IEEE Africon 2017 Proceedings
Resonant characteristics of the transmission line
compensated with the Static Synchronous Series
Compensator
M.J. Masenkane
Electrical Engineering Programme
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Durban, 4001, South Africa
jmasenkane@yahoo.com
Abstract— This paper examines resonant characteristics of
the transmission line compensated with the Static Synchronous
Series Compensator. Frequency-domain characteristics of the
line impedance are studied to evaluate whether the SSSC can
cause electrical resonance in the line, hence the potential to excite
subsynchronous resonance (SSR) in neighboring turbine-
generator plants. Detailed studies are performed in PSCAD using
the modified IEEE first benchmark (IEEE FBM) model. The
results show that the SSSC has a potential to excite SSR since it
provides capacitive reactance not only at the rated system
frequency but also at subsynchronous frequencies.
Keywords— Subsynchronous resonance; SSSC; Resonant
frequency; conventional capacitors
I. INTRODUCTION
Construction of new electrical power generation and
transmission infrastructure to meet the ever growing energy
demand is restricted by economic, environmental and
regulatory policies inter alia. Also, through decentralization of
electric power generation, more renewable energy sources are
being integrated into existing power grids, hence more power
needs to be transmitted over power lines than before. This
increases the level of uncertainty in the operation of power
networks [1] and potentially endanger their stability [2]. These
call for enhancement of power transfer capability of existing
transmission lines beyond their present operating region but
below their thermal limits [3]. Series compensation by means
of conventional series capacitor banks has been used for
decades to serve this purpose [4]. Connecting these capacitors
in series with the transmission line reduces the effective
inductive reactance of the line, allowing more power to be
transferred along the line. The use of these devices is, however,
restricted by their potential to excite subsynchronous resonance
(SSR) in neighboring turbine-generators. SSR is a form of
dynamic instability which may result in failure or damage of
turbine shafts in its worst exhibition [5]. It is for this reason
that alternative forms of series compensation were sought.
In the late 1980s, dynamic compensation of alternating
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978-1-5386-2775-4/17/$31.00 ©2017 IEEE
R. Pillay Carpanen
Electrical Engineering Programme
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Durban, 4001, South Africa
PillayR21@ukzn.ac.za
current (AC) transmission lines by solid state synchronous
voltage sources was proposed by Gyugyi [6]. One such a
device is a Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC)
which injects voltage in series with the line and in quadrature
with the line current. The SSSC can be designed to operate
either as voltage controlled or reactance controlled. It was
initially believed that these inverter-based series compensators
cannot cause SSR since they do not employ series capacitors.
The above claim on the immunity of these devices to SSR was
made based on the assumption that the voltage they inject into
the transmission line could be restricted to the synchronous
frequency of the network. The work of [7] later revealed that
detailed analysis of the SSR characteristics of these devices is a
prerequisite to drawing conclusions regarding their potential to
cause SSR. This includes among other issues the use of
benchmark study systems developed for such investigations
[8], and considering different system operating conditions.
There are different analytical tools used to assess the
potential existence and severity of SSR and the most dominant
ones in industry are frequency scanning, eigenvalue analysis
and electromagnetic transient simulations [1], [9]. Frequency
scanning technique offers a quick method to assess and identify
the potential risk of SSR. In this paper, frequency–response
simulation tests are carried out in PSCAD to study the SSR
characteristics of the SSSC. This frequency-response method is
