Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Power Flow Control”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Catalight─An Open-Source Automated Photocatalytic Reactor Package Illustrated through Plasmonic Acetylene Hydrogenation

An open-source and modular Python package, Catalight, is developed and demonstrated to automate (photo)catalysis measurements. (Photo)catalysis experiments require studying several parameters to evaluate performance, including the temperature, gas flow rate and composition, illumination power, and spectral profile. Catalight orchestrates measurements over this complicated parameter space and systematically stores, analyzes, and visualizes the results. To showcase the capabilities of Catalight, we perform an automated apparent activation barrier measurement of acetylene hydrogenation over a plasmonic AuPd catalyst on an Al 2 O 3 support, simultaneously varying laser power, wavelength, and temperature in a multiday experiment controlled by a simple Python script. Our chemical results unexpectedly show an increased activation barrier upon light excitation, contrary to previous findings for other plasmonic reactions and catalysts. We show that the reaction rate order with respect to both acetylene and hydrogen remains unchanged upon illumination, suggesting that molecular surface coverage is not changed by light. By analyzing the inhomogeneity of the laser-induced heating, we attribute these results to a partial photothermal effect combined with a photochemical/hot electron-driven mechanism. In conclusion, our findings highlight the capabilities of a new experiment automation tool; explore the photocatalytic mechanism for an industrially relevant reaction; and identify systematic sources of error in canonical photocatalysis experimental procedures.

Catalysts↗
DOE OSTI2024

ACS Spotlight: Bipolar Membranes for Electrochemical Energy Conversion, Chemical Manufacturing, and Separations

Sustainable energy conversion, chemical manufacturing, and separations are central to addressing the world’s energy and environmental challenges. Electrochemical platforms stand as a cornerstone in addressing these challenges because they are low exergy and can be powered on renewable electrons. In electrochemical systems, bipolar membranes (BPMs) are emerging as a unique class of ion exchange membranes poised to revolutionize various electrochemical processes via pH control of anode and cathode chambers and in situ pH adjustment. In this Spotlight Review, we provide a comprehensive review of electrochemical platforms utilizing BPMs for energy conversion (water electrolyzers for hydrogen production, fuel cells, and flow batteries), chemical manufacturing (electrolyzers that convert carbon dioxide into value-added chemicals and nitrate into ammonia), and separations. The motivation for using BPMs, as well as their performance and durability, in electrochemical platforms are disseminated. We also discuss current challenges that impede BPM electrochemical systems from competing with state-of-the-art electrochemical systems using monopolar ion-exchange membranes (e.g., anion/hydroxide exchange membranes and cation/proton exchange membranes). Here, the review also covers molecular modeling and continuum modeling efforts to understand the basic mechanisms that govern BPM performance.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Local Power-Voltage Sensitivity and Thevenin Impedance Estimation from Phasor Measurements

This paper describes how to use voltage phasor measurements to produce a sensitivity matrix that describes how real and reactive power injections at a node on a distribution network affect the local voltage magnitude and angle. Rather than estimating the sensitivity directly, the voltage phasor measurements and power commands/measurements are used to estimate the unbalanced, three-phase Thevenin impedance. The Thevenin impedance estimation is conducted using recursive least squares on temporal difference measurements. The Thevenin impedance and voltage phasor measurement are then used to build the local power-voltage sensitivity matrix with the closed form expression for the Jacobian of the power flow manifold. Hardware-in-the-loop simulations with phasor measurement units providing real phasor measurements are used to evaluate the recursive temporal difference Thevenin impedance estimation and Thevenin-based power-voltage sensitivity methods.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Phase II Field Demonstration at Lansing Smith Generating Plant, Southport, Florida (Final Report)

