IEC61850 GOOSE message application for power transformer voltage control

Abstract

Voltage regulation of power transformers is critical to controlling and maintaining system voltage levels in the electrical transmission and distribution network system. It is vital to keep the transmission and distribution network's voltage levels within a specified range and avoid allowing voltage levels to fluctuate outside the predetermined range of allowed tolerance levels. As independent and renewable energy producers enter the transmission and distribution networks, generation hubs in modern electrical infrastructure networks are no longer centralized. The decentralization of electrical generating adds to the complexity of maintaining system voltage levels within acceptable limits. Traditional transformers utilized manual mechanical changing of the tap position of power transformers. Modern power grids require system voltages levels to be continually monitored and for automatic voltage regulation if voltage levels fluctuate outside the pre-set limits in order to maintain acceptable power quality. The power transformer's automatic tap changer executes this voltage-regulating function. The automatic tap changer is responsible for altering the tap position of the power transformer's windings in order to maintain the proper voltage levels. With the advent of the IEC61850 standard for communication for a standardized communication protocol between power system equipment, the industry embraced and adopted this standard, making their equipment IEC61850 compatible. The development of the IEC61850 GOOSE message application for voltage control of power transformers using automatic tap changer technology, the design and development of an algorithm, programming the IED, and the construction of a hardware-in-loop test bench setup to demonstrate the IED's working performance will be the focus of this study.