NEPSI Tech Talk Session 16: What is This Thing Called a STATCOM? (AMSC)

Whether you are a renewables engineer, power quality engineer, or an electrical engineer at a sensitive process plant, this tech talk will teach you what you need to know about STATCOMs and when to use them.

Static Synchronous Compensators (STATCOMs) are similar in many ways to NEPSI’s reactive compensation products in that they control reactive power within a power system network. However, where NEPSI’s metal-enclosed solutions (capacitor banks, filter banks, and hybrid shunt reactor/shunt capacitor banks) are classified as a “passive” solution, STATCOMs are classified as an “active” solution and control reactive power based on power electronic devices. Like NEPSI’s “passive” solution, they are shunt connected and they supply both inductive and capacitive vars.

Because of power electronics, the STATCOM is able to quickly (sub cycle) change its reactive power output by infinitesimal amounts in response to system changes (var/voltage changes). This is why they are often supplied into networks that require voltage sag mitigation and dynamic voltage support due to large dynamic loads changes and major system events, such as transmission line faults or generation outages.

Come to this Tech Talk to learn the basics of what a STATCOM is from Narend Reddy, the managing director of FACTS Solutions and Planning at AMSC. We will discuss STATCOM ratings, AMSC's D-VAR product offering, its construction, and power quality applications.

Key applications to be discussed include renewable applications (PV – Photovoltaic and Wind Farm) where grid code compliance is often required. There will be a discussion focused on how STATCOM can be used in sensitive load applications to improve power quality, where utility side faults, such as transmission line faults from lightning caused voltage sags, are mitigated (voltage sag ride through) with the STATCOM.

Other areas touched upon include STATCOM cost, flicker mitigation from large motor starts and other dynamic load applications, and the application of hybrid STATCOM/Capacitor Bank Solutions that leverage the dynamic nature of the STACOM and the cost effectiveness of the capacitor bank.

If you want a meeting invite for future NEPSI Tech Talks, register at this link: nepsi.com/techtalks . You can view this session directly on YouTube here and all NEPSI Tech Talks are recorded so you can watch at any time. For a list with links, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

NEPSI believes a well-informed customer is our best customer. We are looking forward to another informative session and hope you can join us.