On the use of micro PMUs for real-time estimation of high-voltage line parameters

Accurate real-time estimation of power transmission line parameters allows to improve the performance of a range of power systems applications, such as protective relay settings, post-event fault location and power flow modelling and analysis. This paper proposes a method for real-time estimation of overhead transmission line parameters and average conductor temperature from measurements provided by micro Phase Measurement Units (μPMUs), aiming at the application on the Portuguese electrical distribution system. The developed methodology employs a linear least squares algorithm applied to the nominal pi model of an overhead high-voltage power line, and accurately estimate the line parameters. The work is conducted as a concept test, first simulated in a software only test setup using specialized computer tools, then in a real-time simulation environment with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) to assess realμPMUs’ performance, followed by tests on a high-voltage line in the Portuguese distribution system. Real-time simulations with HILμPMUs proven to be valuable to understand the challenges of the method’s application in a controlled environment closer to a real scenario. Last, the results and challenges of accurate parameter estimation in the power distribution network are discussed.