Electrical Power System Essentials

Pieter Schavemaker, Lou van der Sluis

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781118803462
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Sciences physiques
• Subtopic: Énergie

The electrical power supply is about to change; future generation will increasingly take place in and near local neighborhoods with diminishing reliance on distant power plants. The existing grid is not adapted for this purpose as it is largely a remnant from the 20th century. Can the grid be transformed into an intelligent and flexible grid that is future proof?

This revised edition of Electrical Power System Essentials contains not only an accessible, broad and up-to-date overview of alternating current (AC) power systems, but also end-of-chapter exercises in every chapter, aiding readers in their understanding of the material introduced.

With an original approach the book covers the generation of electric energy from thermal power plants as from renewable energy sources and treats the incorporation of power electronic devices and FACTS. Throughout there are examples and case studies that back up the theory or techniques presented.

The authors set out information on mathematical modelling and equations in appendices rather than integrated in the main text. This unique approach distinguishes it from other text books on Electrical Power Systems and makes the resource highly accessible for undergraduate students and readers without a technical background directly related to power engineering.

After laying out the basics for a steady-state analysis of the three-phase power system, the book examines:

• generation, transmission, distribution, and utilization of electric energy
• wind energy, solar energy and hydro power
• power system protection and circuit breakers
• power system control and operation
• the organization of electricity markets and the changes currently taking place
• system blackouts
• future developments in power systems, HVDC connections and smart grids

The book is supplemented by a companion website from which teaching materials can be downloaded.

https://www.wiley.com//legacy/wileychi/powersystem/material.html

Chapter 1
Introduction to Power System Analysis

1.1 Introduction

As electricity comes out of the alternating current (AC) outlet every day, and has already been doing so for more than 100 years, it may nowadays be regarded as a commodity. It is a versatile and clean source of energy; it is fairly cheap and “always available.” In the Netherlands, for instance, an average household encountered only 20 minutes' interruption to their supply in the year 2014 [1] out of a total of 8760 hours, resulting in an availability of 99.996195%!

Society's dependence on this commodity has become critical and the social impact of a failing power system is beyond imagination:

• Cars would not be refueled as gas station pumps are driven by electricity.
• The sliding doors of shops and shopping malls would not be able to open or close and people would therefore be locked out or in.
• Electrified rail systems, such as subways and trains, would come to a standstill.
• Traffic lights would not work.
• Refrigerators would stop.
• Heating/cooling installations would fail.
• Cash dispensers would be offline.
• Computers would serve us no longer.
• Water supplies would stop or run out.

Many more examples may be given, but the message is clear: electric power systems are the backbone of modern society (see Figure 1.1), and chaos would result if the electricity supply failed for an extended period.

Figure 1.1 The Earth's city lights, indicating the most urbanized areas. The Visible Earth, NASA.

Our society needs engineers who know how to design, build, and operate an electrical power system. So let us discover what lies beyond the AC outlet and enter the challenging world of power system analysis.

1.2 Scope of the Material

Power system analysis is a broad subject, too broad to cover in a single textbook. The authors confine themselves to an overview of the structure of the power system (from generation via transmission and distribution to customers) ...