Static Var Compensators to Stabilize Voltages in Weak Power Systems

Large horsepower motors on weak power systems cause problems associated with excessive voltage drops. The voltage drops may be steady state caused by heavy system loading or they may be transient caused by starting a large motor. One way to solve the problems is to use a Static Var Compensator (SVC) on the power system, to compensate for the reactive loads and stabilize the voltage on the utility and in the station. SVCs have been used for years by electric utilities and are now being used for some industrial applications. This paper gives an overview of the technology and describes a pipeline application.Copyright © 2000 by ASME