National Power and Energy Conference (PECon) 2003 Proceedings, Bangi, Ma l aysia

211

Automa,tic Load Shedding in Power System

N. Peru mal and Aliza Che Amran

Ahstract-Automatlc Load Shedding (ALS) Is categorized generation. A sudden loss of generation in the system will
as one of the protection systems applied to a power network. result in a reduction in the frequency at a rate of change
The aim of this work Is to understand how the system works by which depends on the size of the resultant overload and the
creating a software simulation of tbe above-mentioned system.
inertia constant of the system.
Pre-requirement to this Is the need to understand the electrical
The relationship that defines the variation of frequency
system response to the presence of disturbances and
interruptions on over loads. A case study on University
with time, following a sudden variation in load andlor
Teknologl Petron.s Gas District Cooling (UTP GDC) generation, can be obtained, starting from the (1) for the
Cogeneration Power Plant has also been carried out. The plant oscillation of a simple generator:
has Implemented load shedding sc heme as one of their power
reliability strategy. The plant has 4 stages of load shed and a
single frequency set point to trigger the under-frequency relay. (1)
Simulation results were obtained using PSCADfEMTDC to
prove the effediveness of the system.

Keywords-cogeneration, interruption, load shedding,

protection system, under frequency, utilization. where;
G nominal MVA of machine under consideration
=

I. INTRODUCTION H = inertia constant (MWs MJ ) =

MVA MVA
Automatic Load Shedding may be one of the low cost o generator torque angle
=

alternatives to constructing new tra nsmissi on lines or new fc nominal frequency

=

generation plants to maintain system security and P;, net power accelerated or decelerated (MW)
=

reliability. Building a single electrical power plant may take

a period of two to three years, dissimilar with the steep
demand of loads. Automatic Load Shedding can be taken as
an interim measure while completing the new transmission de
W :0 Wo + - '" 2:r{ (2)
lines and commissioning new power plants. dt
Modem electric power systems are perhaps the most in which Wo
complex large-scale technical systems developed and built is the synchronous speed, i.e the nominal speed at rated
by mankind. It has a main goal of providing continuous frequency.
power supply to the facility with little or no power Differentiating (2) with respect to time:
interruptions. For a power system to be practical it must be
safe, reliable and economical. Today's power system
engineers are faced with a variety of problems regarding (3)
design, operation, and control. Instability in power line is
one of the cornmon problems encountered and one way of
Replacing (3) in (1), gives:
solving such problem is by baving automatic load shedding
where the system helps in keeping the power line stable
although the supplying voltage is less than the demanded
d/ = PJo (4)
level. This is where power system characteristics and dl 2GH
behaviour will be studied and analysed in order to come out
with a best solution of automatic load shedding system. Equation (4) defines the rate of the variations of the
frequency in Hz, and can be used for an individual machine
or for an equivalent which represents the total generation in
II. THEORY a system. In such a case the inertia constant can be
calculated from:
A. Loss o/Power Generation
= H,MVA,+H,MVA,+ .... +H,MVA.
H (5)
When a total or partial loss of generation occurs within MVA, + MVA2 f' .
.. . + MVA,
the system, the fust indicators are drops in voltage and in
frequency. However, given that voltage drops can also be where the subscripts 1,2. n refer to the individual generator
.

caused by system faults, it is generally recognized that a units. It should be emphasized that the constant H in (5) is
drop in frequency is a more reliable indication of loss of expressed to an MVA base equal to the total generation
capacity of the system.
The accelerating power, PA. in (4) is responsible for the
N. PeTUmal and Aliza Che Amran are with Ele\:lrical & Electronic
frequency variation. It can be calculated from:
Engineering Department, Universili Teknologi Pelronas, Bandar Seri
Iskandar, 31750 Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia (e-mail: �=�-� �
perumal@petrOnas.com.my).

0-7803-8208-0/03/$17.00 ©2003 lEEE.