The Final Technical Report: Field Test Design and Pressure Management Strategies for Phase II Field Demonstration of Optimal Pressure Control, Plume Management, and Produced Water Strategies presents the culmination of multi-year efforts under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brine Extraction and Storage Test (BEST) program, led by EPRI in partnership with Gulf Power at the Plant Smith site near Panama City, Florida. The project was designed to evaluate and demonstrate the technical feasibility of managing subsurface pressures and fluid movement associated with large-scale CO₂ injection, using low-salinity water as a proxy fluid. Through a combination of field injection testing, reservoir modeling, and optimization studies, the research team developed and refined active and passive brine extraction strategies aimed at controlling injection-induced pressure buildup, mitigating risks of fault activation, and managing plume migration. The field demonstration incorporated a new injection well (TIW-2), a new monitoring/extraction well (TEMW-A), and an existing well (TIW-1) repurposed for passive pressure relief. Complementary geophysical monitoring was designed to track plume development and evaluate the effectiveness of pressure management strategies. The report details the integrated workflow encompassing wellfield development, regulatory permitting, model calibration, and survey design. It includes a comprehensive electromagnetic (EM) modeling and inversion study used to develop a cost-effective, time-lapse geophysical monitoring plan capable of imaging the evolving low-salinity plume within the highly saline Lower Tuscaloosa formation. Reservoir simulation results guided the design of the 17-month injection program and the timing of active extraction to maintain formation pressures below a hypothetical fault reactivation threshold. Supporting analyses evaluated potential injectivity risks related to clay fines migration and geochemical incompatibility, identifying practical mitigation measures such as salinity and pH control. The final design recommends a series of crosswell EM surveys—conducted before, during, and after injection—as the most effective and economical approach for plume imaging, supplemented by continuous downhole pressure and flow monitoring. Collectively, the study provides a field-ready framework for cost-effective pressure management and monitoring in support of future CO₂ storage projects.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2023

On the melt pool dynamic of voxel-controlled metal matrix composites via hybrid additive manufacturing: Laser powder bed fusion and ink-jetting

In this study, the effect of the addition of reinforcement nanoparticles to the 316L matrix by adopting ex-situ and in-situ method (drop on demand jetting) to produce 316L/Al 2 O 3 nanocomposite was investigated. In the ex-situ method, the Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles (NPs) were lightly mixed with 316L powder and processed by laser powder bed fusion. In the in-situ method, an ethanol-based ink containing Al 13 nanoclusters (NCs) was added to 316L powder and then processed by laser. Both ex-situ and in-situ method produced nanocomposites with Al-Si-Mn-O-enriched precipitations within the 316L matrix. The addition of NPs/NCs to the 316L matrix, altered the geometrical characteristic of the single-track melt pools. At the same laser power, with increasing the amount of Al 2 O 3 NPs and Al 13 NCs the melt pool deepened due to reduced thermal conductivity and prolonged liquid presence. Further, as a result, 316L/1 wt% Al 13 NCs deposited single track showed larger grains in comparison to 316L single track. At a high laser power of 150W, the Marangoni flow and the buoyancy force caused the nanoparticles to agglomerate and float to the top surface of tracks; therefore, the wt% fraction of precipitation was drastically reduced due to the loss of Al. The 316L/Al 2 O 3 NPs and 316L/Al 13 NCs exhibited the microhardness of 285 ± 13 HV and 293 ± 7 HV, respectively, higher than the deposited 316L single track, 265 ± 15 HV. Lastly, a hybrid LPBF+ink-jet printer was adopted to selectively change the composition of different zones by adding Al 13 NCs ink to 316L and producing a voxel-controlled metal matrix composite.

316L↗
DOE OSTI2023

Chapter 32 - Power Grid Resilience

The new energy paradigm is altering the current power grid trend from synchronous generator reliant system toward power-electronics-based distributed energy resources (DERs). The resilient operation of modern power grid is highly dependent upon cyber and physical reliable operation of DERs. Power grid resilience broadly refers to the ability of the grid to be robust to eventualities and singularities that may disrupt the continuity of reliable power flow. This could involve resilience related to the physical system but more recently, the focus on cyber resilience has been evolving rapidly especially given the burgeoning growth of distributed generation and power-electronics-based DERs under smart grid and given that such threats to reliable operation do not have to evolve localized to where the physical asset is. Commonly, in power grids dominated by DERS, control and energy management are structured at a multitime scale multilayer fashion: (i) primary control layer at microseconds time scale, (ii) secondary control layer at millisecond time scale, and (iii) tertiary control layer at seconds to minutes time scale. The cyber-related issues that may affect the power grid resilience can be introduced in through primary, secondary, and tertiary control layers. The failure of each of these control layers may impact the reliable and resilient operation of the overall network and cause widespread failures which leads to unintended blackouts. As such, this chapter focuses on cyber-related resilience issues in primary control layer, secondary control layer, tertiary control layer, wide area/utility control, and anomaly detection and resilient communication.

