Revisiting angle stability in power systems with grid-forming power converters

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the angle stability phenomenon in power systems with synchronous machines and grid-forming converters, emphasizing the importance of the angle difference dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a unified perspective on angle stability, highlighting the role of slow angle difference dynamics across different generator types.

Findings

Angle stability is fully characterized by slow angle difference dynamics.

The phenomenon applies equally to synchronous machines and GFM-VSCs.

Proposes terminology clarification distinguishing angle stability from slow-interaction converter-driven stability.

Abstract

This letter presents a comprehensive analysis of the stability phenomenon related to the ability of generators to remain in synchronism when subjected to small or large disturbances, in power systems with both synchronous machines and grid-forming voltage source converters (GFM-VSC). This phenomenon is associated with two stability classes in the IEEE/PES classification, namely, rotor-angle stability (when involving synchronous machines and slow-interaction converter-driven stability (when involving power converters). However, this work shows that this phenomenon is fully characterised with the slow dynamics of the angle difference between the voltage sources connected to the power system, regardless of whether they are synchronous machines (with rotors) or GFM-VSCs. Therefore, we suggest using the term angle stability to refer to this phenomenon, while slow-interaction converter-driven stability should only include slow interactions of different nature involving power converters.