 212
ii. Starting Frequency of the Load-shedding System
where
PM = mechanical power entering the generator The starting frequency of the load shedding system
PA = electrical power leaving the generator should be set such' tllat it will initiate disconnection
operation at a value of frequency below the normal working
Under stable conditions P A=O and there are no frequency. Taking into account variations in frequency
frequency variations. In the case. of overloads, PE > PM. caused by oscillations inherent in the public system, this
Thus, P A< 0 and there will be a drop in the system value is normally selected at approximately 93% of nominal
frequency. system frequency_ However if it is thought that there is a
possibility of more severe oscillations occurring on the
V. BASIC DESIGN FOR LOAD A SHEDDING system, then it is recommended that a supervisory control
SYSTEM arrangement using overcurrent relays which can detect the
outages of circuits connecting the industrial plant to the
In order to design an automatic load-shedding system, a public system should be installed, to avoid incorrect
model, which represents the different generating machines, operations.
should first be defined, followed by the load parameters as
well as the criteria for setting the frequency relays. iii. Minimum permissible frequency

A. Simple Machine Model A steam turbine is designed such that, when operating at
nominal mechanical speed and nominal system frequency,
A single machine has been used in the power-system excessive vibrations and stresses in its components: (e.g.
model to illustrate a load-shedding system. This is resonance of turbine blades), are avoided. However, when
equivalent to asswning that the generator units are running below normal speed at a reduced system frequency,
electrically connected with negligible oscillations between cumulative damage could be produced by - excessive
them, and has uniform frequency ignoring the effect of the vibration. It is recommended, therefore, that the time limits
regulating equipment. The load is represented as a constant given in Table 1 should not be exceeded. However, during
power, which implies that there is no reduGtion in load as a transient operation and with load lle)ow nominal, reduction
result of the voltage and frequency drops due to a of frequency down to 93% of rated frequency can be
contingency situation. This model provides a pessimistic permitted without causing damage either to the turbine or to
simulation of the system since the reduction of the load due the turbo generator auxiliary lubrication and cooling
to the frequency drops and the effect of the speed regulators systems.
are neglected. In using this model, the inertia constant of the
system is calculated using (5).
TABLE I
TYPICAL TIMES
. FOR THE OPERATION OF TURBINES (FULL
The rate of change of the frequency is calculated from
LOAD)
(4) with the following assumptions:
i) The mechanical power entering the generators does not
vary and is equal in magnitude to the pre-fault value.
ii) The magnitude of the load does not vary with time,
voltage or frequency. It is only reduced by
disconnecting part of the load as a result of the 99_0 Continuously
automatic load-shedding system.
97.3 90

This model, with loads modeled as constant powers, is used 97.0 10

to determine the frequency relay settings and to verify the 96.0
level of minimum frequency attained before a contingency
situation is reached.
C. Criteriafor Frequency Relay

