Injection to Utility Network

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Overview An algorithm has been developed that is applied to an invertor so that power can either be injected into the network optimally, or withdrawn. This will become increasingly important as ‘green’ technologies such as wind farms and solar panels are connected to the grid. It can be aplied to a single phase or multi-wire power network so that the power reaches its destination where it is consumed with minimal losses. This increases the efficacy of utility networks. Practically the algorithm is implemented through software installed on inverters and the efficiencies, increased capacity and importantly network stabilisation that result, will be of interest to utility providers who control power networks. New innovations in power electronics have provided new ways to optimise power distribution systems by reducing power losses in the electrical distribution network. An added consideration is that there are also new opportunities for private customers to generate power from wind or solar energy and to inject power into the grid. Benefits Decreased losses of electrical energy on the distribution grid thereby leading to power savings Improved quality in power supply Market Utility providers who control power networks Industries who consume large amounts of electrical energy Industries who have large reticulation systems such a petrochemical plants and mines    Technical description The most efficient way of transmitting power in a two wire single generator system occurs when the current is in phase with the generator voltage. In the case of multiple wires and generators, the way of transmitting currents with minimum losses becomes more complex to resolve, but is achieved by determining an equivalent Thévenin circuit that is representative of the whole network. A complicated mesh network may be represented as a simple Thévenin network for each phase. The algorithm for injecting power into or extracting power from a network involves: a. Determining dynamically changing Thévenin parameters in the form of a Thévenin voltage and a Thévenin resistance of an equivalent Thévenin circuit with respect to each wire of a point of common coupling; b. Calculating a total Thévenin power for all the wires based on a specific amount of power at the point of common coupling and the determined Thévenin parameters; and, c. Calculating a dynamically changing optimal current to be injected into or extracted from the point of common coupling so as to inject or extract a specific amount of power based on the total Thévenin power and the dynamically changing Thévenin parameters. About Research Contracts & IP Services Research Contracts and Intellectual Property Services (RCIPS) acts as the liaison between UCT’s research community and the private sector with regards to intellectual property, commercialisation and business development activities. RCIPS has helped to transfer numerous technologies from the university laboratories to industry both locally and internationally