Sub-Synchronous Resonance

1.
Sub-Synchronous resonance
The sub-synchronous resonance phenomenon was first observed in 1975 in

Mohave, California where the turbine-generator shaft has failed due to
torisonal oscillations interacting with the sub-synchronous oscillations, produced
because of series compensation in transmission line. To understand this
phenomenon let there be a single machine connected to infinite bus. Let the
generator be represented by a sub-transient voltage E" behind a sub-transient
reactance X ". Let the effective impedance between the generator terminal and the
infinite bus be Re + jXe. The system is shown below in Fig.1.
X" Xe Re XC
E" V
Fig. 1: Series capacitor compensated SMIB system.
Let the system be compensated by a series capacitor with capacitance C as

shown in Fig.1. When a fault or a disturbance occurs then there will be a transient
in the current with a off set and this off set oscillate at a natural frequency of (in
case there is no series capacitor then the off set would be DC)
1 Xc
n   s rad / s
LT C XT
(1)
Xc
fn  fs Hz ,
XT
Where, f s is the synchronous frequency and X T  X "  X e . These oscillations
at the frequency f n in the stator current of the generator will induce a slip frequency,
f s  f n voltages in the rotor circuits and there by producing slip frequency torque. If
f n is a sub-synchronous frequency then, since the rotor is rotating at synchronous
speed in the steady state, the slip s  ( f n  f s ) / f n will be negative. This condition is
similar to induction motor running at super synchronous speed with a negative slip.
X ef Ref
Rr
1  s 
s
Fig.2: Approximate equivalent circuit of the synchronous generator with sub

synchronous frequency stator currents
The approximate equivalent circuit of the synchronous generator with sub-

synchronous frequency stator currents is shown in Fig. 2. The magnetising and core
loss component branch is ignored. The R ef is the summation of the transmission line
resistance, stator resistance, rotor resistance referred to stator. Similarly X ef
summation of the transmission line reactance, stator leakage reactance, rotor leakage
reactance referred to stator. Since the slip is negative the variable rotor resistance
becomes negative leading to self excitation in the circuit and the oscillations will keep
increasing reaching unacceptable levels. Before discussing the interaction of sub-
synchronous oscillations, due to induction motor effect, with the torsional oscillations
the torsional oscillations are briefly discussed.
2. Torsional oscillations
If two rotating masses are connected together by a non rigid shaft then the two
ends of the shaft are relatively displaced with respect to each and will have an angle
of displacement due to which the shaft gets twisted. The torque delivered through the
shaft is directly proportional to the relative angle of displacement between the two
ends of the shaft. In case the relative angle of displacement between the two ends
of the shaft oscillates then that is called as torsional oscillations. To understand
the basic phenomenon of torsional oscillations let a generator be
considered connected to a turbine, with single mass, through a shaft as shown in Fig.
3.
Shaft
1 2
Turbine Generator rotor
K12
H1 TM H2
Fig. 3: Turbine-generator system
Let the generator and turbine inertia constants be H1 , H 2 . The relative angle of
displacement between the two ends of shaft is 1   2  . The stiffness of the shaft is
represented by K12 . The torque delivered through the shaft to the generator rotor is
K12 1   2  . The equation of motion of the two masses that is turbine and generator
can be written as
2 H1 d 21 d d
 D12 1   2   D1 1  K12 1   2   TM (2)
s dt 2
dt dt
2 H 2 d 2 2 d d
 D12  2  1   D2 2  Te  K12 1   2  (3)
s dt 2
dt dt
Where, D12 is the damping due to shaft and D1 , D2 are the damping constants of
the turbine and generator rotor. Multiply (2) by H 2 and (3) by H 1 and now
subtract both the equations, neglecting the effect of damping due to damping
coefficients D1 , D2 ,
2 H1 H 2 d 2 d H2 H1
2  1
   2   D12 1   2   K12 1   2   TM  Te
s H1  H 2 dt dt H1  H 2 H1  H 2
(4)
Linearizing (4) and assuming the input mechanical torque is constant leads to
2 n 2
     K

d 12
2
H1  H 2 d 12 H1  H 2 s
 s D12  s K12 12   Te
dt 2 2 H1 H 2 dt 2 H1 H 2 2H 2 (5)
d 2 12 d 12
2
 2  n2 12  K Te
dt dt
Equation (5) shows that it represents a second order damped system with
natural frequency of oscillations being ωn2 . These oscillations are called as torsional
oscillations. If electrical torque disturbance is of the form e-αtcos(ωt+ɸ), then the
general solution of the equation (5) is given as
12   K1 cos
  
n2   2 t  K 2 sin  
n2   2 t  e  t  e t cos t     
P
K
(6)
Where, K1 , K 2 are constants depending on the initial conditions. P,  are given as
   2   2  2   4 2    
2
P 2 2
n
2     (7)
  tan 1
 2
n   2   2  2 
The torque at the shaft due to the electrical torque disturbance is given as
Tshaft  K1212 (8)
It can be observed from (8) that if the applied electrical torque disturbance
is unidirectional that is   0 then P  n2 . If the applied electrical torque disturbance
has a frequency close to the natural frequency of the shaft that is   n then
P  2n . The natural frequency of oscillations of the shaft is in the range of 10 Hz

to 40 Hz. Now if the frequency of the electrical torque disturbance is equal to or
greater than the system frequency then P  s2 . The value of P will be least in the
case when the electrical torque disturbance is equal to the shaft natural frequency
of oscillations and hence has the maximum effect on the shaft torque as given in (8)
leading to a sever stress in the shaft. Apart from this if the electrical
torque disturbance has negative damping, usually α is quite high and the second
term in (8) damps out fast, then the electrical torque disturbance keeps
increasing in magnitude causing extreme stress in the shaft. Though there is shaft
damping it is very low and does not help in this situation.
Though the phenomenon of torsional oscillations was explained using two
masses in an actual system like thermal generating system there will be HP turbine,
multiple IP turbine, LP turbine, generator rotor and if the generator has DC exciter
then rotor mass of that exciter. There will be n  1 torsional modes of oscillations if n
different masses are connected together by a shaft.
If the torque produced by the current in the rotor of the synchronous machine
due to the sub-synchronous oscillations in the network has a frequency that is close to
the natural frequency of torsional oscillations then it will lead to very high shaft
torque Tshaft . If sub-synchronous oscillations are self exciting type then this problem
becomes even more severe and may ultimately lead to failure of the shaft. A way of
avoiding this is to choose the series compensator such that the natural frequency of
oscillations of LC circuit does not produce sub-synchronous oscillations which can
excite the torsional modes. The other way is to have enough impedance in the
network to counter the negative resistance due to induction motor effect and there by
damping the sub-synchronous oscillations so as to prevent exciting the torsional
modes.

Sub-Synchronous Resonance

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1.

The sub-synchronous resonance phenomenon was first observed in 1975 in

Fig. 1: Series capacitor compensated SMIB system.

Let the system be compensated by a series capacitor with capacitance C as

Where, f s is the synchronous frequency and X T  X "  X e . These oscillations

Fig.2: Approximate equivalent circuit of the synchronous generator with sub

The approximate equivalent circuit of the synchronous generator with sub-

resistance, stator resistance, rotor resistance referred to stator. Similarly X ef

Fig. 3: Turbine-generator system

Where, K1 , K 2 are constants depending on the initial conditions. P,  are given as

Tshaft  K1212 (8)

P  2n . The natural frequency of oscillations of the shaft is in the range of 10 Hz

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