IIEE's Plagiarism

If you think MVP and the Supreme Court are on fire recently with plagiarism issues, then after reading this blog you may think otherwise.

The Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers (IIEE) in the Philippines publishes a magazine quarterly, The Electrical Engineer. Copies of the issues are provided with hard copies to residences of members and soft copies at their website. Of course, I am a member of IIEE that's why I get copies on-line. I have called the attention of IIEE Technical Department on this but I can't understand why they keep on repeating this ethical mistake.

Below are tables of comparison I made, from where IIEE technical authors might have sourced their technical articles. I ranked them for fun but the issue is not.

Honorable Mention

GE Tech Note	IIEE Article
http://www.geindustrial.com/publibrary/checkout/GET-8057?TNR=White%20Papers|GET-8057|generic	http://www.iiee.org.ph/home/uploads/SYSTEM%20RELIABILITY.pdf
Control Error – Loss of control power results in the inability to control the process. This may well be the most pervasive voltage interruption problem, especially among commercial users. Contactor Dropout – Many industrial controls employ magnetically-latched contactors as motor control devices. A voltage sip or sag can cause a momentary collapse of the magnetic field which holds the contacts closed. When the contacts open, the motor stops. Voltage Flicker – In the strictest sense, flicker is the repetitive variation in intensity of lighting, and is more of a human irritation factor than a direct cause of process disruption. However, it can also be used in a more literal sense to describe a set of problems in which lighting is extinguished due to voltage dips. Machine Dynamics – Since voltage magnitude is essential to transmitting power, voltage dips and sags limit the ability of a power system to distribute power from sources to loads. This limitation in power transfer can lead to generators not being able to maintain stability.  Stall and Reacceleration – Motors will stall if the supply voltage is depressed for a prolonged period. This may be a problem if the motor is not properly protected. Furthermore, motors must reaccelerate when normal voltage is restored. Reacceleration involves higher than normal motor currents which may result in further voltage sag problems.	Control Error – Loss of control power results in the inability to control the process. Contactor Dropout – Many industrial controls employ magnetically-latched contactors as motor control devices. A voltage dip or sag can cause a momentary collapse of the magnetic field which holds the contacts closed. When the contacts open, the motor stops. Voltage Flicker – In the practical sense, flicker is the repetitive variation in intensity of lighting, and is more of a human irritation factor (threshold of perception, or threshold of human objection) than a direct cause of process disruption. However, it can also be used in a more literal sense to describe a set of problems in which lighting is extinguished due to voltage dips. Machine Dynamics – Since voltage magnitude is essential to transmitting power, voltage dips and sags limit the ability of a power system to distribute power from sources to loads. This limitation in power transfer can lead to generators not being able to maintain stability. Stall & Re-Acceleration – Motors will stall if the supply voltage is depressed for a prolonged period. Furthermore, motors must reaccelerate when normal voltage is restored. Reacceleration involves higher than normal motor currents which may result in further voltage sag problems.
Voltage sag is a partial reduction in the magnitude of voltage that often persists for extended periods and is usually related to system loading conditions Voltage dip is a significant reduction in voltage for a relatively short duration, often caused by power system faults. Voltage interruption is a complete loss of input voltage, lasting from seconds to much longer.	Voltage Sag is a partial reduction in the magnitude of voltage that often persists for extended periods and is usually related to system loading conditions. Voltage Dip is a significant reduction in voltage for a relatively short duration, often caused by power system faults, or as frequently in events of large motor starts-up. Voltage Interruption is a complete loss of input voltage, lasting from seconds to a much longer time.
The actual economic justification for prevent production interruptions due to voltage disturbances must consider the following elements: 1. How vulnerable is the process to various types of voltage disturbances? 2. What is the net cost of production outages due to these disturbances? 3. How effective is a particular solution in avoiding these outages? 4. How does the cost of the solution compare to the savings which can be realized? There are several elements of cost associated with a voltage interruption that should be recognized and quantified in the economic evaluation. Cost of Lost Production – In the simplest case, this is the incremental margin on product that is not manufactured and therefore cannot be sold. Cost of Damaged Product – If the interruption damages a partially completed product, the cost of repairing that product must be recognized. In some cases, the product cannot be repaired, so the value of the raw materials (including the consumed energy up to the point where the disruption occurred) must be accounted for together with the cost of the incremental value added to the product. In the commercial arena, a major source of concern is lost computer data. Cost of Maintenance – The cost of reacting to a voltage disruption experience. This includes everything involved in restoring production, including diagnosing and correcting the problem, cleanup and repair, disposing of damaged product, and environmental costs. In some industries (e.g., plastics and electronics), an interruption for several hours may result in the need to invest many days and thousands of dollars in cleaning up the process system before it can be returned to service. Hidden Costs – This factor may be the most difficult to quantify but it can easily be the most significant. If the impact of the voltage dip or sag is control error, it is possible that the impact on product may not be apparent until the product is in the hands of the consumer. Product recall and/or public relations costs can be significant.	The actual economic justification in preventing production interruptions due to voltage disturbances must therefore consider the following elements: 1) How vulnerable is the process to various types of voltage disturbances? 2) What is the net cost of production outages due to these disturbances? 3) How effective is a particular solution in avoiding these outages? 4) How does the cost of the solution compare to the savings which can be realized? As to the cost associated with voltage interruptions the following elements should be recognized and quantified: Cost of Lost Production – In the simplest case, this is the incremental margin on products that cannot be sold because they are not manufactured. Cost of Damaged Product – If the interruption damages a partially completed product, the cost of repairing that product must be recognized. In some cases, the product cannot be repaired, so the value of the raw materials (including the consumed energy and other manufacturing costs up to the point where the disruption occurred) must be accounted for together with the cost of the incremental value added to the product. In other environments, a major source of concern is lost computer data. Cost of Maintenance – This is the cost of reacting to a voltage disruption. This includes everything involved in restoring production, including trouble-shooting and correcting the problem, cleanup and repair, disposing of damaged product, and environmental costs. In some industries (e.g., plastics, glass manufacturing, cement manufacturing, electronics, etc), an interruption may result in the need to invest many days and a significant amount of money in cleaning up the process system before it can be returned to service. Hidden Costs – This factor may be the most difficult to quantify but it can easily be the most significant. If the impact of the voltage dip or sag is control error, it is possible that the impact on product may not be apparent until the product is in the hands of the consumer. As business nightmare, product recall and the subsequent public relations costs can be significant or may even cause bankruptcies.

