Suppression method of ultralow-frequency oscillation under ambient excitation in hydro-dominant power systems

Ultralow-frequency oscillations (ULFOs) have frequently occurred in hydro-dominant power systems in recent years. These phenomena seriously threaten the safe and stable operation of power systems. Therefore, measures that can effectively suppress ULFO need to be taken. Currently, the hydropower unit governor can enhance the dynamic stability and dampening oscillations of a system through adjusting the proportional–integral–derivative parameters. However, modifying these parameters can affect the primary frequency regulation performance, which compromises the assurance of grid frequency quality. This study proposes a switching type of hydro generator governor based on the local damping contribution rate to address the aforementioned problems. The approach incorporates the energy structure into the classical governor model, calculates the local damping contribution rate, and enables automatic switching of the hydro generator governor parameters based on positive and negative local damping contributions. This way allows for segmented control with different parameter settings, which enables the system to effectively consider the damping characteristics of ULFO while maintaining primary frequency regulation performance. It can also accurately and efficiently suppress the ULFO. The proposed method is verified through arithmetic analysis conducted on a 16-machine 5-zone system and an actual grid system. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.