Modeling and Simulation of a Transmission Line Response to a 400 kV/400V Capacitor Coupled Substation

The access to electricity in rural areas is extremely limited, but it is crucial for all citizens. The population in rural areas of sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries is generally low, making it economically unfeasible to implement traditional rural electrification (CRE) projects due to the high cost of establishing the necessary distribution infrastructure. To address this cost issue, one alternative technology for rural electrification (URE) that can be explored is the Capacitor Coupled Substation (CCS) technology. CCS is a cost-effective solution for supplying electricity to rural areas. The research is necessitated by the need to offer a cost-effective technology for supplying electricity to sparsely populated communities. This paper examines the impact on the transmission network when a 400 kV/400V CCS is connected to it. The system response when a CCS is connected to the network was modeled using MATLAB/Si-mulink. The results, based on the fixed load of 80 kW, showed negligible interference on the transmission line voltage. However, there was minor impact on the parameters downstream of the tapping point. These findings were further supported by introducing a fault condition to the CCS, which showed that interferences with the CCS could affect the overall stability of the transmission network downstream of the tapping node, similar to the behavior of an unstable load.

Mitigation of Transients in Capacitor Coupled Substations Using Traditional RLC Filter Techniques

This article presents an extensive examination and modeling of Capacitor Coupled Substations (CCS), noting some of their inherent constraints. The underlying implementation of a CCS is to supply electricity directly from high-voltage (HV) transmission lines to low-voltage (LV) consumers through coupling capacitors and is said to be cost-effective as compared to conventional distribution networks. However, the functionality of such substations is susceptible to various transient phenomena, including ferroresonance and overvoltage occurrences. To address these challenges, the study uses simulations to evaluate the effectiveness of conventional resistor-inductor-capacitor (RLC) filter in mitigating hazardous overvoltage resulting from transients. The proposed methodology entails using standard RLC filter to suppress transients and its associated overvoltage risks. Through a series of MATLAB/Simulink simulations, the research emphasizes the practical effectiveness of this technique. The study examines the impact of transients under varied operational scenarios, including no-load switching conditions, temporary short-circuits, and load on/off events. The primary aim of the article is to assess the viability of using an established technology to manage system instabilities upon the energization of a CCS under no-load circumstances or in case of a short-circuit fault occurring on the primary side of the CCS distribution transformer. The findings underscore the effectiveness of conventional RLC filters in suppressing transients induced by the CCS no-load switching.