Impact of UPFC on Power Swing Characteristic and Distance Relay Behavior

This paper analyzes the distance relay performance during power swing conditions for an uncompensated and compensated transmission line with a unified power-flow controller (UPFC). UPFC can control voltage and power flow of the transmission line independently; hence, it has an impact on the apparent impedance seen by the distance relay. To analyze the case, the apparent impedance seen by the distance relay during a power swing is extracted, and the results are synopsized graphically. The impact of UPFC on different transmission-line parameters from an impedance point of view is investigated. Moreover, the impact of different operation modes of UPFC and their reference values on the apparent impedance seen by concentric mho circles as a power swing detection method are also evaluated by detailed simulations.