anomaly detection↗
DOE OSTI2021

Studies of a modulated Hall thruster

A typical Hall thruster is powered from a DC power supply and operates with a constant discharge voltage. In operation, the discharge current is subject to strong low frequency oscillations (so-called breathing oscillations). Recent studies have shown that not only can these breathing oscillations be correlated with improved performance, but these oscillations can be induced and controlled by modulating the anode voltage. In this work, a systematic experimental study of the plasma flow in a modulated cylindrical Hall thruster was performed to characterize the effect of natural and modulated breathing oscillations on thruster performance. Measurements suggest that modulating the anode voltage in resonance with the natural breathing frequency does increase the thrust, but a corresponding phase alignment of discharge current and discharge voltage causes the efficiency gains to be insignificant. In addition, the outward shift of the acceleration region causes the plasma plume divergence to increase at the resonance condition and thereby, limit the thrust increase. Further, mechanisms underlying the relative phase between discharge current, ion current, and discharge voltage are investigated experimentally and corroborated with one-dimensional hybrid simulations of the thruster discharge.

modelling↗
DOE OSTI2022

Coaxial Ceramic Direct Ink Writing on Heterogenous and Rough Surfaces: Investigation of Core–Shell Interactions

In this work, coaxial conductor–ceramic direct ink writing enables the printing of sensitive or encapsulated materials onto heterogeneous and rough substrates. While encasing the core fluid within a stiff ceramic shell, continuity may be maintained, even while printing onto conventionally challenging substrates. Here, we report the development of a coaxial ceramic direct ink writing suite and explore coflow interrelationships based on microfluidic principles. A coaxial nozzle is designed to facilitate the coextrusion of an alumina shell, whereas indium–tin-oxide inks constitute the core. In this manner, a core–shell ceramic element may be printed onto rough substrates for future high-temperature applications. Colloidal inks are engineered to provide the required rheological and sintering performance. Moreover, flow simulations in conjunction with microfluidic coflow principles are used to explore the coaxial printing processing space, thus controlling the core–shell architectures. Physical modeling is further used to analyze core deformations and eccentricity. As a result, simulations are validated experimentally, and the analyses are used to deposit coaxial ceramic features onto heterogeneous, high-temperature ceramic substrates.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modernizing the Legacy Fission Wire Measurement System for the Advanced Test Reactor-Critical Facility

Operational lifetime extensions of existing research reactors have emphasized the need for refurbishment, replacements, and upgrades to supporting equipment and instrumentation. The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), which entered service in 1967, has recently completed the sixth core internals change-out and has scheduled operations until at least 2040. Reactor maintenance and operational risk management is critically important in the research reactor community, however supporting measurement systems sometimes get overlooked when maintenance is planned. The Fission Wire Measurement System (FWMS) is a custom measurement system designed in the 1960s to measure the beta-particle activity of irradiated uranium-aluminum fission wires. This measurement is conducted to determine the fission rate profile of the Advanced Reactor Test Critical (ATR-C) facility. The ATR-C is an open-pool, low-power test reactor that was purpose driven to resemble ATR and is used to qualify experiment configurations and verify core models prior to full-power experiment irradiations in ATR. A power distribution measurement in ATR-C uses uranium-aluminum wires that are distributed throughout the ATR-C core to validate simulation and modeling results. These measurements require 340 to 1500 wires to be irradiated and measured within a 12-hour window. The activity of the wires is measured in the required time with the FWMS, which was put into service in 1965 at the Radiation Measurements Laboratory (RML). The system consists of 4 measurement channels and one reference channel, each with a 2-pi proportional gas flow detector and the measurement channels each have an automated sample changer. This legacy system is crucial to the continued operations of ATR and has undergone some minor hardware upgrades since 1965, however the system presently relies on custom control boards, custom gas ion chambers, analog amplifiers/discriminators, and a user interface (UI) for the system written in outdated code. Much of the equipment and software is custom with no commercial replacements or support and limited documentation. The existing control software requires an operating system that is no longer supported, creating more vulnerabilities to continued operations. A project is underway with a third-party vendor to design, build, and document a new control and data acquisition system (CDAS) for the FWMS. The new upgrade will replace the control system, computer, UI, sample changer motors, and main power supply while maintaining the interface with existing detector hardware. The upgraded system will be operated in parallel with the current hardware and software to conduct validation testing. This equipment upgrade demonstrates the commitment at ATR to ensuring successful operations and potential future research reactors at INL.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗
DOE OSTI2022

