PSS tuning via Hopf bifurcation sensitivity analysis

This paper presents a methodology to eliminate Hopf bifurcations detected in the bifurcation diagrams. The distance in the load parameter space from the detected Hopf bifurcation point to the maximum loadability point, commonly corresponding to the saddle-node bifurcation, is used as a stability margin. The sensitivity of the Hopf bifurcation to power system stabilizer (PSS) parameters is then used to determine the most effective control action on that bifurcation. The elimination of the Hopf bifurcation allows a robust operation of the system regarding the adopted direction of load increase. The proposed methodology can also be used to improve power system damping for specific operating points. Numerical results presented for the New England test system show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology on the Hopf bifurcation control.