 Salutatorian

Pure Power Article	IIEE Article
Harmonics No More, PURE POWER // SUMMER 2009 - http://e-ditionsbyfry.com/Olive/ODE/PLE/default.aspx?href=PLE%2F2009%2F07%2F02&pageno=10&entity=Ar01000&view=entity	HANDLING HARMONICS…. BEFORE IT MISHANDLES YOUR SYSTEM, THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER MAGAZINE 2ND QUARTER 2010, page 25 - http://www.iiee.org.ph/home/uploads/IIEEpub.pdf
Effects of voltage-wave distortion, however, are evident throughout the distribution system. This condition results when instantaneous current demand exceeds the distribution system’s ability to deliver power to the load.	Voltage-wave distortion, which is evident throughout the distribution system, results when instantaneous current demand exceeds the distribution system's ability to deliver power to the load.
Equipment with the potential for generating voltage-wave distortion includes UPS systems, VFDs, solid-state elevator drives, arc heating units, and other devices with very large, short term current demands.	Equipment with the potential for generating voltage-wave distortion includes UPS systems, VFDs, solid-state elevator drives, arc heating units, and spot welding machines.
There are two primary ways to eliminate voltage harmonics: by incorporating harmonic filters at selected locations, or by eliminating devices that produce voltage wave distortion by purchasing devices that produce lower levels of harmonics.	The two basic ways to eliminate voltage harmonics are: by harmonic filters placed at selected locations, and by eliminating devices that produce voltage-wave distortion by using devices that produce lower levels of harmonics.
Active filters incorporate microprocessors to eliminate harmonics by rapidly compensating for sine-wave deviations from ideal wave forms by inverting the harmonic distortion and reinserting it into the feeder to cancel the harmonics. These models can correct all harmonic magnitudes up to their maximum capability and can eliminate harmonics concerns in electrical-distribution design.	Active filters incorporate microprocessors to eliminate harmonics by rapidly compensating for sine-wave deviations from ideal wave forms by inverting the harmonic distortion and reinserting it into the feeder to cancel the harmonics These models can correct all harmonic magnitudes up to their maximum capability and can eliminate harmonics concerns in electrical-distribution design
SUMMARY Without careful design considerations, harmonics can cause expensive & damaging problems. As a result, each potential harmonic producer should be investigated to determine the frequency and level of harmonics so the appropriate type of filtering may be specified. Doubled neutral conductors and k-factor transformers should be used only as a last resort in existing installations to mitigate large triplen harmonic levels; and not as a routine procedure for every facility. Judicious use of harmonic filters for either a dedicated, device-specific application or on a group basis. Incorporating a single filter to handle a number of harmonic-producing loads, can be the most cost-effective way to limit harmonics in the distribution system.	A SYSTEMS APPROACH Without careful design considerations, harmonics can cause expensive, damaging problems. As a result, each potential harmonic producer should be investigated to determine the frequency and level of harmonics so the appropriate type of filtering may be specified. Doubled neutral conductors and k-factor transformers should be used only as a last resort in existing installations to mitigate large triplen harmonic levels, not as a routine procedure for every facility. Judicious use of harmonic filters for either a dedicated, device-specific application or on a group basis, incorporating a single filter to handle a number of harmonic producing loads, can be the most cost effective way to limit harmonics in the distribution system.

