International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)

ISSN: 2249 8958, Volume-3, Issue-4, April 2014

A Review of Benefits of FACTS Devices in

Power System
Ranjit Kumar Bindal

Abstract In developing countries, a pressure associated with

economical and environmental constraints has forced the power
utilities to meet the future demand by fully utilizing the existing
resource of transmission facilities without building new lines.
Flexible alternating current transmission systems (FACTS)
devices are used to control the phase angle, voltage and
impedance of high voltage AC lines. By using FACTS devices
maximum benefits of transmission system can be managed i.e.
utilization of existing transmission assets; increased
transmission system availability and enabling environmental
benefits. This paper presents different types of FACTS devices
and their benefits for transmission in electrical power system .
Keywords-- Transmission system, FACTS Devices, Benefits
these devices.

I. INTRODUCTION
In the present day scenario, transmission systems are
becoming increasingly stressed, more difficult to operate,
and more insecure with unscheduled power flows and greater
losses because of growing demand for electricity and
restriction on the construction of new lines. However, many
high-voltage transmission systems are operating below their
thermal ratings due to constraints, such as voltage and
stability limits.
Now, more advanced technology is used for reliable and
operation of transmission and distribution in power system
[1]. To achieve both reliable and benefit economically, it has
become clearer that more efficient utilization and control of
the existing transmission system infrastructure is required.

phase angle and impedance, which is affecting ac power

transmission.
The power system should be capable to for line support of
power transfer with comfortable and stable for marginally
[2]-[4].
II. CLASSIFICATION OF FACTS DEVICES
The FACTS controllers are of different types. These are
classified according to their connection like shunt connected
controllers, series connected and combined series and shunt
connected controllers. The main types of FACTS devices are
described below:
A. Static Var Compensators (SVC)
The most important shunt FACTS device such as Static Var
Compensator, it have been dynamic voltage problems.
The accuracy, availability and fast response enable Static Var
Compensators to provide high performance steady state and
transient voltage control compared with classical shunt
compensation. Static Var Compensators are also used
improve the transient stability, damp power swings and
reduce system losses by using reactive power control.
B. Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM)
STATCOMs are GTO (gate turn-off type thyristor) based
SVCs. They do not require large inductive and capacitive
components to provide inductive or capacitive reactive power
to high voltage transmission systems as required in Static
Var Compensators (SVC). STATCOM requires less area.
Another advantage is the higher reactive output at low
system voltages where a STATCOM can be considered as a
current source independent from the system voltage.
Schematic diagram of STATCOM is shown in figure 1.

Improved utilization of the existing power system is provided

through the application of advanced control technologies.
Power electronics has developed the flexible AC
transmission system (FACTS) devices. FACTS [1], [2]
devices are effective and capable of increasing the power
transfer capability of a line and support the power system to
work with comfortable margins of stability [2]-[4].
FACTS devices are used in transmission system to control
and utilize the flexibility and system performance. To
achieve all, the insertion of FACTS devices required in plant
in order to control the main parameters namely voltage,

Fig.I: Schematic diagram of STATCOM

Manuscript Recived on April 25, 2014

Ranjit Kumar Bindal, Electrical Engineering Department, Rayat Institute
of Engineering and Information Technology Railmajra Ropar, Punjab, India.

105

C. Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC)

Voltage sourced converter (VSC) based series onnected
FACTS controller known as SSSC. It can inject a
voltage with controllable magnitude and phase angle at
the line frequency and found to be more capable of
handling power flow control, improvement of transient

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A Review of Benefits of FACTS Devices in Power System

stability margin and improve damping of transient. The
schematic diagram of SSSC is shown in figure2.

Fig. II: Schematic diagram of SSSC

D. Thyristor Controlled Series Compensators (TCSC)
TCSC is an extension of conventional series capacitors but
only addition of thyristor-controlled reactor with it.
Connecting a reactance in parallel with a series capacitor
enables a continuous and rapidly variable series
compensation system. The main advantages of TCSCs are
increased real transfer power, power oscillations damping,
sub-synchronous resonances damping, and power flow line
control
E. Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC)
UPFC is combination of shunt connected device
(STATCOM) and a series branch (SSSC) in the
transmission line via its DC link. This device is most
versatile FACTS device. It can not only perform the
function of STATCOM ,TCSC and phase prevent faults,
they can mitigate the effects of faults and make
electricity supply more secure by reducing the number of
line trips.

Increased more quality of supply for large industries

Beneficial for Environment.

