Generator Trip Identification Using Wide-Area Measurements and Historical Data Analysis

Changes in power system operating conditions cause dynamic changes in angle and frequency. These changes propagate through the system as disturbances in frequency as previously studied (J.S. Thorp, et al., 1998), (L. Huang, et al., 2001). The disturbances in system frequency travel with finite speed across the system area (M. Parashar, et al., 2004). Thus a sudden loss of generation in one area would be seen as a frequency disturbance in other areas of the power system. Through use of wide-area frequency measurements these traveling frequency disturbances can be observed and recorded. This paper focuses on the analysis of this recorded data and how the specific properties of a generator trip can be determined. Future generator trips can then be compared against the recorded frequency signatures to determine a probable match. In this way the trip location can be determined. This analysis and comparison process is capable of being completely automated to be used in real time to determine the health of the power system as a whole