“Power system stability is the ability of an electric power system, for a given initial operating condition, to regain a state of operating equilibrium after being subjected to a physical disturbance, with most system variables bounded so that practically the entire system remains intact”.
The definition applies to an interconnected power system as a whole. Often, however, the stability of a particular generator or group of generators is also of interest. A remote generator may lose stability (synchronism) without cascading instability of the main system. Similarly, stability of particular loads or load areas may be of interest; motors may lose stability (run down and stall) without cascading instability of the main system.
The power system is a highly nonlinear system that operates in a constantly changing environment; loads, generator outputs and key operating parameters change continually. When subjected to a disturbance, the stability of the system depends on the initial operating condition as well as the nature of the disturbance.
Stability of an electric power system is thus a property of the system motion around an equilibrium set, i.e., the initial operating condition. In an equilibrium set, the various opposing forces that exist in the system are equal instantaneously (as in the case of equilibrium points) or over a cycle (as in the case of slow cyclical variations due to continuous small fluctuations in loads or aperiodic attractors).
Power systems are subjected to a wide range of disturbances, small and large. Small disturbances in the form of load changes occur continually; the system must be able to adjust to the changing conditions and operate satisfactorily. It must also be able to survive numerous disturbances of a severe nature, such as a short circuit on a transmission line or loss of a large generator. A large disturbance may lead to structural changes due to the isolation of the faulted elements.
At an equilibrium set, a power system may be stable for a given (large) physical disturbance, and unstable for another. It is impractical and uneconomical to design power systems to be stable for every possible disturbance. The design contingencies are selected on the basis they have a reasonably high probability of occurrence. Hence, large-disturbance stability always refers to a specified disturbance scenario. A stable equilibrium set thus has a finite region of attraction; the larger the region, the more robust the system with respect to large disturbances. The region of attraction changes with the operating condition of the power system.
The response of the power system to a disturbance may involve much of the equipment. For instance, a fault on a critical element followed by its isolation by protective relays will cause variations in power flows, network bus voltages, and machine rotor speeds; the voltage variations will actuate both generator and transmission network voltage regulators; the generator speed variations will actuate prime mover governors; and the voltage and frequency variations will affect the system loads to varying degrees depending on their individual characteristics.
Further, devices used to protect individual equipment may respond to variations in system variables and cause tripping of the equipment, thereby weakening the system and possibly leading to system instability.
If following a disturbance the power system is stable, it will reach a new equilibrium state with the system integrity preserved i.e., with practically all generators and loads connected through a single contiguous transmission system. Some generators and loads may be disconnected by the isolation of faulted elements or intentional tripping to preserve the continuity of operation of bulk of the system. Interconnected systems, for certain severe disturbances, may also be intentionally split into two or more “islands” to preserve as much of the generation and load as possible. The actions of automatic controls and possibly human operators will eventually restore the system to normal state. On the other hand, if the system is unstable, it will result in a run-away or run-down situation; for example, a progressive increase in angular separation of generator rotors, or a progressive decrease in bus voltages. An unstable system condition could lead to cascading outages and a shutdown of a major portion of the power system.
Power systems are continually experiencing fluctuations of small magnitudes. However, for assessing stability when subjected to a specified disturbance, it is usually valid to assume that the system is initially in a true steady-state operating condition.