Reliable protection for static synchronous series compensated double-circuit transmission lines based on positive sequence active power calculations using PMUs

Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC) allows dynamic control capabilities of transmitted power. Unfortunately, inserting SSSC in transmission lines (TLs) disturbs impedance-based distance relays as their directionality and reachability are affected by overreaching or underreaching. This paper proposes an approach for protecting double-circuit TLs compensated with SSSC. It relies on the centralized wide-area protection architecture to calculate a proposed driven index: the rate of change of positive sequence active power difference. Phasor measurement units (PMUs) at TL ends estimate voltage and current phasors to calculate the positive sequence active power at TL ends and send them to the system protection center that evaluates the index and gives the trip decision or not. Ensuring the sensitivity, dependability, and security of the approach is essential. So, the overall scheme integrates two other algorithms. One is based on the polarities of the incremental power at both ends to determine whether the fault is internal or external. The other evaluates the phase angle of the integrated impedance to deactivate the power swing-blocking function for fault detection. The scheme's effectiveness is validated comprehensively through extensive simulation tests for fault and system conditions. The results show that the proposed approach is fast, secure, selective, and reliable.