Dynamic performance of the next generation synchronous condenser at VELCO

As controls and power electronics have continued to evolve, a new generation of rotating power system equipment has emerged that combines the best elements of both worlds. The combination of rotating equipment, digital regulators, and a small amount of power electronics results in a system solution with higher overload capabilities and better fault ride through characteristics than with the use of power electronics alone. These machines also exhibit the speed and precision which results from having power electronics as a fundamental element in their control system. Like the Variable Frequency Transformer, GE's new synchronous condenser is another example of a next generation machine that is a marriage of the electromechanical and power electronic worlds. This paper examines the dynamic performance of the first conventional utility condenser produced by GE in more than 30 years.