a power system with high wind penetration. The transient stability has been evaluated based on two stability criteria: rotor angle stability and voltage stability. A modified IEEE-14 bus system has been used as the main study network and simulations have been conducted at several wind power penetration levels, defined as a fraction of total system generation. A wide range of scenarios have been presented based on the wind farm voltage at the point of connection, i.e. low voltage (LV) distribution level and high voltage (HV) transmission level, and the type of wind generator …


Multi-Objective Reactive Power Support From Wind Farms For Network Performance Enhancement, Lasantha Meegahapola, Brendan Fox, Tim Littler, Damian Flynn Dec 2013

Multi-Objective Reactive Power Support From Wind Farms For Network Performance Enhancement, Lasantha Meegahapola, Brendan Fox, Tim Littler, Damian Flynn

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

This paper examines the ability of the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) to deliver multiple reactive power objectives during variable wind conditions. The reactive power requirement is decomposed based on various control objectives (e.g. power factor control, voltage control, loss minimisation, and flicker mitigation) defined around different time frames (i.e. seconds, minutes, and hourly), and the control reference is generated by aggregating the individual reactive power requirement for each control strategy. A novel coordinated controller is implemented for the rotor-side converter and the grid-side converter considering their capability curves and illustrating that it can effectively utilise the aggregated DFIG reactive …


Voltage Security Constrained Reactive Power Optimization Incorporating Wind Generation, L G. Meegahapola, E Vittal, A Keane, D Flynn Dec 2013

Voltage Security Constrained Reactive Power Optimization Incorporating Wind Generation, L G. Meegahapola, E Vittal, A Keane, D Flynn

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

This paper presents a comparative analysis between conventional optimal power flow (OPF) and voltage constrained OPF strategies with wind generation. The study has been performed using the New England 39 bus system with 12 doublyfed induction generator (DFIG) based wind farms installed across the network. A voltage security assessment is carried out to determine the critical wind farms for voltage stability enhancement. The power losses and individual wind farm reactive power generation have been compared with and without voltage stability constraints imposed on the OPF simulation. It is shown that voltage constrained OPF leads to much greater active power losses …


Dynamic Characteristics Of A Hybrid Microgrid With Inverter And Non- Inverter Interfaced Renewable Energy Sources: A Case Study, A V. Jayawardena, L G. Meegahapola, S Perera, D A. Robinson Dec 2013

Dynamic Characteristics Of A Hybrid Microgrid With Inverter And Non- Inverter Interfaced Renewable Energy Sources: A Case Study, A V. Jayawardena, L G. Meegahapola, S Perera, D A. Robinson

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

Microgrids are becoming important constituents of electric power distribution networks. Microgrids are typically comprised of both inverter interfaced (e.g. double-fed induction generator (DFIG), solar-photovoltaic (PV) system) and non-inverter interfaced (e.g. synchronous generator) renewable energy generators (REGs), hence their dynamic characteristics are significantly different from the conventional grids comprised of centralised synchronous generators. Different inherent characteristics of REGs, power dispatch levels, relative REG capacities, and external grid characteristics are some of the important features of significant interest in relation to microgrid dynamic behaviour. For this study a microgrid model was developed in DIgSILENT Power Factory based on the IEEE-13 bus system …


Active Use Of Dfig Based Wind Farms For Transient Stability Improvement During Grid Disturbances, Lasantha Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Jason Kennedy, Tim Littler Dec 2013

Active Use Of Dfig Based Wind Farms For Transient Stability Improvement During Grid Disturbances, Lasantha Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Jason Kennedy, Tim Littler

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

The doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) now represents the dominant technology in wind turbine design. One consequence of this is limited damping and inertial response during transient grid disturbances. A 'decoupled' strategy is therefore proposed to operate the DFIG grid-side converter (GSC) as a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) during a fault, supporting the local voltage, while the DFIG operates as a fixed-speed induction generator (FSIG) providing an inertial response. The modeling aspects of the decoupled control strategy, the selection of protection control settings, the significance of the fault location and operation at sub- and super-synchronous speeds are analyzed in detail. In …


Capability Curve Based Enhanced Reactive Power Control Strategy For Stability Enhancement And Network Voltage Management, Lasantha Meegahapola, Tim Littler, Sarath Perera Dec 2013

Capability Curve Based Enhanced Reactive Power Control Strategy For Stability Enhancement And Network Voltage Management, Lasantha Meegahapola, Tim Littler, Sarath Perera

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

Reactive power has become a vital resource in modern electricity networks due to increased penetration of distributed generation. This paper examines the extended reactive power capability of DFIGs to improve network stability and capability to manage network voltage profile during transient faults and dynamic operating conditions. A coordinated reactive power controller is designed by considering the reactive power capabilities of the rotor-side converter (RSC) and the grid-side converter (GSC) of the DFIG in order to maximise the reactive power support from DFIGs. The study has illustrated that, a significant reactive power contribution can be obtained from partially loaded DFIG wind …


Fuzzy Logic And Artificial Neural Network Approaches In Odor Detection, Lasantha Meegahapola, J Karunadasa, Kasun Sandasiri, Damith Tharanga, Dammika Jayasekara Dec 2013

Fuzzy Logic And Artificial Neural Network Approaches In Odor Detection, Lasantha Meegahapola, J Karunadasa, Kasun Sandasiri, Damith Tharanga, Dammika Jayasekara

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

This paper presents the research segment of development of methodology for determining odor level of various applications using two different concepts; Fuzzy logic based algorithm and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based algorithm. Three different gas sensors are used which respond to ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and methane (CH4). Sensory fusion is achieved through processing the analog to digital converted values of sensor outputs using the algorithm to determine the odor level of various types of predetermined odors. Olfactometry was used to determine the desired outputs (odor levels) of the algorithms. Fuzzy logic algorithm uses Zadeh-Mamdani type Fuzzy inference system …


Optimization Of Frt Active Power Performance Of A Dfig During Transient Grid Faults, L Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Tim Littler Dec 2013

Optimization Of Frt Active Power Performance Of A Dfig During Transient Grid Faults, L Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Tim Littler

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

Optimal fault ride-through (FRT) conditions for a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) during a transient grid fault are analyzed with special emphasis on improving the active power generation profile. The transition states due to crowbar activation during transient faults are investigated to exploit the maximum power during the fault and post-fault period. It has been identified that operating slip, severity of fault and crowbar resistance have a direct impact on the power capability of a DFIG, and crowbar resistance can be chosen to optimize the power capability. It has been further shown that an extended crowbar period can deliver enhanced inertial …


Flicker Propagation Analysis In Distribution Networks With Embedded Generation, D Perera, L Meegahapola, S Perera, P Ciufo Dec 2013

Flicker Propagation Analysis In Distribution Networks With Embedded Generation, D Perera, L Meegahapola, S Perera, P Ciufo

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

Embedded generators such as wind generators can produce observable voltage fluctuations during variable wind conditions hence flicker. The flicker produced by such intermittent and fluctuating generating sources can propagate to other parts of the distribution network while creating power quality issues in distribution feeders. This study presents a flicker emission analysis for a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind farm and investigate the pertinent factors which influence flicker propagation and attenuation in distribution feeders. Study has shown that voltage fluctuations are significantly influenced by the attenuation characteristics of various load types (i.e. constant power, impedance and current loads) connected to …