Failures during Load-Frequency Control Maneuvers in an Upgraded Hydropower Plant: Causes, Identification of Causes and Solution Proposals

The objective of this paper is to investigate the cause of several unexpected high amplitude oscillations that occurred in the surge tank water level of a real hydropower plant during secondary load-frequency control (LFC) maneuvers, after the replacement of the turbine runner, and to propose solutions that allow the power plant to continue providing secondary LFC in a safe and reliable manner. For this purpose, a simulation model has been developed and calibrated from data gathered during several on-site tests. Two different solutions are proposed in order to cope with the observed problem: using a state-dependent load change rate limiter or modifying the hydro turbine governor gains; the turbine governor remains the same as before the runner replacement. The proposed solutions are tested against a set of realistic secondary LFC signals by means of simulations and compared to each other as a function of the probability that the surge tank water level descends below a minimum safe level and the quality of the secondary LFC response. The results presented in the paper demonstrate the validity of the methodology proposed to determine the state-dependent ramp limit, as well as its effectiveness to prevent the surge tank drawdown and to provide clear insight into the trade-off between response quality and power plant safety.