A. More utilization of existing transmission system

In all the countries, the power demand is increasing day by
day to transfer the electrical power and controlling the load
flow of the transmission system is very necessary .this can be
achieved by more load centers which can change frequently.
Addition of new transmission line is very costly to take the
increased load on the system; in that case FACTS devices are
much economical to meet the increased load on the same
transmission lines.
B. More Increased transient and dynamic stability of
the system
The Long transmission lines are inter-connected with grids
to absorb the changing the loading of the transmission line
and it is also seen that there should be no line fault creates in
the line / transmission system. By doing this the power flow
is reduced and transmission line can be trip. By the use of
FACTS devices high power transfer capacity is increased at
the same time line tripling faults are also reduces.
C. Increased more quality of supply for large industries
New industries wants good quality of electric supply ,
constant voltage with less fluctuation and desired frequency
as mentioned by electricity department . Reduce voltage,
variation in frequency or loss of electric power can reduce the
manufacturing of the industry and cause to high economical
loss .FACTS devices can helps to provide the required
quality of supply.

For example, a major over voltage loading of the

transmission line results in tripping of the transmission
line. SVCs or STATCOMs FACTS devices balance the
over voltage and avoid to trip the line.
Line tripping, used for a number of years to improve
transmission line economics by resolving angle
regulator but provides addition flexibility by combining
some of the function of the above controllers.

D. Beneficial for Environment

FACTS devices are becoming environmentally friendly.
FACTS devices does not produce any type of waste hazard
material so they are pollution free. These devices help us to
deliver the electrical power more economically with better
use of existing transmission lines while reducing the cost of
new transmission line and generating more power.

Diagram of a UPFC is shown in figure 3.

E. Increased transmission system reliability and

availability
Transmission system reliability and availability is affected by
many different factors. Although FACTS devices had ability
to reduce such factors and improves the system reliability and
availability.
IV. APPLICATIONS AND TECHNICAL BENEFITS OF
FACTS DEVICES

Fig. III: Schematic diagram of UPFC

III. BENEFITS OF UTILIZING FACTS DEVICES
The advantages of using FACTS devices in electrical
transmission systems are described below [1], [2].

More utilization of existing transmission system

Reliability of Transmission system increases.
More Increased transient and dynamic stability of
the system.

The basic technical benefits of the FACTS devices includes

(a) Problems of voltage limit
(b) Addressing in steady state applications
(c) Problems of thermal limits,
(d) Problems short circuit levels and
(e) Problems of sub-synchronous resonance
Which are shown in table no. 1. For each problem the

106

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International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)

ISSN: 2249 8958, Volume-3, Issue-4, April 2014
conventional solution (e.g. shunt reactor or shunt capacitor)
is also provided , as well as dynamic applications of FACTS
in addressing problems in transient stability, damping, post
contingency voltage control and voltage stability.

Post
fault
sharing

The conventional methods are cheaper than FACTS Devices

but limited to their dynamic behavior. FACTS devices are
required when dynamic network problem occurs. This is the
way to find out the most economical solution for this.

SVC
STATCOM
TCSC
UPFC

Where: -

Load
Flow
control
+
+
++
+++

Voltage
control

Transient
stability

Dynamic
stability

+++
+++
+
+++

+
++
+++
+++

++
++
++
+++

Good +, Better ++, Best +++

Sub-synchron
ous resonance

FACTS
Devices

Short circuits Levels

Table No. I:
Benefits of FACTS devices for different applications

Table No. II:

Steady state applications of FACTS
Problem
s

Corrective
action

Low
voltage
at heavy
load
High
voltage
at light
load

Supply
reactive
power

High
voltage
followin
g outage

Absorb
reactive
power

Line or
transfor
mer
over
load
Trippin
g of
parallel
circuits
Parallel
line
load
sharing

Reduce
load

Remove
reactive
power
supply

Limit line
loading

Adjust
series
reactance/
phase
reactance
rearrange
network or
use

Convention
al
solution
Shunt
capacitor,
series
capacitor
Switch
EHV
and/or
shunt
capacitor
Switch
shunt
capacitor,
series
capacitor
Add line or
transformer
Add series
reactor
Add series
reactor ,
capacitor
Add series
capacitor
and PAR