B. Parameters Involved in Load Shedding

The determination of the frequency relay settings is an
iterative process, and is carried out in such a way that the
The following aspects need to be defined III order to
final settings satisfy the requirements of both speed and co­
implement the automatic load shedding system.
ordination. In this process, the co-ordination between relays
which trip successive stages of load should be checked in
i. Maximum Load to b� Disconnected
order to ensure that the least amount of load is shed,
depending on the initial overload condition.
The most drastic conditions corresponds to the total loss
of interconnection between the public electricity-supply
i. Operating Times
network and the internal electrical system within the
industrial plant. In this case, the unbalance between
When selecting the settings, it is necessary to consider
generation and load will be equal to the maximum import
the time interva l between the system frequency decaying
and should be compensated for by the disconnection of a
from the relay pick-up value to the point when the load is
similar amount ofload.
effectively disconnected. The relay pick-up time is included
in this time interval, plus the preset time delay of the relay
 213
(if this is required), and the breaker opening time. The
following values are typically used for industrial systems: Phase 1 Operation of GTG-A and GTG-B to supply power
Relay pick-up time : 50 ms to VTPI, UTP2, MCC-I and MCC-2
Breaker openi ng time: lOOms
Phase 2 Operation of GTG-A, GTG-B, GTG-C, GTG-D to
ii. Determination ofFrequency Variation supply power to UTPI, UTP2, MCC-I, MCC-2, MCC-3
and MCC-4
The frequency variation required to calculate the settings
is obtained by using a simple machine m odel for the system, For this study, concentration is more on Phase 1 since
and a constant-power model for the load. This assumes that Phase 2 is still in the proposal stage .. The Distributed
the load connected to the generators is the same before, and Control System ( DCS ) that monitors the electrical power
after, the c ontingency, neglecting any fonn of damping. network is called Power Mana gement System (PMS). PMS
Given this, the calculated rate of loss of frequency in the is for monitoring, manual and automatic controll ing , data
system is pessimistic, and the settings determined on this logging of all power, voltages, current, power factor and
basis thus provide an arrangement which rapidly restores the other electrical data for the whole power system including
frequency to its normal value, thereby ensuring a secure the performance of the generators, using software . ALS
system. scheme is incorporated in this. PMS will use microproces s or
that will authorize liny load shedding action automatically or
D. Automatic or Manual? mapually from the control panels . As a back, up in case of
PMS failure, a hardwire system is also provi ded called as
Application of load shedding in a system can be Back Up Load Shed Board using mechanical operation of
considere d as a safety network since load shedding prevents relays and other equipment that are connected to particular
voltage collapse and goes beyond the normal design switch gear.
operation. The NERC Planning provides one perspective on
where to us e manual or automatic load shedding. Electric
systems that experience heavy loading on transmission
facilities with limited reactive power control can be
Feeder;
vulnera ble to voltage instability. Such instability can cause
S1<r1dby SIlI'ply 4MIJIJ
tripping of generators and transmission facilities resulting in
loss of customer demand as well as system collaps e . Since
voltage collapse can occur suddenly, there may not be
sufficient time for operator actions to stabilize the systems.
Therefore, a load shedding scheme that is automatically
activ ated as a result of under voltage conditions in p ortions
of a system can be effective means to stabilize the ....,---,--..---If---rl-t,- ....-.f--,-..,.--.. CDC 11lV
interconnected systems and mitigate the effects of a voltage
collapse [6].
GS051GS11
Manual load shedding c annot be relied upon to provide the �
necessary action to stabilize the interconnected systems and
mitigate the effects of a voltage collapse. This is because a
severe case of voltage decay can happen in a period of 30
seconds. Therefore, automatic load shedding is required.
However, manual load shedding can be used to supplement
automatic load shedding schemes.

VI. A CASE STUDY ON LOAD SHEDDING SYSTEM fa" GTG-A LV /nI�e For GTG·8 LV In�e

Fig. 1. The ODe Single Line Diagram

A. The UTP GDC Cogen Plant

Gas District Cooling also known as GDC has constructed

a power plant to supply electricity and chilled water for ajr� B. The Phase I Network
con ditioning purposes, for UTP. Two I l kV inc oming
feeders from TNB through MeC-GTG, it will start up two With referenc e to the GDC Single Line Diagram,
gas turbines each with a capacity of 5kW. Refer to Fig . I for assumin g 90% of the GTG is under stable operating
the electrical network and the load flow for the whole conditions with equal load sharing, the generation and load
system. Both generating units will push up the TNB llkV balance is as shown in the following Table 2.
flow thus minimising its usage to only IkW top up supply
and making it a standby power supply in case the generatin g
units fail. Power supply from GTG-A and GTG-B will
energ ize MIS llkV and GDC l1kV busbar with a total load
of 8.4 MW.
The system is divided into two phases:
 214
TABLE 2 If the VTPI and UTP2 non-essential loads cannot add up
PHASE I NETWORK to 4.2MVA, then the balance must be met by shedding some
non-essential loads at MCCI and MCC2. Frequency setting
for frequency relays F3 and F4 at GDC llkV bus should be
similarly be set to trip at 49.4Hz,
GTG at 90% loadin& Total loads
VII.4-STAGE LOAD SHEDDING SCHEME
Since there are two GTG units; MCCI =2,0 MVA

