Optimization of Electromechanical Studies for the Connection of Hydro Generation

Abstract: The current model for electricity generation is based on power plants connected to the transmission network. This provides electricity to the distribution network and after that to the consumers. To ensure the security of the electrical network and prevent a blackout, the performance of every electricity generation unit connected to the network is quantified in grid codes. In the case of the French transmission system, the requirements regarding the performance are written in a document produced by the French Transmission System Operator (TSO). Various events with various configurations of connection to the network have to be simulated and the corresponding performance has to be evaluated. The aim of these simulations is to determine the stability of the generators and key elements, including the response time on the active power after events such as a short circuit.Taking into account the amount of generators connected to the transmission network, the need for optimization appears and is the purpose of this Master Thesis. To perform those simulations in an efficient way on all the generators owned by the main French electricity producer, EDF, this Master Thesis contributes with a tool called AuDySim coded with the softwares MATLAB and EUROSTAG. The implemented tool allows the user to configure an electricity generation unit before realizing all the simulations specified by the TSO and produces a report containing the results by means of curves and data. The simulations and the production of the report are achieved automatically to create a gain of time and resources.In order to validate the performance of the tool, two case studies are performed on different types of power plants. The two case studies analyzed present a hydraulic and a nuclear power plant. In the results the performance of each type of power plant is assessed focusing on the rotor angle stability of the machine and key elements, such as the voltage and the active power. These results lead to the conclusion that AuDySim fulfills its mission, by achieving automatically an analysis of the performance of an electrical generation unit and producing it in a report.