Measurements and simulations of turbines on common grid

Abstract

Speed droop control is of basic importance for the primary governing in the Nordic grid. The speed droop control. a mandatory and build-in regulatory loop on all larger units. is automatically changing the produced power on synchronous units as the grid frequency changes. This part of the governor allows a certain deviance from the nominal 50 Hz grid frequency. If the grid frequency is decreasing this means that the load on the grid is greater than the power delivered into the grid. and the local speed droop regulatory loop on each unit then autonomously increases the production to obtain a new balance between load and production. which will be at a lower frequency than 50 Hz. If the power delivered into the grid is greater than the load. the rotating masses will be accelerated (thus increasing the grid frequency) and the speed droop operation will act to reduce the power produced to obtain a new balance. this time at a higher frequency than 50 Hz. The frequency in the Nordic power grid has in recent years for increasing duration been outside the allowed steady state frequency band of 50 ± 0.1 Hz. In order to study the behaviour of a turbine operating on a common grid, measurements have been done at site. The measurements performed are the generator power, main servo motor position, the rotational speed of the unit and the grid frequency. The purpose of the measurements was to see if it is possible to observe the behaviour of the machine as it is linked together with all the other machines on a synchronous grid. It is interesting to observe the response to deviations in the frequency due to the speed droop operation. In order to better understand the behaviour, a simulation model of two power plants, complete with individual conduit system, turbine and generator, connected to the same grid was used.