Applications of FACTS Controller for Improving Power Transmission Capability

This paper focuses on the effective utilization of a flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS) device called unified power flow controller (UPFC) for power flow control. Its main components, the static shunt compensator (STATCOM) and the static series synchronous compensator (SSSC) are actually shunt and series compensators respectively. This study demonstrates the use of the latest power system analysis toolbox (PSAT) package for network analysis of alternative means of improving existing transmission capability. The IEEE 14-bus network system operating with common loads and generators is used to demonstrate the available controllability in the UPFC through computational monitoring. An analysis between FACTS and high voltage direct current (HVDC) are also presented in this paper for comparison in power quality and cost-efficiency. The case study provides a quick steady-state power flow state condition solution using the PSAT.