Second-order sliding mode observers for fault reconstruction in power networks

This study proposes a two-sliding mode (SM) observer to detect and reconstruct a certain class of load altering faults in a power network. The observer design is based on the recently proposed multivariable super-twisting structure. The IEEE benchmark power networks used to test the scheme are modelled as a semi-explicit class of differential algebraic equations (DAEs). For the purpose of developing the detection scheme, only the phase angles of the generators are measured, which represent a subset of the differential states of the DAEs. The objective is to estimate the differential states (the phase angles and frequencies of the generators), the algebraic states (the phase angles of the load bus tensions) and to reconstruct a class of load altering faults affecting the network. The proposed observer is assessed in simulation on two IEEE benchmarks: the 9-bus and 14-bus networks, so as to verify its capability to correctly estimate the differential and algebraic states of the network in spite of its complexity and uncertainty. Moreover, the capability of the proposed scheme to detect the presence of a load altering fault, to exactly identify its position in the network, and to precisely reconstruct the shape of the fault itself is shown and discussed.