Smart Grid Development Using Modeling, Design, Simulation, and Diagnoses of Electrical Distribution Network

This paper will present an existing course in smart grid technology and promotes problem solving and innovations. Some topics of interest are: areas in course development, course organization and content; laboratory equipment and experiments; and some concepts in smart grid. After adapting this course, some student’s project has already been developed, implemented and assessed. The course structure and contents covers topics on educating students on how to build a smart gird and use advanced computer application software tools for modeling, design simulation, and diagnoses of electrical distribution network systems. Computer software applications and case studies will be used in the classroom for teaching and research of the smart grid in residential, industrial and commercial systems. Developing a new course There are a number of concerns and issues addressed for developing a new course in the area of smart grid in power distribution system such as: 1) How to design and simulate the smart grid power distribution network system 2) What are the decision support tools? 3) How to better utilize existing software tools to manage outages in the power distribution networks 4) How to cost-effectively integrate existing information systems so that they work collectively to support business activities such as diagnosis, scheduling and repairs 5) How to teach students to model the smart grid in power distribution network Course Objectives The course is developed on selected advanced topics to cover the fundamentals of Smart Grid in Power Distribution Network (PDN) management, including system modeling, system integration, information fusion, and criteria in data base selection and design. The objectives will prepare the students with sufficient background for the concepts of PDN management with enough hands-on experience to understand and model a PDN system. After the completion of this course, the students will poses sufficient theoretical background to do independent study and research on PDN system and smart grid related topics. Course Structure and Content The following table describes the structure of the course and its content in detail. Even though this material is designed for a quarter long system, it can easily be expanded to a semester long system. Duration Description of the course Application Software Week 1 Smart Grid and PDN Overviews • From Generation to Distribution Week 2 Existing PDN vs. New PDN systems • Problems with existing PDN systems • PDN System Analysis Week 3 Substation Design • Bus • Substation Components • Using CAD software tool to build the Standards Power Simulator PSCAD AutoCAD Week 4 Switching Selection and Design • Remote Vs. Manual • Relays • Breakers • Sensors and their allocation SKM Week 5 Load Analysis and Calculations • Load analysis • Load distribution CYMDIST Week 6 PDN Models • PDN components • Model selection criteria • Software tools such as UML (Unified Modeling Language) for models UML Visio Rational Rose TogetherSoft Week 7 Information Fusion (Data Systems) • SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System) • CIS (Customer Information System) • GIS (Geographic Information System) • GPS (Global Positioning System) • AVL (Automatic Vehicle Locator) • IVR (Interactive Voice Response) and Trouble Calls MySQL ArcGIS ArcView ArcSDE Week 8 PDN System Integration and management • Database selection criteria • Database Design • OLEDB, ODBC MySQL PC Oracle Access Week 9 Decision Support Tools • Switching coordination • System reconfiguration • Load dispatching • Fault Analysis • Fault Recovery Any available COTS Week 10 Students Project Presentations Course Learning Goals After successful completion of this curse the students will be able to: • Describe the concepts of: Smart Grid, Electrical Power Distribution Network System, and recognize its importance and characteristics. • Perform system analysis with an existing PDN and therefore identify the problems and suggest improvements. • Understand the operation of substation and be able to identify all associated components. • Utilize computer software tools to design standards for substation. • Select appropriate switching devices for modeling a PDN. • Apply computer software tools for load analysis and calculations. • Model and design an appropriate PDN system using software languages such as UML. • Describe information fusion and its impact in PDN, such as SCADA, CIS, IVR, AVL, GIS, GPS, etc. • Integrate system’s components, leading to database selection and design. • Identify decision support tools and the requirements such as fault analysis and recovery. Review of Power Distribution Network Architecture The power distribution systems, regardless of their size, tend to have similar concerns with respect to information technology. Most utilities depend upon computer systems for managing their maps thru using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Many have Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems for remotely managing sub-stations and main switches. Most have Interactive Voice Recognition Systems (IVR) which automatically logs the calls of customers reporting outages. The difficulties come when these systems have to work together, for example in the control room during an outage. A dispatcher watches the trouble call and SCADA systems for any sign of malfunction, and coordinates the repair actions. The dispatcher is actually performing much of the work of integrating and fusing information together and manually synthesizes the solutions. It is possible to support these tasks with systems designed to perform the integration and fusion automatically. The solution synthesis can also be supported with appropriate tools. The overall power system distribution is introduced at the beginning of the course. The topology of a typical power distribution network at the main feeder level just coming out of the substation typically would look like figure 1. This figure represents the topology of the electrical grid system at the high voltage level and deals only with the switching devices such as Circuit Breakers (CB) and Remote Switches (RS). The filled rectangle represent closed remote switched and empty rectangle represents open switches. This will help later on to build the model of the power distribution system at the high voltage level with the associated switching devices. Figure 1. Power Distribution Network at the main feeder level The overall architecture of a typical power distribution network that combines both the high voltage line and low voltage line is illustrated in figure 2. The starting point is at the substation level. The power is first generated at the power generation plant and then transmitted thru transmission lines into the substations. The challenge here is to teach the students how to model the power distribution system from the substation all the way to the consumer levels. Figure 2 suggests that a typical power is being distributed from the starting point as the followings: Substation (SUB) to Circuit Breaker (CB) to Remote Switch (RS) and/or to Manual Switch (MS). The power flow at different points (with respect to each phase) will be distributed to different sections passing thru sectionalizing switches. Fused (F) are provided at different places of the lateral levels for safety and protection. At this point, the transformers (T) are tapped to the consumers’ load (LD). All the connections between the components are established thru conductor lines (LN). Figure 2. Overall architecture of Energy Distribution Network SUB CB RS