Power System Studies

Distributed Generation Connection Impact Assessments

A Connection Impact Assessment is a detailed assessment of a project’s impact on the grid. It is especially important in the deployment of the distributed energy resources (DERs) that are bringing unique benefits that central-station power plants and long-distance transmission and distribution alone did not achieve.

Our experts have worked with the early adopters of grid integration who have been interconnecting hundreds of Distributed Generation (DG) plants.

We have helped pioneer the development of impact studies for DER interconnection. Our technical report includes an outline of the project's feasibility, the technical specifications needed for the project, and an assessment of the impacts the project would have on the distribution grid.

Power System Transient Study

Power system transients caused by utility switching operations or lightning strikes to electric facilities have significant potential to damage equipment or disrupt operation. We provide transient stability studies and analysis of the response of a system to disturbances such as the loss of generation, line-switching operations, faults, and sudden load changes in the first few seconds after a disturbance.

The electrical power system is highly nonlinear and dynamic by its nature. The state of the system is changing continuously due to load demand response, circuit breaker operation, fault, and atmospheric disturbances. In such events, the system is forced to transition to a new state. During this transition, the electrical equipment will be exposed to fundamentally different voltages and frequencies, resulting in higher stress on the equipment. This added stress may lead to equipment failure and poses an increased risk to system reliability.

Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) Studies can provide great insight into expected power system overvoltages and overcurrents resulting from lightning strikes, switching operations, and fault conditions. EMT is a computer-based analysis and simulation tool used to determine voltage, current, frequency, and torque during the transient state of a power system.

Electromagnetic Transient Studies

Knowing the vulnerabilities of your system is critical to understanding its ability to return to normal or stable conditions after a disturbance and can help ensure stable, safe, and reliable power distribution.

Our EMT studies are supported by a state-of-the-art Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) and the results of tests undertaken in our specialized high-voltage laboratory. In full compliance with IEC and IEEE standards, we can perform the following studies:

• Comprehensive Insulation Coordination
• Temporary and Switching over Voltage
• Transient Recovery Voltage Study (TRV)
• Power System Resonance
• Sub Synchronous Resonance (SSR)
• Harmonic
• Capacitor Bank Switching

Substation Automation Lab and IEC 61850

No matter how well designed an electrical power system may be, faults can occur and this can lead to severe damage in installations or equipment. Defining an adequate protection system is an indispensable and integral part of power system design.

We assist you by defining data exchanged between devices in the substation, between the protection devices and the circuit breakers, and also between other closed-loop automated functions.

Our protection and control system verification laboratory is designed to help you meet a new set of global standards for IEC 61850 and, achieve significant savings with in-house integration and a “plug and work” approach. It also provides a comprehensive functional testing service for protection and control systems that is compliant with both IEC 61850, and legacy protocols.

We have a full suite of capabilities including,

• Advanced Facility
• Real Time Digital Simulator with Full Station and Process Bus Simulation
• State-of-the-art Omicron CMC356 Test Set with Full Net-1 Option Capability
• Test suite for GOOSE, and Sample Value Message Generation
• Background Traffic Simulation
• Protocol Analysis
• Environmental Testing
• Site Commissioning

Ensuring IEC 61850 Standards Are Met

With expertise based on decades of field experience in protection and control systems, we are uniquely qualified to service your interoperability testing needs as you move to IEC 61850 based substation automation systems.

System Integration Testing

• Testing and verifying the correctness of device configuration, project engineering, and interoperability of devices from different manufacturers

Functionality Testing

• Single device protection setting, timing, zone reach
• Multiple devices protection scheme
• Single/multiple devices, local/remote control schemes and interlocking

Real-Time Digital Simulator Services

We have the advanced expertise and facilities that enable us to provide testing and consulting services using a Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS), a digital twin system that models the power system. Our RTDS application and facility are optimized for power system simulations and have the scalability and flexibility to test new innovations and future devices.

Using RTDS, we can offer:

• Protection System Testing
• Power Electronic Hardware In Loop (HIL) Testing for Control Systems
• Power HIL for DER Inverter, Solar, and Wind
• Microgrid and Renewable Energy
• Wide Area and PMU Application
• HVDC & FACTs
• Digital Substation Automation Testing (IEC 61850)
• Assessment of Abnormal Power System Operation
• Problem Investigation
• Evaluate Equipment Suitability for Specific Applications
• Establish Optimal Settings and/or Component Configurations

NERC Compliance Consulting Services

NERC reliability standards require careful monitoring to effectively manage system risk and mitigate corporate exposure. The standards have come into force over several years and have changed over time. NERC standards now cover several areas including Protection Relay and Control (PRC), Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP), and System Modeling (MOD).

We are at the forefront when supporting you with your NERC compliance requirements. We provide a full spectrum of NERC Compliance Services and are experienced in assisting load-serving systems, transmission operators, transmission owners, balancing authorities, and generation owners and operators.