FACTS
devices
SVC , ,
STATCOM

SVC, TCSC,
STATCOM

SVC,
STATCOM

TCSC,UPS
C,
TCPAR
SVC,TCSC

Potentia
l turbine
/
generat
or shaft
damage

PAR, series
capacitor /
reactor
PAR

Limit
short
circuit
current

Add series
reactor,
new circuit
breaker

Change
circuit
breaker
Rearrange
network
Mitigate
oscillation
s

Add new
circuit
breaker
Split bus
Series
compensati
on

TCSC,UPS
C,
SVC,TCPA
R
TCPAR,UP
FC

SCCL,UPF
C,
TCSC,

NGH,TCSC

TCSC: Thyristor controlled series capacitor

PAR: Phase angle regulator
TCVL: Thyristor controlled voltage
limiter
TSBR: Thyristor switched breaking
resistor
SVC: Static var compensator
TSSC: Thyristor switched series
capacitor
STATCOM: Static compensator
UPFC: Unified power flow controller
TCPAR: Thyristor controlled phase
angle regulator
Table No. III:
Dynamic application of FACTS
Issues

UPSC,TCS
C

Transient stability

Loop flow

Thermal limits

Voltage Limits

Issue
s

Flow
directio
n
reversal
Excessi
ve
breaker
Fault
current

thermal
limit
actions
PAR ,
series
capacitor/
reactor
Adjust
phase
angle

UPTC,TCS
C,
TCPAR

107

Prob
lems

Corrective
action

A,B,
D

Increase
synchronizing
torque

A,D,

Absorb kinetic
energy

Conventi
onal
solution
High
response
exciter,
series
capacitor
Breaking
resistor,
Fast
Valuing
Turbine

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FACTS
devices
TCSC,
TSSC,
UPFC

TCBR,
SMES
,BESS

Voltage stability

Post contingency voltage control

Dampening

A Review of Benefits of FACTS Devices in Power System

B,C,
D

Dynamic load
flow control

HVDC

Dampen 1Hz
oscillations

Exciter ,
power
system
stabilizer
Power
system
stabilizer

B.D

A,B,
D

A,
B,
C,
D
B,
C,
D

Dampen low
frequency
oscillations

Dynamic
voltage
support
Dynamic flow
control

-------

Dynamic
voltage
support and
flow control
Reduce impact
of contingency

------

Reactive
support

Shunt
capacitor
, Shunt
reactor
LTC,
Enclosin
g ,
HVDC
controls
High
response
exciter
Under
voltage
load
shedding
,

Network
control action

Generation
control
Load control

---

Parallel
lines

in terms of installation and their usage in different system

conditions are analyzed.

TCPAR,
UPFC,
TCSC
SVC,
TCSC,
STATCOM

REFERENCES
[1]

J.J Paserba, H ow FACTS controllers benefits AC transmission system,

IEEE transmission on Power Engineering Society, Vol.3,

sep-2003,pp 949-956.
[2]

SVC,
TCPAR,
UPFC,
NGH,
TCSC,
STATCOM
SVC,
STATCOM,
UPFC
SVC,
UPFC,
TCPAR
SVC,
UPFC,
TCSC

[3]

[4]

[5]

V.K.Candrakar, M.M.Missal, V.P.Rajderkar, S.N.Durve, Flexible

Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) for cost effective and
reliable transmission of electrical energy, National Power engineering
conference (NPEC-07) ,June-2007.
A.A Edris, R Aapa, M H Baker, L Bohman, K Clark, Proposed terms
and definitions for flexible ac transmission system (FACTS), IEEE
Tran. on power delivery Vol. 12, No.4, Oct 1997.
N.G. Hingorani , L. Gyugyi, Understanding FACTS : Concepts and
Technology of Flexible AC Transmission systems, IEEE Power
Engineering Society, IEEE press, Delhi 2001.
ER.Moal Matru , Rajiv K. verma, tyristor Based FACTS controllers for
electrical transmission system , IEEE press, wiley Inter science
publication , USA

Ranjit Kumar Bindal : Asst. Professor, Department of

Electrical Engineering , Rayat Institute of Engineering &
Information Technology , Railmajra , Ropar, Punjab, India

SVC,
TCSC,
STATCOM,
UPFC
SVC,
STATCOM
,UPFC
TCSC,
STATCOM,
UPFC

--------

------

Where:
A= Remote generation
B= Interconnected areas
C= Tightly meshed network
D = loosely meshed network.
BEES: battery energy storage system
HVDC: high voltage direct current
LTC: Transformer Load taps Changer
SMES: Super conducting magnetic energy storage
V.CONCLUSION
This paper focus on the economical and technical benefits
of FACTS devices application in ac transmission system.
For the present operating environment of power sector,
FACTS is a viable solution. The different FACTS devices

108

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