Reduction of Geomagnetically Induced Current Impacts by Optimized
Neutral Point Connections
- Philipp Schachinger,
- Dennis Albert,
- H. Renner
Abstract
Solar storms impact electrical power grids by causing DC neutral point
currents in transformers. These currents lead to half-cycle saturation
as well as other related and unwanted effects in the grid. To reduce the
effect of these currents on the grid, DC-blocking devices can be
installed or changes in the grid topology can be made. However, these
counter measures often have unwanted side effects or cannot be applied
to the grid due to operational restrictions. In this work, a novel
mitigation approach, based on the distribution of currents on more
transformers, is presented. The number and location of grounded
transformer neutral points is optimized, taking grid related constraints
such as the minimal number of transformer connections into account. It
is shown that the algorithm can effectively reduce the stress on
transformers without any additional assets and thus increase system
security.17 Apr 2023Submitted to IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution 18 Apr 2023Submission Checks Completed
18 Apr 2023Assigned to Editor
19 Apr 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
09 Jun 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
13 Jun 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Major
04 Jul 20231st Revision Received
06 Jul 2023Submission Checks Completed
06 Jul 2023Assigned to Editor
08 Jul 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
06 Aug 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
07 Aug 2023Editorial Decision: Accept