A Novel Islanding Detection Technique Based on Piezoelectric Sensors for Grid-Integrated DG Systems

Abstract

This paper presents the novel islanding detection technique that depends on the piezoelectric sensors for distributed generation sources (DGs) in the grid-integrated operation mode. The islanding detection method employs a piezoelectric sensor for the detection of the frequency variations during grid disruptions. The designed diaphragm-based sensor has a natural frequency as that of the fundamental frequency of the system frequency signal. Any further deviations from the natural frequency due to the disturbances will be sensed by the sensor and a control signal is being sent to the associated circuit breaker for suitable action. The sensor structure is modeled using the finite element method and implemented in the Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) of the grid-integrated DGs. The proposed circular diaphragm-based sensor structure will have the bandwidth in the range of natural frequency with the tolerance rate of ±1% and uses the input signal received from the PLL controller outer loop. The proposed islanding detection technique’s performance and reliability for grid-integrated DG are validated using the real-time hardware in the loop test-bed platform. The HIL virtual simulated responses show that the method can be proposed effectively for islanding detection in the event of frequency variations in the grid-integrated DG systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Acoustic sensor
• Diaphragm based
• Distributed generation sources
• Grid disturbances
• Hardware in loop
• Islanding detection
• Phase-locked loop
• Piezoelectric sensor
• Power quality

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shreeram V. Kulkarni

Shreeram V Kulkarni received MTech degree in electrical power systems (EPS) from SDMCET, Dhavalagiri Dharwad, India. He is a graduate student member of IEEE (GSIEEE). His research interests are power system analysis and control, microgrid operation, droop control for parallel-connected DGs, and islanding detection for grid connected power electronic-based DG systems and published research papers in journals and conferences. He is pursuing PhD degree in power systems from National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, India. He is presently working as assistant professor in the Department of EEE in NMIT, Bengaluru.

Vasudha Hegde

Vasudha Hegde is presently working as associate professor and head of Dept of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Bangalore. She completed her BE (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) from JNNCE, shimoga and MTech in computer applications in industrial drives from MSRIT, Bangalore. She did her doctorate in micro rnergy harvesting using piezoelectric acoustic sensor under the broader area of renewable energy. She has 20+ years of teaching experience and published more than 20 research papers in journals and conferences. She was also the coordinator for starting MTech (Renewable Energy) framing the syllabus and setting up the labs at NMIT, Bangalore. Email: [email protected]

Dattatraya N. Gaonkar

D N Gaonkar received his MTech degree in power and energy systems from National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, India, in the year 2003. He obtained PhD degree in power systems in the year 2008 from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India.

He was a visiting scholar at the University of Saskatchewan Canada. He also visited Center for Future Energy Systems (CFES) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy New York and Energy Reliability and Security Laboratory at Michigan State University (MSU) at East Lansing, USA, and Energy Management and Microgrid Laboratory at NUS Singapore for research interaction. He has edited and written a chapter in the book titled Distributed generation, which is published by INTECH publication Austria. He is the senior member of IEEE and Fellow of IE (India), life member of ISTE and SSI. His main research interests are in the area of power system operation and control, distributed generation systems and power electronics. Presently, he is a faculty member in the Department of EEE NITK Surathkal. Email: [email protected]