Analysis of Distribution Static Compensator Control Strategies for Mitigating Voltage Dip Impact on Distribution Network

Abstract

Voltage dip, over-voltage, load unbalanced, and current and voltage harmonics distortions are the key characteristics of poor power quality (PQ) issues on the power distribution network with a significant negative impact. The performance of a custom power device, distribution static compensator (D-STATCOM), in reducing current total harmonic distortion (THD) during the mitigation process of voltage dip with fault is investigated in this study. To control the load side voltage, the D-STATCOM utilizes a three-phase voltage source converter and is coupled at the point of common coupling (PCC). To mitigate voltage dip effects, this study implements and compares the effectiveness of the conventional PI controller with an intelligent optimization-based PI controller using the dynamic gravitational search algorithm (DGSA). The performance of these controllers is validated by the MATLAB/Simulink simulation results obtained. Analysis of the results demonstrates that D-STATCOM operates flawlessly with an intelligently optimized PI control strategy reducing the current THD from 11.68% to 3.74%.