Electric Power Principles

Sources, Conversion, Distribution and Use

James L. Kirtley

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781119585237
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Sciences physiques
• Subtopic: Énergie

A revised and updated text that explores the fundamentals of the physics of electric power handling systems

The revised and updated second edition of Electric Power Principles: Sources, Conversion, Distribution and Use offers an innovative and comprehensive approach to the fundamentals of electric power. The author – a noted expert on the topic – provides a thorough grounding in electric power systems, with an informative discussion on per-unit normalisations, symmetrical components and iterative load flow calculations. The text covers the most important topics within the power system, such as protection and DC transmission, and examines both traditional power plants and those used for extracting sustainable energy from wind and sunlight.

The text explores the principles of electromechanical energy conversion and magnetic circuits and synchronous machines – the most important generators of electric power. The book also contains information on power electronics, induction and direct current motors. This new second edition includes:

• A new chapter on energy storage, including battery modeling and how energy storage and associated power electronics can be used to modify system dynamics
• Information on voltage stability and bifurcation
• The addition of Newton's Method for load flow calculations
• Material on the grounding transformer connections added to the section on three phase transformer
• An example of the unified power flow controller for voltage support

Written for students studying electric power systems and electrical engineering, the updated second edition of Electric Power Principles: Sources, Conversion, Distribution and Use is the classroom-tested text that offers an understanding of the basics of the physics of electric power handling systems.

1
Electric Power Systems

There are many different types of power systems, such as the propulsion systems in automobiles and trucks, and the hydraulic systems used in some industrial robots and for actuating scoops and blades in digging equipment. All power systems have certain fundamental elements. There is some sort of prime mover (such as a gasoline engine), a means of transport of the power produced (such as the drive shaft, transmission, differential, and axles), and a means of using that power (wheels on the road). The focus of this book is on electric power systems, in which the means of transporting energy is the flow of electrical current against an electric potential (voltage). There are many different types of electric power systems, including the electrical systems in cars and trucks, and propulsion systems in electric trains and cruise ships. The primary focus in this book will be the kinds of electric power systems incorporated in public utilities, but it must be kept in mind that all electric power systems have many features in common. Thus the lessons learned here will have applicability well beyond the utility system.

It has become all too easy to take for granted the electric utility service that is ubiquitous in developed countries. Electric utilities are wired to nearly every business and residence, and standardized levels of voltage and frequency permit a wide range of appliances to be simply plugged in and operated. Consumers don’t have to give any thought to whether or not an appliance such as a television set, a computer or an egg beater will work. Not only will these appliances work when plugged in, but the electric power to make them work is quite reliable and cheap. In fact, the absence of useful electric power is rare in the developed countries in the world. Widespread failure to deliver electric power has become known as a “blackout,” and such events are uncommon enough to make the nightly news across the country. Even substantial distribution system failures due to weather are newsworthy events and very often cause substantial hardship because we have all come to depend on electric power to not only keep the lights on, but also to control heating, cooling, cooking, and refrigeration systems in our homes and businesses.

There are still large areas of the world without access to electric power. It is estimated that about one billion people live in those areas. In some of what is called the “developing world” there are electric power systems and widespread distribution, but in many cases generation is insufficient, leading to sporadic or even regular interruptions in power, as rolling blackouts are used to distribute the available generation. So there is still much work to be done to make electric power available to more people and to make it reliable.

At the time of this writing, electric power systems in the United States and most of the developing world use as their primary sources of energy fossil fuels (coal and natural gas), falling water (hydroelectric power), and heat from nuclear fission. There are small but rapidly growing amounts of electric power generated from wind and solar sources and some electric power is generated from volcanic heat (geothermal energy). These renewables are expected to grow in importance in the future, as the environmental impacts of the use of fossil fuels become more noticeable and as the fossil fuels themselves are exhausted. There are some differences between technologies involved in the older, existing power generation sources and the newer, sustainable technologies, and so in this book we will discuss not only how existing utility systems work but also how the emerging technologies are expected to function. Between the publication of the first edition of this book and writing of this edition, the outlook for how renewable sources can be utilized in electric power systems has changed. Energy storage mechanisms, mostly batteries, have improved in ways unforeseen even a few years ago, and the concept of microgrids, small power systems incorporating distributed generation, storage, and loads, has ga...