2 x 5,25MVA x 90% = MCC2 = 2,OMVA VTP GDC Power Plant has proposed a 4-stage (level) of
9.4SMVA load shedding that will be implemented as a LAST option
UTP[ =2,725MVA
TNB Generat;on for power reliability and stability.. The load shedding
UTI'2 = 2,725 MVA
scheme used consists of a single frequenc y set point with
No power import under normal
operation (power supplied by Others are negligible, multiple time delay. Within a period of 0.15 seconds, the
both GTG units will be fully under-frequency relays will send out signals to trip loads in
L Loads = 9.45 MY A
used to ener&ize GDC 11 kV and
order to increase the frequency level hence prevent system
MIS 11kv busbars)
collapse or instability.
The total non-essential loads are tmknown since the
When only one generator is operating, together with the project is still under construction. For this study , a certain
TNB supply, to supply a load Of a load of 9,45 MVA, the figure will be assumed. As for CB-GS05 or CB-GS07,
TNB feeder experiences a trip-off, the excess load usually only one of the transmission ties will be open
amounting to 9,45 - 5.25 = 4.2 MVA will lead to under­ therefore the loads on either INB l 1kV supply or on one of
frequency instability. Hence, load shedding is required. .the generating units at GD� side will be less depend on the
Assuming non-essential loads amounting to 4.2 MVA situation.
can be shed at VTPI and VTP2, the frequency setting for
the frequency relays FI and F2 at MIS switchgear is
determined as follows: VIII. LOCATION OF UNDER FREQUENCY RELAYS

Generator Inertia Constant, H = 0,566 The under-frequency relay used is 7RW600

TNB frequency variation
Allowing margin for relay error
Frequency set point to trip
Initial rate of frequency drop;
4.2
=df=-!1p=�
dr 2H 2xO.566
= -0.7076 pu
Or
= 50 X 0.7067 = -35.3Hzls
Time to set point from 50Hz to 49.4Hz;
= 0.6/35.3 = 0 . 0 1 7 s
Allow relay operation time = 0.0505
And breaker operation in time
Thus, the total time to trip or shed load is = 0.1675
Frequency at trip time oft=0.167s is
= 50 - (35.3 X 0.167) = 44.10Hz
= 50Hz +/-1% manufactured by Siemens. Frequency setting for frequency
= 49.5Hz to 50,5Hz relays Fl & F2 (at MIS Busbar) and F3 & F4 (at GDC
= 0, 1Hz Busbar) should all be set to trip at 49.4Hz. The relay will
= 49.5Hz - O.IHz pick up the input to the under-frequency relay at a set point
= 49,4Hz of 49.4Hz (0.017s from the generation-load mismatch point)
and this will be sent to PMS or BLSB (Back-up Load
Shedding Board) previously known as Auto-selective CB
Disconnecting Relay Board (ASDB). Here relays will be
energized to send signals to trip the respective circuit
breakers at the switchgear5. It is assumed that after a
duration of 0.1675, whic h is the end of the load shedding,
the system frequency will be recovering and gradually it
will rise back to normal frequency, 50Hz.
Basically, there are two locations where the under­
frequency relays will be placed; one is at the MIS llkV and
the other at GDe IlkV. Inputs from the se po ints will be
= 0.100s sent to PMS or BLSB where 4 relays will be activated
according to system decision as to which of the load is to be
. ,.
shed.

TABLE 3
UNDER-FREQUENCY RELAYS CONNECTION TO THE CONTROL
PANEL
 215
CF4lin C for a Iimfted period. 111 this case, the fault is betwccn
between Distribution Controlling System or 0.25s to 0.35s which is for a duration of 0. 1 0s. No circuit
GS06 -KJOJ Distribution Cooling System Plant (DCS
breakers involved. The fault is applied to a line with no
Pla!1l) Isolation Signa!
loads connected in parallel with it.

Fig. 5. The line current.

Untitl�,:;_d''". ____��___
___-'---'-'---"''-'-_�_''
nQ name
� .. _ +2 �Fault. Curnnt

!1
.fO.2i=----a-----EI--....J
�
Fig. 3. Under-frequency relays connection
·1.6

'3,4
VIII. THE PSCAD/EMTDC SIMULATION
·5.2

0.1 0.2 0.3 04 0.5

__ �n=lme(secL_� ___� ____._�
,:.�:.j.,-I
Fig. 6. The raul! currenl.

-162 _Frequent�
J�f' =:-
' .�ij1,
+59.6

+57.2

'+54.8

.+52.4

-1-50';;
0 :----
. -
. .fO :-
¢
. l ---::
0.'-=Z-_- O L3
. -_-0.L.4---O ' .5

Fig. 4. The simulation circuit. _�-.!..