Laser-Assisted Synthesis of Monolayer 2D MoSe 2 Crystals with Tunable Vacancy Concentrations: Implications for Gas and Biosensing

We report tuning the structural and electronic properties of atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials via defect and vacancy engineering is the key to enabling their potential use in various applications, including electronics, energy, and sensing devices. Vacancies are, for instance, becoming highly promising for the enhanced interaction of gases and biomolecules with 2D materials in energy and sensing applications. However, the deterministic generation of desirable vacancies with tunable concentrations remains a challenge in 2D materials due to the limitations in the current growth methods, such as the complex reaction chemistries and gas flow dynamics. Therefore, engineering defects and vacancies in 2D materials have been mainly limited to destructive top-down processes such as heating, ion bombardments, and laser postprocessing. Here, we introduce a single-step bottom-up synthesis approach for the growth of monolayer MoSe 2 crystals with tunable vacancy concentrations. This method utilizes the spatiotemporal properties and adjustable power densities of the lasers to control the vaporization dynamics of the stoichiometric MoSe 2 powders. Such a mechanism in the vaporization allows us to grow tunable stoichiometry monolayer MoSe 2–x crystals on the substrates. The localized and time-controlled (250 ms to 2 s) vaporization of the MoSe 2 powder by a CO 2 laser enables the formation of monolayer crystals with controlled vacancy concentrations ranging from ~1 to 20%. The effects of laser power, laser irradiation time, and background pressure on the tuning range and subsequent properties of the crystals are investigated and quantified using Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC). This bottom-up synthesis is a promising approach that allows the deterministic vacancy tuning for future electronics and, in particular, gas and biosensing applications without the need for further postprocessing and potential structural disruption of the crystals.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2020

Multi-Element Water Content System Instrument Handbook

The SEA Model WCM-2000 multi-element water content system was designed to provide aircraft and wind tunnel users with a single, rugged sensor to simultaneously measure liquid water content (LWC), total water content (TWC), and ice water content (IWC). The instrument consists of four heated stainless steel elements, each with a different shape or size. Each element is directly heated by low-voltage DC current flowing through the element. These elements are maintained at a constant temperature, typically 140°C, by a digital closed-loop control system. Three of the heated elements are exposed directly to the airstream and incoming cloud water. A fourth element, the reference/comp element, is arranged to be exposed to the airflow but not to incoming cloud water. This element is used to establish the “dry power term” that is subtracted from the other three elements’ power readings to establish the measured water content.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Full-Loop Simulation of the Combustion of Biomass in a Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustor

Interest in circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers as a power generation technology has skyrocketed in recent years because of several advantages this technology offers over conventional boilers, such as increased gas-solid mixing, which results in higher combustion efficiency, and the ability to use lower rank fuels. CFB combustors are operated at lower temperatures than conventional thermal power generation combustors, thus reducing NO x emissions, while SO 2 emissions can be conveniently controlled through the addition of Ca-based sulfur sorbents within the combustor. This report summarizes the development of a comprehensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for biomass combustion in a 50 kW th CFB combustor employing the multiphase particle-in-cell (PIC) approach in the open-source Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchanges (MFiX) Software Suite at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The experimental combustor was designed, built, and operated at CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources Canada in Ottawa, Canada. This work is the culmination of a multi-year collaboration between NETL and CanmetENERGY. The hydrodynamics in the full loop are validated against cold-flow experiments conducted at CanmetENERGY. To mimic the dense packing in the standpipe in the absence of a collisional model in the MFiX-PIC approach, the ram valve in the return leg is partially closed to obstruct the flow. A combustion reaction scheme was developed that considers the volatiles released by the fuel as a lumped species that fully converts to CO 2 and H 2 O. The so-called enhanced simplified combustion scheme produces an excellent match with experimental data in terms of the species concentrations of CO 2 and O 2 at the outlet and the freeboard, demonstrating the utility of the comprehensive model for a range of flow conditions and operating temperatures. Furthermore, the model can be readily adapted to simulate combustion of a variety of biomass fuels as well as co-fired systems under air and oxy-fuel conditions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Light-triggered electrochemical biosensor using singlet oxygen for self-powered operation and glucose detection

