A New STATCOM Model for Power Flows Using the Newton-Raphson Method

The paper presents a new model of the STATCOM aimed at power flow solutions using the Newton-Raphson method. The STATCOM is made up of the series connection of a voltage-source converter (VSC) and its connecting transformer. The VSC is represented in this paper by a complex tap-changing transformer whose primary and secondary windings correspond, notionally speaking, to the VSC's ac and dc buses, respectively. The magnitude and phase angle of the complex tap changer are said to be the amplitude modulation index and the phase shift that would exist in a PWM inverter to enable either reactive power generation or absorption purely by electronic processing of the voltage and current waveforms within the VSC. The new STATCOM model allows for a comprehensive representation of its ac and dc circuits-this is in contrast to current practice where the STATCOM is represented by an equivalent variable voltage source, which is not amenable to a proper representation of the STATCOM's dc circuit. One key characteristic of the new VSC model is that no special provisions within a conventional ac power flow solution algorithm is required to represent the dc circuit, since the complex tap-changing transformer of the VSC gives rise to the customary ac circuit and a notional dc circuit. The latter includes the dc capacitor, which in steady-state draws no current, and a current-dependent conductance to represent switching losses. The ensuing STATCOM model possesses unparalleled control capabilities in the operational parameters of both the ac and dc sides of the converter. The prowess of the new STATCOM power flow model is demonstrated by numerical examples where the quadratic convergence characteristics of the Newton-Raphson method are preserved.