Ti!!.!.
lm!::. e (?!9_
. -_.�_���_J
Fig. 7. The frequency.

A. Simulation From Fig. 7, it is clearly shown that the fault current

occurs at 0.25s and ends at 0.35s which is for a duration of
O.IOs. During the fault, three indications can be observed
Simulation will focus on the frequency variation of the
from the results. The Line Current shows a very high level
main busbar and also on the power supplied by the generator
for Ie. When there is a short circuit, the current goes to
as well as the power consumed by the loads. A number of
infinity and the voltage equals to approximately zero. For
'experiments' will be carried out on the circuit under
frequency, there is a variation at 0.255 (a spike) and also at
different conditions and observations will give different
0.355 when the system is back to normal. The variation for
results on the plotted graphs. The results will be analysed
frequency is not very large since there are no loads
and conclusions made.
connected to the generator.
A disturbance or a fault can be detected by monitoring
B. Asymmetrical Faults
the voltage, current and frequency of the system depending
on the system capability.
As ymmetrical means not symmetrical. For a three-phase
network, the re are possibilities where the fault only occurs
at one or two of the three phases. A fault is created at Phase
C. Loss of Generation
 216
[7] S. E. Mattson, "Modeling of Power System in Ornola for Transient
Stability Studies," IEEE Journal, 1998.
This study is conducted by creating faults on the
[8] G. P ari se , M. Massi m iano, 1995, "Short Circuit AnalysiS On A
generation side. This is considered as loss of generation Simple Power System Network : The "characteristic" current
since the generator fails to supply the loads with balanced approach," IEEE Conference Material, 1995.
current. The fault applied is from 0.25s to OAOs. Power
measurement will be taken at both sides- the gene rator and
Xl. BIOGRAPHY
the two loads.

Ir, N. Perum.' was born in Trolak, Perak on February 27, 1951. He

obtained his Diplo ma in Electrical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi
Malaysia, B.E(Hons) in Electrical & Electrical Engi nee rin g from
Portsmout h Polytechnic, U.K. and M .Sc from the U niversity of Wales,
U.K. His e mp loyment experience includes Polytechnic Ungku O mar,
Canso Light Sdn.Bhd and Universiti Teknologi Petronas. His special area
of interest indudes ele c tric al power system.
He is a Member of the Institution of Engineers M al aysia and is a
Professional En gin eer registered with the Board of Engineers M alays i �.

Fig. 8. The generation results.

The negative sign for power shows that the power is

supplied to the system. This is taken at the generator side.
As for the load, the power is positive sho wing that the
power is consumed. The power at the gener&tor drops due to
the fault. The loads are unable to consume power since the
generator is not supplying it. The drop of frequency level
down to 44Hz shows that the system is in a state of
instability.

IX. CONCLUSIONS
In this paper a systematic study of under frequency
automatic load shedding system employed in electrical
power system is presented. Dynamic studies were carried
out usingPSCAD/EMTDC software. Using a defined under
frequency automatic load shedding criteria, the frequency
values and the loads to be shed can clearly be defined. This
system has been used in indus try as an effective way of
implementing automatic load shedding.

x. REFERENCES

[I] H. Saadat, Power System AnalYSiS, McGraw-Hill International

Edition, 1999.
[2) G. S ybille ,
H. Le-Huy, "[ljgital Simulation of Power Systems Using
MATLABISimulink Power System Blockset," IEEE Power
Engineering Sociely, 2000.
[3J C. J. Balwin, C. H. Hoffman, and P. H. Jeynes, "A Further Look At
Losses", AlEE, 1961.
[4) M. Munasinghe, and W. Scott "Energy Efficiency: Optimizationof
Electric Power Distribution System Losses," Energy Department,
July 1982.
[5] J. J. Grainger, W. D. Stevenson Jr., Power System Analysis, Mcgraw­
Hilllntemational Edition, 1994.
[6J H. Hwang-Goh, A. A. M. Zin, Z. Muda, K. L. La, "Power Flow
Analysis of Power System Using Embedded Generation," IEEE
Journal,2002,