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At least 37 records · Page 2

Islanding Detection in Rural Distribution Systems

This paper summarizes the literature on detection of islanding resulting from distributed generating capabilities in a power distribution system, with emphasis on the rural distribution systems. It is important to understand the legacy technology and equipment in the rural distribution electrical environment due to the growth of power electronics and the potential for adding the new generations of intelligent sensors. The survey identified four areas needing further research: 1. Robustness in the presence of distribution grid disturbances; 2. the future role of artificial intelligence in the islanding application; 3. more realistic standard tests for the emerging electrical environment; 4. smarter sensors. In addition, this paper presents a synchro-phasor-based islanding detection approach based on a wireless sensor network developed by the University of Texas at Austin. Initial test results in a control hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) simulation environment suggest the effectiveness of the developed method.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Adsorption of dysprosium on the graphite (0001) surface: Nucleation and growth at 300 K

We have studied nucleation and growth of Dy islands on the basal plane of graphite at 300 K using scanning tunneling microscopy, density functional theory (DFT) in a form that includes van der Waals interactions, and analytic theory. The interaction of atomic Dy with graphite is strong, while the diffusion barrier is small. Experiment shows that at 300 K, the density of nucleated islands is close to the value predicted for homogeneous nucleation, using critical nucleus size of 1 and the DFT-derived diffusion barrier. Homogeneous nucleation is also supported by the monomodal shape of the island size distributions. Comparison with the published island density of Dy on graphene shows that the value is about two orders of magnitude smaller on graphite, which can be attributed to more effective charge screening in graphite. The base of each island is 3 atomic layers high and atomically ordered, forming a coincidence lattice with the graphite. Islands resist coalescence, probably due to multiple rotational orientations associated with the coincidence lattice. Upper levels grow as discernible single-atom layers. Analysis of the level populations reveals significant downward interlayer transport, which facilitates growth of the base. This island shape is metastable, since more compact three-dimensional islands form at elevated growth temperature.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Trust-Based Detection and Mitigation of Cyber Attacks in Distributed Cooperative Control of Islanded AC Microgrids

In this study, we address the challenge of detecting and mitigating cyber attacks in the distributed cooperative control of islanded AC microgrids, with a particular focus on detecting False Data Injection Attacks (FDIAs), a significant threat to the Smart Grid (SG). The SG integrates traditional power systems with communication networks, creating a complex system with numerous vulnerable links, making it a prime target for cyber attacks. These attacks can lead to the disclosure of private data, control network failures, and even blackouts. Unlike machine learning-based approaches that require extensive datasets and mathematical models dependent on accurate system modeling, our method is free from such dependencies. To enhance the microgrid’s resilience against these threats, we propose a resilient control algorithm by introducing a novel trustworthiness parameter into the traditional cooperative control algorithm. Our method evaluates the trustworthiness of distributed energy resources (DERs) based on their voltage measurements and exchanged information, using Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence to dynamically adjust control actions. We validated our approach through simulations on both the IEEE-34 bus feeder system with eight DERs and a larger microgrid with twenty-two DERs. The results demonstrated a detection accuracy of around 100%, with millisecond range mitigation time, ensuring rapid system recovery. Additionally, our method improved system stability by up to almost 100% under attack scenarios, showcasing its effectiveness in promptly detecting attacks and maintaining system resilience. These findings highlight the potential of our approach to enhance the security and stability of microgrid systems in the face of cyber threats.

Computer Science↗

Ge atom distribution in buried dome islands

Laser-assisted atom probe tomography microscopy is used to provide direct and quantitative compositional measurements of tri-dimensional Ge distribution in Ge dome islands buried by Si. Sub-nanometer spatial resolution 3D imaging shows that islands keep their facets after deposition of the Si cap, and that the island/substrate/Si cap interfaces are abrupt. The core of the domes contains 55% of Ge, while the island shell exhibits a constant composition of 15% of Ge. The {l_brace}113{r_brace} facets of the islands present a Ge enrichment up to 35%. The wetting layer composition is not homogeneous, varying from 9.5% to 30% of Ge.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Integrating Renewable Energy into the Transmission and Distribution System of the U. S. Virgin Islands

This report focuses on the economic and technical feasibility of integrating renewable energy technologies into the U.S. Virgin Islands transmission and distribution systems. The report includes three main areas of analysis: 1) the economics of deploying utility-scale renewable energy technologies on St. Thomas/St. John and St. Croix; 2) potential sites for installing roof- and ground-mount PVsystems and wind turbines and the impact renewable generation will have on the electrical subtransmission and distribution infrastructure, and 3) the feasibility of a 100- to 200-megawatt power interconnection of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA), and British Virgin Islands (BVI) grids via a submarine cable system.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

System and method for islanding detection and prevention in distributed generation

A method for detecting and preventing islanding includes issuing a command to an inverter connected to a power source, where the inverter is coupled to a power grid and supplies power to the power grid, the command causes a frequency of a waveform output by the inverter to vary, and the frequency of the waveform output by the inverter is a command frequency, determining that a amount of change of the command frequency is a constant value for a predetermined amount of time, removing the power supplied by the inverter from the power grid, and determining whether the power grid is valid.

