A Survey on Power System Blackout and Cascading Events: Research Motivations and Challenges

Abstract

Power systems are the most complex systems and have great importance in modern life. They have direct impacts on the modernization, economic, political and social aspects. To operate such systems in a stable mode, several control and protection techniques are required. However, modern systems are equipped with several protection schemes with the aim of avoiding the unpredicted events and power outages, power systems are still encountering emergency and mal-operation situations. The most severe emergencies put the whole or at least a part of the system in danger. If the emergency is not well managed, the power system is likely to have cascading failures that might lead to a blackout. Due to the consequences, many countries around the world have research and expert teams who work to avoid blackouts on their systems. In this paper, a comprehensive review on the major blackouts and cascading events that have occurred in the last decade are introduced. A particular focus is given on the US power system outages and their causes since it is one of the leading power producers in the world and it is also due to the ready availability of data for the past events. The paper also highlights the root causes of different blackouts around the globe. Furthermore, blackout and cascading analysis methods and the consequences of blackouts are surveyed. Moreover, the challenges in the existing protective schemes and research gaps in the topic of power system blackout and cascading events are marked out. Research directions and issues to be considered in future power system blackout studies are also proposed.

Photonic Voltage Transducer with Lightning Impulse Protection for Distributed Monitoring of MV Networks

“…Around 50% of faults are caused by abnormal weather conditions with lightning strikes being the reason for nearly 10% of faults. Normally, lightning events cause temporary faults on distribution networks with less than 20% of lightning strikes causing permanent damage [2][3][4]. In the majority of cases, when the lightning event occurs, the equipment insulation can be damaged due to the high current surge in the line that generates large voltage impulses-often leading to flashovers unless the equipment was protected with surge arresters [2] or is furnished with sufficient insulation that meets the relevant industry standards [5].…”

Static Voltage Stability of Reconfigurable Radial Distribution System Considering Voltage Dependent Load Models

“…Under this scenario, operating the power systems in safe zones has become a challenging task to the system operator. In the history, various power system blackouts around the world have highlighted the need of preventive and corrective measures [1]. Also, the assessment of voltage stability using a simple and accurate assessment technique for voltage stability margin (VSM) or critical loading margin (CLM) is inevitable.…”

Monitoring the Number and Duration of Power Outages and Voltage Deviations at Both Sides of Switching Devices

“…In turn, power supply reliability mainly depends on the restoration power supply after failures [3]. A comprehensive review on the major power supply outages made in the article [4] proves the importance of reducing power supply restoration time due to the enormous losses arising in the social, economic and political spheres. Many scientific works are devoted to the problem of power supply restoration in different areas and propose methods to reduce its time.…”