 Valedictorian

See word for word imitations by clicking title
Book	IIEE Article
Integrated Solutions for Energy & Facility Management By Association of Energy Engineers, Sioros/Assoc En, Donna Sioros	Specification Guidelines for Improving Immunity to Power Quality Defects, THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER MAGAZINE October-December 2008, page 35- http://www.iiee.org.ph/home/uploads/IIEEoct_decISSUE.pdf

Electric Power Education Evaluation

When a credited agency evaluated my education credentials, my bachelor degree in electrical engineering was assessed as an equivalent of a US degree in electrical engineering. My Master of Engineering degree was not evaluated as an advanced degree above the undergraduate level, it was likewise assessed as another bachelor degree equivalent in the US.

Looking back, I went to that master’s program due to a requirement of the higher education agency in the Philippines which encourage college instructors to acquire advanced degrees. As wanting to fulfill a requirement, I enrolled where the program might be easy and might be cheap in terms of fees. So, after three years, I got the degree.

I wasn’t thinking of where I could use the advanced degree further. I did not envision going abroad and using the degree but perhaps I should have look at all angles.

Why? Almost the same effort will be poured into a degree that might be easy or relatively hard. When I was employed at TRANSCO, I decided to go to the state university for further studies. They admitted me for another master’s program but later I requested to be admitted in the PhD level which the department approved. As far as I can remember, the same effort I gave into the master’s studies was almost the same amount I gave to the PhD studies. As long as you got the theory, practice plus books and internet, you got the edge.

So here are my points.

For students planning to take advanced degree after your undergraduate level, enroll in an institution where they give you the advanced education you deserve. Do not go for mediocrity. Do not allow yourself to fulfill a requirement. Require yourself to advance. Look into the curriculum before you enroll; is it a replay of your BS or a notch higher than your BS? In any case, you will put effort. Better to put effort into what is worthy.  Compare the curriculum with US curriculums, are they parallel? No, I’m not saying you are going abroad, what I’m telling you is that you must know what a graduate student in the US must know. Be at par with the world.

For institutions offering advanced degrees, be sure to offer advanced degrees. Forward yourself by moving your student forward.  Do not give them what they already know. Do not teach them what they can teach you. Don’t let them do all the work in one semester and give them credit which is equivalent to what they have already achieved. You can do better by pushing your student to do better. If you are offering an electric power advanced degree, consider to offer the following:

·         Power System Stability

·         Power System Analysis

·         Power System Protection

·         Power System Reliability

·         Electricity Markets

·         Electricity Regulation and Laws

·         Information and Communication in Power Systems

·         Distribution System Analysis

·         Power System Operation and Control

·         Power System Planning

·         Power System Economics and Rates

No, I did not waste my time in my master’s degree. However, I believe I can do better. We can do better.

Application of N-1 Contingency Analysis

The Philippine Grid Code (PGC) regulates that transmission systems must be N-1 compliant. Any single component in outage must not result to any thermal overloading of lines, which means above 100% of MVA rating, and no voltage limits will be violated whether overvoltage or undervoltage. Voltage limits are 0.95 per-unit voltage and 1.05 per unit voltage.

In this post, we demonstrate how to apply this application to the Luzon Approximate Network model though we will focus only on the thermal loading of lines. I am assuming any voltage violations can be eliminated by transformer tap change or capacitor switching at the substations of power plant switchyards.

In Powerworld, there are two ways, I can think of, to do this. Open the case and manually switch of any branch then solve the case. Or use the automated way to apply contingency analysis.

Before we go further, here are initial evaluations needed to undergo: (1) no existing overloads in the pre-contingency, (2) no existing voltage violations, (3) generating machines are not over dispatched.

