ION Technical Content
GPS Timing in Electric Power Systems
| Abstract: | Electric power is used everywhere in modern life, and most of it is supplied by an electric utility system. For economy and security, power systems are connected into large grids with extensive monitor and control systems. GPS time is used for measuring time and frequency errors in generation control. It offers improved long-term accuracy and better coordination between utilities than other systems. GPS is ideal for distributing time over the large geographical areas that power systems occupy. Disturbance and automatic control action recordings can be reliably compared using time stamps provided by GPS. Several utilities also use the microsecond level accuracy for locating faults on transmission lines. This method compares timing of the electromagnetic waves generated by a fault, and has proven to be very accurate and more reliable than most traditional methods. Utility industry re-structuring has led to more power exchanges over larger geographical areas requiring maximum grid loading. Improved system monitoring, analysis, and controls are required to maintain safe, efficient operation. One advanced measuring technique, phasor measurement, uses precise time from GPS to accurately measure frequency and phase of the power system. BPA and several other utilities have developed phasor measurement systems for real time monitoring and analysis, and are developing controls based on these measurements. GPS is the principal time reference at BPA. Standard time at BPA is provided by a GPS based redundant time system, which also controls generation. BPA has over 100 GPS timing receivers distributed throughout its power system for local time. Phasor measurements, which depend on GPS time synchronization, are increasingly being used for system analysis and will become the basis of future controls. Power systems require extensive monitoring, control, maintenance, and analysis systems. Precise timing derived from GPS is being integrated into these systems because it offers better accuracy, reliability and economy than other timing systems. |
| Published in: |
Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1999) September 14 - 17, 1999 Nashville, TN |
| Pages: | 1057 - 1064 |
| Cite this article: | Martin, Kenneth, "GPS Timing in Electric Power Systems," Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1999), Nashville, TN, September 1999, pp. 1057-1064. |
| Full Paper: |
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