Novosibirsk State Technical University has developed an automatic device with the ability to synchronize generators using various methods that consider the operating mode of the power system. This development is aimed at ensuring reliable and efficient control of generators in energy systems.
The project was one of the winners of the Student Startup competition of the federal project "University Technology Entrepreneurship Platform". In addition, the author of the project, Victoria Fedorova, a graduate student of NSTU-NETI, was awarded a scholarship by the regional government to develop this device. Victoria was also a winner of the competition for the provision of personal scholarships by the government of the Novosibirsk region. The award was presented to her by the Governor of the Novosibirsk region Andrey Travnikov.
"I started working on the development of an automatic device for the accelerated synchronization of generators in the fourth year of my bachelor's degree. There is an educational power plant at the Faculty of Energy, it was necessary to replace the existing synchronization system of this power plant with a new microprocessor terminal. Since the beginning of the project, we have begun to understand the synchronization process in more detail (this is an algorithm of actions that helps turn on synchronous generators to work in parallel with the power system so that they supply consumers with electricity). During the research, some problems were discovered. The first factor is the human factor: performing the operation can lead to damage to the equipment, thus, the synchronization process should be automated as much as possible. In addition, there are various emergencies in power systems, so it is not always rational to use only one synchronization method. In the electric power industry, two methods are used in practice — precise synchronization and self-synchronization. However, there are emergencies that do not allow the synchronization process to be successfully performed using existing methods. We decided to create an automatic synchronization device with digital algorithms that could be integrated into a microprocessor terminal. As part of the project, we developed our own method — the accelerated synchronization method. It allows you to quickly turn on the generator when needed, and under acceptable conditions so that it does not fail. Thus, both existing methods and the method developed by us are used in the operation of the device," said Victoria Fedorova.
According to Victoria, the development is aimed at solving the problem of ensuring reliable and efficient control of generators in energy systems. The device consists of three parts: measuring (sensors for measuring the parameters of the generator and the power system: currents, voltage, frequency, power, etc.), logic (automatic digital algorithms) and part of the output effects. The logical component includes a microprocessor terminal and software for processing data received from the first block (first, the values are measured, then they are digitized, enter the logical part, then suitable conditions for switching the generator on to the network are determined according to specified algorithms). With the help of output effects, the parameters of the generator are directly regulated, it is connected to the power system and emergency response occurs.
"The fields of application of the development are the electric power industry, industry, education, and science. If we talk about the electric power industry, these are generating companies with power plants and large industrial enterprises with their own generation, which use it to supply electricity to production processes. If we talk about the field of education, these are higher education institutions where you can install a microprocessor terminal or integrate our algorithms into your terminal and use them for laboratory work and scientific research. In the field of science, potential consumers are clusters and departments of NETI because the device is innovative and can be used in the development of integrated solutions," notes Victoria Fedorova.
The developer also added that there are analogues of the device, both domestic and foreign, but the scientific novelty of the project lies in the fact that among modern analogues there is no full-fledged automatic multisystem that is able to perform the synchronization process under uncertainties in the operating mode of the power system. This development has expanded functionality compared to analogues, because, first, one device can synchronize using various methods, and second, it can synchronize several generators at once. The development cost is lower than that of analogues. In addition, the algorithmic part of the device is digital, thus, it can be adjusted to the capabilities of a generator of any power.
"We have developed algorithms, integrated them into a microprocessor terminal, created a simplified interface, and displayed the necessary parameters. We also conducted field tests on a training generator, and found that the device works correctly. The method that we developed within the framework of the project showed quite good results: the generator was turned on twice as fast as using the traditional method of precise synchronization, while its parameters did not exceed acceptable values at the time of switching on," added Victoria Fedorova.
The plans include the expansion of this development and the creation of an integrated system that will perform the process of controlling the generator in full, from its inclusion in the network to regulating various parameters, and additionally ensure the reliability of the equipment by integrating a relay protection algorithm into the device.