APPLICATIONAND OPERATIONOF A STATICVAR SYSTEMON A POWERSYSTEM- AMERICANELECTRICPOWEREXPERIENCE Part II:EquipmentDesignand Installation

AmericanElectricPower's(AEP)Static Var System (SVS)was placed in serviceat the Beaver CreekStationin easternKentuckyin November1980and has sincemaintainedan excellentrecordof operation. Special design features of this SVS installation, characterized by a coordinatedcontrolof two thyristor controlled reactors (TCR), two thyristor switched capacitors(TSC),and four vacuum switchedcapacitors, allow significanttechnicaland economicadvantagesas well as flexible and reliable operation. A comprehensiveenergizationand performancetestprogram conductedprior to placingthis device in commerical operation,complementedby three years of excellent operating experience, has confirmed that the sophisticatedSVS technology can be successfully integrated into a power system. Furthermore, experienceindicates that the SVS can be, in many regards, a superior alternative to the more conventionaltechnology,i.e. synchronouscondenser, for voltagecontrolpurposes.