initially validated by comparing it with the harmonic
impedance theoretical solution. To attain clearer perception of
the SSR characteristics of the SSSC, the resonant
characteristics of the SSSC compensated transmission line are
compared with the resonant characteristics of the capacitor
compensated line that are known to cause the SSR problem.
Finally, time domain simulations are performed together with
frequency scanning to determine the exited torsional modes.
This paper has considered a SSSC operating in the reactance-
control mode.
II. SUBSYNCHRONOUS RESONANCE
A. The SSR study system
 IEEE Africon 2017 Proceedings
Fig. 1. Single Machine Infinite Bus system of the IEEE first benchmark model
The study system c study system consists of the single
892.4 MVA generator feeding an infinite bus through a single
series compensated 500kV transmission line as shown in
Fig. 1. Series compensation is either provided by the
conventional capacitor banks or by the SSSC at system
frequency of 60 Hz. The turbine-generator shaft consists of a
six-mass rotor system representing different shaft sections.
This system has numerous vibration torsional modes; below
and above the rated system frequency. For the purpose of SSR
studies, however, only the subsynchronous frequency range
(i.e. below system rated frequency) is of interest.
Table I provides the torsional vibration modes of the six-mass
rotor system.
TABLE I. TURBO-GENERATOR ROTOR TORSIONAL MODES [10]
Mode Frequency, fn
Mode 0 1.6 Hz
Mode 1 15.71 Hz
Mode 2 20.21 Hz
Mode 3 25.55 Hz
Mode 4 32.285 Hz
Mode 5 47.46 Hz
B. Mechanism of SSR
An RL transmission line compensated with conventional
series capacitors represents a resonant RLC network. This
network exhibits a resonant minimum in its impedance at a
resonant frequency at which the inductive reactance and
capacitive reactance cancel out. The network resonant
frequency, fer, is given by (1), where XC is the capacitive
reactance at a system frequency, f0. The total network inductive
reactance consists of the line reactance, XL, the step up
transformer reactance, Xt, the infinite bus reactance, Xsys as well
as the generator sub-transient reactance, X ̎ ad.
XC
f er f0
X L  X t  X Sys  X ad
"
A disturbance in the power system containing such a network
results in currents at the frequency fer to flow in the nearby
generator stator windings, developing a torque with the slip
frequency (f0 - fer) in the air gap. SSR due to torsional
interaction results if this slip frequency gets significantly close
to any of the turbine-generator natural torsional modes.
III. MODELLING OF THE SSSC
A. SSSC principle of operation
Fig. 2 shows the SSSC connected to the transmission line
by means of an injection transformer. The SSSC consists of a
Sinusoidal Pulse Width (SPWM) voltage source inverter (VSI)
using power IGBTs with switching frequency of 1260 Hz
(21×f0). The SSSC can provide capacitive or inductive
reactance in series with the transmission line independent of
the line current, although only capacitive mode of operation is
considered in this paper. The DC link voltage is maintained at
the predetermined value by ensuring that no active power is
exchanged between the SSSC and the line, except a small
amount that is rectified to charge the capacitor and compensate
for the inverter losses.
Fig. 2. The SSSC installed on a transmission line
The phase and magnitude control of the voltage injected by
the SSSC are obtained from the SSSC internal controls shown
in Fig. 2. The line current is measured and its peak value, Ipk or
|I| is obtained. The output from the magnitude control is
given by (2), with kconv being the converter gain.
1
Sm I pk X sssc (2)
Vdc K conv
The angle calculator consists of the inner power loop and
outer voltage loop. In the outer loop, the error between the DC
link voltage Vdc and the reference voltage Vdc* is calculated and
converted into a commanded power, P*. The error, ƐP,
between the commanded power and the actual power, Pi, at
the inverter AC terminals is obtained in the inner loop and
(1) converted to angle error, Ɛϴ using (3).
1
HT HP (3)
3 2
I pk X sssc
2
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 IEEE Africon 2017 Proceedings