In the Philippines, the substation configuration is usually a breaker and a half arrangement. With this assumption, the single branch contingency or N-1 is adaptable. In other power systems abroad, there are design contingencies which will trip several lines, not only one branch, for an N-1 set-up. These contingencies are called design contingencies. Also, any bus (outage of 1 or more lines) or breaker fail (outage of one or more lines) contingency are not considered in the N-1 analysis at least in the Philippines.

Here are the steps for N-1 analysis:

1.    Open the case in Powerworld
2.    At Edit Mode or Run Mode, in Case Information palettes go to Limit Monitoring to check existing pre-contingency thermal overloads. Identify overloads at the column of % of Limit Used. Redispatch generation to correct pre-contingency overloads, if possible. If no pre-contingency overloads are present, proceed to N-1 analysis (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

3.    At Run Mode, go to Tools. Click on Contingency Analysis, a new window will open (Figure 2). In Contingencies, click Auto-Insert to create contingency to be applied to the power network. Another window will open then click Do Insert Contingencies, notice the options of contingency combinations (Figure 3).

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

4.    Program will ask you to confirm 92 contingencies to be created (Figure 4). Click Yes. This will create the contingencies and will input the contingencies in the window (Figure 5). Notice Status as Initialized.

Figure 4.

Figure 5.

5.    Click Start Run to begin N-1 contingency analysis.
6.    When the simulation is finished, at the left bottom of the window, there is a status update for the finished contingency calculations (Figure 6).

Figure 6.

Figure 7.

7.    To view results, click Combined Tables, then to Legacy Tables ' click Contingency Definition-Violation Table' Copy to Clipboard. When finished, paste in notepad or any MS Word type program. You can also view result per contingency when you click at any one of the contingency at the window (Figure 7).

If I am working on this I will analyze the results and even apply the contingency manually and observed the resulting overloads. This means, I don't depend on the software's results but "analyze" the results. Why do the overloads happen? What were the pre-contingency loadings at the overloaded elements? Why is the contingency credible enough to produced those thermal violations? If in operations planning horizon, what are the actions needed to mitigate the thermal overloads?

In doing N-1 analysis, don't let the power system engineer be an "N". Meaning, he must not let himself be taken away by the software and he must not depend fully on the software's results but he is to gain more understanding on the network when examining the results.

Energy Efficiency Impact on Demand

Recent news on the DOE secretary was about his speech at an energy forum attended by electric power industry stakeholders. The secretary was quoted to point at energy efficiency as a solution to the crisis in energy. He said if people would practice the Energy Efficiency Protocol,  the expected demand reduction will be 20% for residential load and 25% for industrial/commercial demand. If residential load is say 30% of the total grid demand then we can follow a formula like,

            TD_Eff = Res(0.8) + Ind(0.75) = (0.3)TD(0.8) + (0.7)TD(0.75) 

TD is the total demand and TD_Eff is the TD with energy efficiency at the demand side.

The DOE secretary also mentioned the energy savings from using energy efficient devices will solve the power shortage for three to four years. Following the DOE forecast on Visayas and applying the formula above, I wanted to verify the declaration.

Looking at the graph above, the DOE demand forecast is above the dependable generation capacity. When energy efficiency is accounted, the demand goes below the dependable capacity for the upcoming four years.

Does this solve the power shortage? No.

Grid operations require generation reserves to maintain system frequency and prepare for unforeseen grid contingencies. In real time, there are generation or transmission outages due to planned maintenance or forced outages.Visayas grid, as per NGCP website requires about 190MW for its generation reserves at the present time. Apparently, load will catch up with the generation capacity in 2013 based on DOE's projections.

Energy efficiency is good not only for the reduction of grid demand but also it makes the grid environment friendly. It will surely help, but given the situation, it does not solve the power shortage for the coming four years.

PS - At present, the dependable capacity in the Visayas alone is at 1,505 MW while peak demand is at 1,430 MW, with a required reserve margin of 335 MW.

Elektrisidad Pilipinas Cited at Philippine Online Chronicles

The work done on the approximate model of the Luzon power network and the rationale for its need was cited by the Philippine Online Chronicles. Below is an excerpt of the commentary where this blog was noted. 