This study introduces a light-activated sensing strategy that integrates photosensitization with electrochemical detection. The sensor employs Eosin Y, a photosensitizer that generates singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) via type II photosensitization. Immobilized within a thin polymer matrix on a carbon working electrode, Eosin Y produces 1 O 2 , under green light (520 nm) illumination, initiating a redox process that yields a measurable current. To incorporate biosensing capabilities and enable self-powered operation, this 1 O 2 – mediated process was coupled with glucose oxidase (GOx) to construct a fully operational glucose biosensor. The addition of glucose reverses the current flow by causing GOx to compete for electrons, with the resulting current magnitude correlating with glucose concentration providing a sensitive measure of glucose. The biosensor, as proof-of-principle, demonstrated excellent performance over a range of glucose concentrations (0–73 mM), achieving a detection limit (LOD) of 2.8 mM for steady state photocurrent under oxygen-saturated conditions. This platform leverages light and 1 O 2 as stimuli for tunable, on-demand signal control, offering a novel approach for adaptive, real-time biosensing technologies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

A hierarchical framework for aggregating grid-interactive buildings with thermal and battery energy storage

The behind-the-meter (BTM) thermal and battery energy storage can help improve energy efficiency, reduce energy costs, and enhance energy resilience, particularly in rural areas and for disadvantaged communities. Aggregating numerous BTM energy storage systems can act as a price influencer with a significant source of load shifting and peak demand reduction. An integrated and scalable control mechanism is required to effectively utilize energy storage systems and flexible building loads to maximize the economic benefits, considering various distribution system constraints. Here, this paper presents an innovative hierarchical coordination framework for energy storage and flexible load in buildings, considering various factors such as electricity prices, thermal comfort, and distribution system modeling and constraints. At the upper level, a distribution system operator optimizes the power flow to minimize its power procurement costs from the electricity wholesale market, while at the lower level, aggregators determine the optimal dispatch of battery and thermal energy storage systems in multiple buildings on behalf of end-users to minimize operating costs according to the power prices. These problems are solved using a game-theoretic approach through negotiations between the distribution system operator and aggregators as a bi-level decision model. Simulation case studies have been performed for a test distribution network with a number of building end-users using energy storage systems to quantify the performance of aggregators. The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can reduce peak load for a reliable electricity distribution network while saving electricity bills for customers.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Experimental characterization of a triply periodic minimal surface PCM-to-air thermal energy storage device

Here, the expansion of energy production has intensified research into thermal energy storage (TES) to manage variability and improve system efficiency. Heat exchanger design is critical to achieving high power densities in TES systems. This study presents a high-surface-area phase change material (PCM)-to-air heat exchanger fabricated via resin-based stereolithography with a novel gyroid-based geometry tailored for enhanced performance. Material properties of the commercial PCM and resin were characterized using analytical techniques. A controlled air loop was used to evaluate heat transfer and pressure drop at various flow rates and inlet temperatures. Results show a strong dependence on the inlet temperature difference (ΔT) relative to the PCM melting point. During charging at the highest flow rate, increasing the inlet air temperature from ΔT = 5 °C to 20 °C above the melting point increased the average heat transfer rate by 187%. During discharging, decreasing the inlet temperature by the same ΔT below the melting point led to a 232% increase. Notably, the high-surface-area design enabled nearly symmetric charging and discharging behavior, a novel result for PCM-based TES systems which are often restricted by natural convection and other effects. The overall heat transfer coefficient was calculated and compared to values from standard design correlations. The maximum thermal effectiveness reached 95% at ΔT = 20 °C and a moderate flow rate of 34 m 3 /h. Peak coefficients of performance (COP) of 7 during charging and 6.4 during discharging were observed at ΔT = 20 °C and a low flow rate of 20 m 3 /h. These results demonstrate the viability of additively manufactured geometries for advanced TES applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Aqueous Bromide Discharges from U.S. Coal-Fired Power Plants: Points of Origin, Concentration Ranges, and Effluent Treatment Costs