Bhowmik, Shibashis↗

Enhancing the distribution grid resilience using cyber-physical oriented islanding strategy

The increasing penetration of distributed generations enables an innovative operation paradigm that allows islanded operation to enhance the resilience of the distribution grid. In this study, a cyber-physical oriented islanding strategy is proposed by coordinating centralised and distributed control to achieve seamless islanding transition and operational flexibility in emergency conditions. A cyber-physical control structure is developed to mitigate various disturbances (e.g. emergencies or fluctuations) according to different operation conditions. Specifically, the distributed fault isolation and seamless islanding transition are coordinated to mitigate the outage caused by unplanned islanding, while a secondary control is proposed to support primary control by reducing the power fluctuations during islanded operation. With a rapid response speed, the local cyber-physical devices are coordinated to accomplish islanding separation by selecting a feasible islanded area even under an unplanned islanding situation. A field test was conducted on a practical distribution network in China, and the results demonstrated the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed islanding strategy.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

System and method for islanding detection and prevention in distributed generation

Various examples are directed to systems and methods for detecting an islanding condition at an inverter configured to couple a distributed generation system to an electrical grid network. A controller may determine a command frequency and a command frequency variation. The controller may determine that the command frequency variation indicates a potential islanding condition and send to the inverter an instruction to disconnect the distributed generation system from the electrical grid network. When the distributed generation system is disconnected from the electrical grid network, the controller may determine whether the grid network is valid.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

On coarse projective integration for atomic deposition in amorphous systems

Direct molecular dynamics simulation of atomic deposition under realistic conditions is notoriously challenging because of the wide range of time scales that must be captured. Numerous simulation approaches have been proposed to address the problem, often requiring a compromise between model fidelity, algorithmic complexity, and computational efficiency. Coarse projective integration, an example application of the “equation-free” framework, offers an attractive balance between these constraints. Here, periodically applied, short atomistic simulations are employed to compute time derivatives of slowly evolving coarse variables that are then used to numerically integrate differential equations over relatively large time intervals. A key obstacle to the application of this technique in realistic settings is the “lifting” operation in which a valid atomistic configuration is recreated from knowledge of the coarse variables. Using Ge deposition on amorphous SiO{sub 2} substrates as an example application, we present a scheme for lifting realistic atomistic configurations comprised of collections of Ge islands on amorphous SiO{sub 2} using only a few measures of the island size distribution. The approach is shown to provide accurate initial configurations to restart molecular dynamics simulations at arbitrary points in time, enabling the application of coarse projective integration for this morphologically complex system.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Influence of surface energy anisotropy on the dynamics of quantum dot growth

We investigate the influence of surface energy anisotropy on the dynamics of quantum dot growth by looking at the long-time dynamics of the morphological (Asaro-Tiller-Grinfeld) instability of a strained thin film driven by surface diffusion during growth and annealing. We derive a continuum model accounting for anisotropic surface energy, wetting, and elastic energies. We obtain a nonlinear nonlocal evolution equation for the film height in the small-slope approximation which we solve numerically given a gamma plot of the surface energy based on experimental properties of silicon-germanium films. A small anisotropy induces a complete change in the coarsening dynamics. The noninterrupted coarsening (Ostwald ripening) at stake for isotropic strained films is destroyed by anisotropy and the system is glued in metastable states. We characterize the statistical properties of the resulting pyramids and show that both their density and mean volume can increase with the total amount of matter. We find an optimal mean film height at which the island size distribution is peaked. These results indicate that different island density or volume may be obtained by varying solely the quantity of matter. Finally, we present an energetic model which describes energetic pathways along which ripening can indeed be suppressed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Modeling of Grid-Forming and Grid-Following Inverters for Dynamic Simulation of Large-Scale Distribution Systems

Historically, distribution system planning studies mainly focused on steady state and quasi-steady state analysis, with limited attention paid to dynamic analysis. This paper develops three-phase, electromechanical models for both grid-forming and grid-following inverters, and integrates them into an open source, three-phase distribution network solver, thereby enabling dynamic simulation of large-scale, three-phase unbalanced distribution systems with high penetration of inverter-based DERs. The proposed inverter models are validated against electromagnetic simulation and field test data from the CERTS/AEP microgrid testbed, and simulated in an islanded 5252 node distribution system in the GridLAB-D simulation environment. Simulation verifies the effectiveness of the proposed inverter models for large-scale distribution system analysis. Finally, study results show that compared to traditional grid-following inverters, the high penetration of grid-forming inverters can improve the voltage and frequency stability of islanded distribution systems.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Optimally sited microgrids for energy resilience in Mount Desert Island, ME

Mount Desert Island (MDI) (≈110 sq mi; ≈10,000 year‑round residents) is located on the eastern coast of Maine. Acadia National Park is located on the island, protecting 47,000+ acres of land which draws millions of visitors annually. The island is divided into four towns (Tremont, Southwest Harbor, Mount Desert, Bar Harbor). The island’s distribution system is supplied by a single 35‑kV mainland feeder and a mix of aging distribution components; outage exposure is not uniform across the island. Residents fear that outage events are starting to exceed resilience expectations. MDI community leaders asked Sandia National Laboratories to characterize energy system vulnerability and to develop conceptual microgrid solutions that improve community resilience while also producing co‑benefits for reliability, access, and sustainable development.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Performance Analysis of Positive-feedback-based Active Anti-islanding Schemes for Inverter-Based Distributed Generators

Recently proposed positive-feedback-based anti-islanding schemes (AI) are highly effective in preventing islanding without causing any degradation in power quality. This paper aims to analyze the performance of these schemes quantitatively in the context of the dynamic models of inverter-based distributed generators (DG). In this study, the characteristics of these active anti-islanding methods are discussed and design guidelines are derived.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