Using the Approximate Luzon Network Model for Power Engineering Education and Training

Educators and trainers can utilize the model in lectures or laboratories for discussion of the following:

1.    Power flow analysis
2.    Application of grid code limits on branch thermal capacity and bus voltages with or without outages
3.    Application of N-1 contingency
4.    Determination of maximum generation of an area with or without N-1 contingency
5.    Determination of  the limiting contingency for dispatching maximum generation of a plant
6.    Determination of the maximum generation that can be interconnected to a specific bus without violating grid code limits on branch thermal capacity and bus voltages with or without N-1 contingency
7.    Determination of   how much load growth can be accommodated without transmission/generation expansion
8.    Determination of   the generation margin/reserves at peak and off peak conditions
9.    Impact of enabling on load transformer taps on bus voltages
10.    Impact of limited reactive power capacity of a certain plant on bus voltages
11.    Impact of outage(s) of 500kV line(s) on the system
12.    Impact of outage(s) of 500kV transformer(s) on the system
13.    Impact of load power factor of the system or of an area on the system performance
14.    Impact of power contract transactions on the system performance applying grid code limits
15.    Application of load forecast for Luzon in the coming years and determine needed generation and transmission expansion

There might be other applicable analysis depending on the capability of the software being used, in this case Powerworld.  Thus, the list above is not exhaustive.

Download the Approximate Luzon Network Model

I am providing a download link for the Approximate Luzon Network Model here.

Use it for good and noble purposes only. ;)

Developing the Approximate Luzon Network Model

Almost two weeks of vacation gave me enough reason to delay the update on the approximate Luzon power system model I have developed in Powerworld. In this post, I will cite the modeling assumptions I have made and some issues I encountered in the approximate model. The aim is to allow discussion to set in to refine the model as to depict as near as possible the real power system performance.

Component Modeling:

Generation:
I modeled the generation of an existing power plant as one lumped model. Data was taken from WESM Luzon single line diagram. For example, if Sual has two machines, the plant is modeled as one unit with the maximum capacity equals the sum of the Pmax of the units. The machines are assumed to operate at 0.95 power factor whether lagging or leading condition. If the dispatch is less than or equal the capacity of one unit, the reactive power must be adjusted too.

Transmission lines:
The line impedances were computed using the table of line parameters from page 68 of Power System Dynamics: Stability and Control book. The distances were determined with Google Earth. Application of plus 5 km. was considered to account for right of way instead of the straight distance measured.

Transformers:
The transformer capacities and voltage level were taken from the WESM single line diagram. The impedances were taken from the appendix of Elements of Power System Analysis book by Stevenson.

Load:
The load allocation at the buses was taken from the document posted at ERC. I added Zapote substation to further zoom into Metro Manila.

The issues I have encountered with this approximate model are:
1. The load power factor is an important parameter for voltage magnitudes. Low power factor will provide low voltages especially at highly loaded buses.

2. The assignment of swing bus brings a concern since two or more plants are lumped at one bus. The pick-up of needed supply or decreasing of output due to excess supply is shared by the plants connected at the swing bus and might cause unrealistic dispatch in real and reactive power.

Further improvement of the model can be the following:

• Validation with the real system performance - I do not know any public document that would give a snapshot of the Luzon grid at any load condition

• Plot the model with the Luzon map

• Include generation cost data

Email me at ebcano@gmail.com if you are interested to have the approximate Luzon network model. You have to download the Powerworld software for this.

Comments on the approximate model are very welcome.

Two things come into mind after I have completed this job - Visayas and Mindanao. ;)

Luzon Approximate Network Model

The past days have been a great reminder to my long time personal project which I have not attended to. The newly appointed DOE Secretary raps the NGCP's lack of transparency. This is not a surprise since NGCP now operates as a private company unlike before. Mr. Nick Nichols blogged about the communication of NGCP and Meralco to the public at large. GMA News has done a geographical reporting and analysis of floods in the past, which I think Mr. Nichols is suggesting the same type of reporting for outages.

The difficulty being cited produced fire in me again to re-visit and finish this project. I have been thinking about this project - an approximate Luzon grid model. Of course, data won't be coming from NGCP or the WESM. I believe I can do it by merely using public data. Public data like the following:

1. WESM Market Network Model - has present system configuration and capacities of plants, substations and transmission lines
2. Transco Annual Report - has capacities and distances of several lines
3. Market Simulation of Luzon Grid submitted to the ERC - has a reduced 30 bus model of the Luzon grid, which I think is sufficient for the model I am planning, and provides load allocation for those 30 buses.

Using free Powerworld 40 bus version software to act as my data bank and to simulate the model, I already got an approval from Powerworld Corporation to go ahead with this research, and use Google Earth to measure distances between substations.

This model can be utilize for public discussions and probably have it available for the academic community to have a working power system model.

One weakness, I foresee, in this model is there is no publicly available grid impact study for which I can compare the results of the power flow simulations. Yet, I still believe it's a worthy project.