Control and protection for stable islanded operation of medium voltage feeders

In the past, distribution networks were passive. Currently, distribution networks face an increasing amount of distributed generation. In case of an up-stream fault in the grid, distributed generation must be disconnected according to current regulation through anti-island protections. Islanded operation could however provide benefits in terms of quality of supply, requiring new protections and controls. Islanded operation of parts of a distribution grid could be maintained if sufficient resources exist. Unintentional islanded operation has been reported in numerous occasions. The objective is to develop control and protection systems for islanded operation of medium voltage feeders. In particular, • Dynamic models of the islanded grid will be developed and identified • Controls and protection systems will be developed and modelled • Controls and protection systems will be implemented in a real feeder and validated • Robustness of the proposed controls and protection systems will be assessed in terms of distributed generation penetration and demand level • Improvement of stability margins will be assessed in terms of distributed generation penetration and demand level.

Requirements: Excellent academic record (ECTS grades A to C), knowledge on power system analysis and dynamics, programming skills, fluent in Spanish and English

Full-time contract with exclusive dedication to the PhD thesis.

Documents: Curriculum vitae, academic record, cover letter and two recommendation letters.