The penetration of inverter-based resources (IBRs) is reaching an all-time high, causing utility-based Grid Forming Inverters (GFMs) to gain immense popularity.
One of the main advantages of these inverters is their ability to operate in both grid-connected and islanded modes of operation. GFMs need to have a smooth transition between these two modes of operation in order to maintain synchronism during the transition and establish a stiff voltage source when in islanded or locked frequency mode.
In a paper published at the 2022 IEEE/PES Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exposition (T&D), engineers from EPE, Sam Maleki, Billy Yancey, Kevin Chen, and Haven Trahan, presented a synchronization control technique based on smoothing the change in angle when the GFM transitions between the two modes of operation. A Power Oscillation Damper (POD) was designed as an auxiliary control of the GFM to damp electromechanical oscillations when operating in grid-connected mode. The proposed GFM model was interconnected to the modified IEEE 12-bus system, and simulation results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed control.
Visit IEEE’s website to read the study.