Modeling Protection Systems in Time-Domain Simulations: A New Method to Detect Mis-Operating Relays for Unstable Power Swings

Large power system disturbances can cause stable or unstable power swings. Unstable power swings result in generator pole slipping. A generator or group of generators may accelerate or decelerate, leading to voltage depression at the electrical center along with generator tripping. This voltage depression may cause protective relay mis-operation and unintentional separation of the system. In order to avoid unintentional islanding, the potentially mis-operating relays should be blocked from tripping. This paper proposes a novel method to determine the location of the mis-operating relays at the planning phase. Blocking these mis-operating relays, combined with an appropriate islanding scheme, help avoid a system-wide collapse. The proposed method is tested on data from the Western Electricity Coordinating Council. A triple line outage of the California-Oregon Intertie is studied. The electrical center is determined and appropriate out-of-step blocking schemes are identified. The results show that the correct design of out-of-step protective relays improves the dynamic performance of the power system and causes less fluctuations in voltage and frequency throughout the system.