Bromide discharges from coal-fired power plants have received increased attention from regulatory bodies due to their contribution to the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in downstream drinking water treatment plants. Here, this paper characterizes the relative contributions of bromide from coal feedstocks and bromine-based mercury control processes, estimates the distribution of bromide concentrations at 85 active coal-fired power plants across the United States (U.S.) with wet flue gas desulfurization units, and estimates the cost of bromide removal from wastewater discharge using year 2020 data. Bromide discharges are estimated at the plant level using a combination of the reported coal rank and composition combusted, estimates of bromide addition in mercury control techniques under multiple halogen addition scenarios, and the estimated flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater flow rate. The median, simulated plant-level estimation of total FGD wastewater flow is 18.3 gallons/min at a bromide concentration of 319 mg/L, equivalent to ~11.6 tonnes/year of bromide discharges to the environment. Next, we evaluated the expected cost of employing the best available technology (BAT) to control bromide discharges in FGD wastewater to prevent contributions to DBP formation. Treatment would need to remove more than 99.8% of bromide to reach the 0.2 mg/L voluntary incentive program (VIP) limit. The total cost of treatment depends on whether disposal is on- or off-site; the average costs for all plants combined come to an average of $110 million ($95.2/kgal) in 2021 U.S. dollars for on-site disposal, or $134 million ($115/kgal) for off-site disposal.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evaluation of bio-inspired flow fields in a mediated Li-S flow battery for grid energy storage

Lithium-sulfur is a redox flow battery with high energy density for applications in safe, reliable, and lasting scaling of energy. However, lithium-based batteries often encounter platting as a problem thanks to poor Li-ions deposition after cycling. Aiming to reduce this impact, a uniform and continuous flow of ions is needed. On this work, novel bio-inspired flow fields in the electrochemical cell were tested to improve ions flowability and lithium platting control, ultimately enhancing battery performance and life. To secure Li-S efficient, low-cost, and secure energy storage capabilities, we chose a configuration with decamethylferrocene and cobaltocene acting as redox mediators, Li metal as anode and sulfur kept in a separate catholyte reservoir. Flow test and battery results insinuated a beneficial influence of bio-inspired designs in flowing electrolyte uniformly with less pressure and pump power in comparison to other conventional designs used in the industry, with an encouraging ability to approach a cheap, safe, and reliable Li-S grid energy storage.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Resilient Operating Constraints for Power Distribution Systems under Setpoint Attacks

Integration and operation of distributed generation (DG) and energy storage (ES) in power distribution systems are enabled by communication networks and embedded sensor and control devices that increase the vulnerability of the systems to cyber-threats, broadening the attack surface and making adversary actions more unpredictable. This paper proposes a methodology that uses ellipsoidal approximations to quantify the potential damage caused by successful attacks that affect, directly or indirectly, the desired operation setpoints and may drive the power distribution operation to unsafe states by violating the limits of voltage or line flows. More specifically, a new methodology is introduced to find the optimal non-symmetric operating constraints that can be imposed to each DG and ES in order to guarantee that the power distribution system is resilient to any malicious setpoints. The proposed method takes as inputs the system topology, DG and ES capabilities, and load limits to solve a convex optimization problem formulated using linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) and the power flow equations. The proposed solution is agnostic to the attacker's action or load profile and it does not require any assumption about the location or means of the attack. The numerical results on a test distribution feeder with several DG and ES illustrate how the proposed resilient operating constraints guarantee the security of the power distribution system under setpoint attacks.

Giraldo, Jairo↗