The angle error Ɛϴ is taken through the PI controller to get in a SSSC compensated network. However, it will be used to
the angle ϴ, whose dynamics are defined by (4), which is then check the validity of the frequency-response test methodology
added to the transmission angle, w0t obtained using the phase to be used in SSSC compensated transmission line.
locked loop (PLL), to get the required angle, φv [11].
B. Frequency-response test simulation
dT
dt 3 2
K ai
^K V
vp
*
dc 
 Vdc  Pi ` (4)
I pk X sssc
2 SSSC, frequency response cannot be predicted from circuit
IV. SSR CHARACTERISTICS IN THE FIRST BENCHMARK MODEL
In order to study the SSR characteristics of the SSSC or the
conventional series capacitors using the IEEE first benchmark
model, the synchronous machine is first replaced by the
grounded three-phase AC source of the same amplitude and
frequency behind a sub-transient reactance.
A. Harmonic impedance solution
The simulation package PSCAD has a powerful
component or feature which allows impedance scanning of
electrical systems [12]. Fig. 3 shows the use of this component
to scan the impedance of the capacitor compensated network
as seen looking from the armature of the generator in the IEEE
first benchmark model. For transmission line or cable models,
this component uses the RLC data directly. The system
impedance matrix is generated in phase domain and then
collapsed into an equivalent matrix as seen from the interface
point. The process is repeated for each frequency in the range
specified by the user in the parameter inputs. Accurate
representation for unbalanced transmission lines or Y-∆
transformers is obtained by solving equations in phase domain
without using sequence networks. The impedance of the
sending end source is kept high during simulation to ensure
the impedance scanned corresponds to the transmission
network impedance. Output data from the harmonic
impedance solution is in a form of a text file and can be
analysed in any external graphical analysis program, such as
Matlab which is used in this paper. Assumptions made in the
harmonic impedance solution are as follows:
x Transformer saturation and arresters are assumed to
be in their unsaturated region.
x All power electronic devices are assumed to be in
their OFF state.
This is why the method is not suitable for resonance studies
Fig. 3. Diagram showing the interface to harmonic impedance solution to scan
the network impedance
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As mentioned in the previous section, when compensation
is provided by a complex power-electronic device such as the
theory analysis (e.g. using the harmonic impedance solution).
The frequency-response test method adopted from [7] is used
instead, given in Fig. 4 and summarized below:
1) The transmission network is fed with the normal
transmission line voltage at its sending and receiving
ends which are separated by some transmission angle
δ. A small subsynchronous voltage VSS (10% of the
sending-end voltage amplitude) is inserted in each
phase at the sending end, as in Fig. 4. The frequency
of the subsynchronous voltage is set to a value lower
than the power system frequency.
2) Steady-state response of the transmission line voltages
and currents to this combination of subsynchronous
and synchronous forcing voltages is obtained.
3) The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis is carried
out on time domain results to extract the magnitude
and phase relationship between the phase ‘a’ voltage
and current so as to obtain the net impedance of the
line at the given frequency.
4) The frequency domain characteristics of the line are
obtained by repeating the above steps (1) to (3) for a
frequency range of interest.
Fig. 4. Diagram of the simulated frequency-response test equivalent circuit
V. SIMULATION RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
A. Resonant characteristics of the conventional capacitor
compensated IEEE FBM
In this subsection, variation of the resonant frequency of the
capacitor compensated network with the degree of
compensation is investigated. Harmonic impedance solution is
used to obtain the theoretical frequency-response of the
transmission line impedance and the results are shown in
Fig. 5. The results show that the impedance of a conventionally
compensated line does exhibit a resonant minimum at some
 IEEE Africon 2017 Proceedings
Fig. 5. Resonant characteristics of the transmission line compensated with
conventional series capacitors
subsynchronous frequency. At this frequency, the impedance is
minimum and purely resistive and this is the origin of the SSR
problem in conventionally compensated networks. Also, the
resonant frequency increases with the degree of series
compensation. For all degrees of compensation considered, the
minimum impedance at resonant frequency is the same
(0.01416 Ω), which is the line resistance seen from the
armature of the generator. Resonant frequency in each case is
the same as that calculated using (1).
B. Validation of the frequency-response test methodology
In order to obtain confidence in the frequency-response
test methodology for investigating the impedance resonant
characteristics, results from this method need to be validated.
This subsection evaluates the accuracy of the frequency-
response test methodology in a capacitor compensated IEEE
FBM. Fig. 6 shows comparison of the frequency-response test
results to the theoretical results for 74.1% compensation of the
line reactance (Xc = 0.3707 pu).
Fig. 6. Comparison of the frequency-response test results to the theoretical
results with capacitor compensation (Xc = 0.3707 pu)
617
From Fig. 6, it is observed that the results from the
frequency-response test simulations agree closely with the
theoretical results which guarantees the accuracy of the
frequency-test methodology. The resonant frequency is found
to be 39.9 Hz. This will result in the generator air gap torque
at a slip frequency of 20.1 Hz, which is close to mode 2
(at 20.21 Hz) in table I. Thus, there is a risk of SSR due to
torsional interaction through destabilization of this particular
mode at the 74.1% compensation by conventional capacitors.
C. Resonant characteristics of the SSSC compensated IEEE
FBM
In this subsection, the net impedance of the SSSC
compensated transmission line is examined as a function of
frequency. The frequency-response test technique described in
section IV is used to establish the electrical resonance of the
SSSC compensated transmission line at different degrees of
series compensation. Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 show the resonance
characteristics of the SSSC compensated line at 25%
(Xsssc = 0.125 pu) and 74.1% (Xsssc = 0.3707 pu) series
compensation respectively.
The results of Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 show that a SSSC
compensated line also exhibits a resonant minimum at a
resonant frequency, just like the capacitor compensated line.
Therefore, the SSSC has a potential to cause SSR at the given
degrees of compensation. Further, the resonant frequency
increases with the degree of series compensation just like a
case of conventionally compensated line. However, the
resonant frequency with SSSC compensation is different from
that with series capacitors, even at the same value of
compensating reactance. This implies that the SSR
characteristics of these compensators will differ. From Fig. 8,
the resonant frequency is 30 Hz, the slip frequency of the air
gap torque will be 30 Hz which is close to Mode 4 (at 32.285
Hz). Hence SSR due to destabilization of Mode 4 can be
expected when this level of series compensation is provided
Fig. 7. Resonant characteristics of the transmission line with SSSC at 25%
compensation (Xsssc = 0.125 pu)
 well as the dominant mode(s) of oscillation. The FFT analyses
of the generator speed deviation with conventional capacitors
is compared to that with SSSC compensation in Fig. 10. The
FFT analyses show that Mode 2 is dominant in a capacitor
compensated line while Mode 4 is dominant in the SSSC
compensated transmission line. These results are in agreement
with the predictions made from the resonance characteristics
of the compensated IEEE first benchmark model in section IV.

