Analysis of Voltage Fluctuation Suppression during Induction Motor Startup using Smart Inverter for Fault Current Limiter Application in Power Distribution System

초록

As global energy demands rise alongside environmental concerns from fossil fuels, developing renewable energy (RE) is crucial. However, the increasing integration of distributed energy sources (DERs) like solar PV into distribution systems introduces voltage instability including voltage sags. Smart inverters are advanced grid-connected devices for DERs, capable of regulating output voltage and frequency to support grid stability. Volt/Var control (VVC) of smart inverter mitigates voltage fluctuations by supplying or absorbing reactive power based on the voltage at the smart inverter’s point of common coupling (PCC). In this paper, voltage fluctuation caused by induction motor startup and fault current limiter (FCL) application was investigated, as both significantly degrade power system stability. The effectiveness of smart inverter in suppressing voltage fluctuations and mitigating starting currents was analyzed. Through an experimental case study in a power distribution system, the combined impact of FCL and smart inverter on enhancing voltage stability during induction motor startup was evaluated. ⓒ The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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