Fig. 8. Resonant characteristics of the transmission line with SSSC at 74.1%

compensation (Xsssc = 0.3707 pu)

by the SSSC. Furthermore, the line impedance at resonant

frequency is larger with SSSC compensation than with
capacitor compensation. Previous work by others [7] has
shown that this is due to the fact that the SSSC injects not only
capacitive reactance but also some resistance at
subsynchronous frequencies. Increasing line resistance has
been identified as one way to provide some positive damping
of SSR [7], [13].

D. Time domain simulation results

In subsections B and C, the resonance characteristics of the
transmission line were investigated when series compensation
is provided by conventional series capacitors and by the SSSC
respectively. With both devices the transmission line
impedance exhibits a resonant minimum at the resonant
frequency which increases with the degree of compensation.
However, the resonant frequency is distinct for each device.
This subsection now looks at the detailed time domain
response of the study system for SSR analysis at one particular
degree of compensation in order to investigate the possible
interaction between the network natural frequencies and the
mechanical shaft modes. It must be noted that all mutual and
self-damping coefficients for the six rotor system masses are
zero.
Fig. 9 shows the system response when a three-phase to
ground fault lasting for 75ms is applied at t=1.5 s. This fault
duration represents the time for a circuit breaker to interrupt
the fault. The results show that both the conventional series
capacitors and the SSSC have a potential to excite SSR at one
of the degree of compensation considered (0.3707 pu) in the
previous section. For the capacitor compensated network,
there is rapid growth in shaft torque oscillations which will
lead to shaft damage. On the other hand, the SSSC provides
some positive damping of SSR. However, sustained shaft
torque oscillations will reduce the shaft fatigue. FFT analyses
of these signals show the frequency components present as
 IEEE Africon 2017 Proceedings

VI. CONCLUSION System and fault Impedances

In this paper, SSR characteristics of the Static Synchronous XSys = 0.06 pu Xf = 0.04 pu
Series Compensator have boon studied utilizing the IEEE first
benchmark model. The detailed model of the reactance Infinite Bus
Rated frequency = 60 Hz Voltage = 500 kV L-L
controlled SSSC is developed in PSCAD. The results show that
the SSSC can cause electrical resonance in the line. Thus, this
device provides capacitive reactance not only at the rated TABLE IV. TRANSFORMER PARAMETERS
system frequency but also at subsynchronous frequencies,
hence it has a potential to excite SSR in nearby generating Parameter Value
units. Therefore, when installing the device in the transmission Rated Power 892.4 MVA
line, its SSR characteristics should be known as well as Nominal Frequency 60 Hz
mechanical resonances of all nearby turbine-generator shafts. Rated Voltage (LV/HV) 26/539 kV
Although the SSSC does provide some positive damping to the Vector Group and Phase Shift YNd1
torsional oscillations, additional damping of the critical Positive Sequence Impedance 0.14 p.u.
torsional modes is required to mitigate the risk of Zero Sequence Impedance 0.14 p.u.
subsynchronous resonance and avoid shaft failure due to
fatigue.

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APPENDIX
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