Research Journal of Recent Sciences ________________________________________________ ISSN 2277 - 2502
Vol. 1(ISC-2011), 430-433 (2012)
Res.J.Recent.Sci.

Mini Review Paper

Applications of DSTATCOM Using MATLAB/Simulation in Power System
Bhattacharya Sourabh
NIIIST Bhopal, MP, INDIA

Available online at: www.isca.in
(Received 17th October 2011, revised 7th January 2012, accepted 25th January 2012)

Abstract
D-STATCOM (Distribution Static Compensator) is a shunt device which is generally used to solve power quality problems in
distribution systems. D-STATCOM is a shunt device used in correcting power factor, maintaining constant distribution voltage
and mitigating harmonics in a distribution network. D-STATCOM is used for Grid Connected Power System, for Voltage
Fluctuation, for Wind Power Smoothening and Hydrogen Generation etc. This paper D-STATCOM is used in Marine Power
System for Power Quality Improvement. Relevant solutions which applied nowadays to improve power quality of electric
network according to the five aspects of power quality- harmonics, fluctuation and flick of voltage, Voltage deviation,
unbalance of 3-phase voltage and current frequency deviation. Simulation is done using Sim Power Systems of
MATLAB/Simulink to validate the proposed global system. The measurement system containing two main parts: - Hardware
part and the virtual part- software (Recording, Processing, Graphical interfacing). In this paper we are concluding the result of
software parts only. The performance of the proposed DSTATCOM system is validated through simulations using MATLAB
software with its Simulink and Power System Blockset (PSB) toolboxes.
Keywords: D-STATCOM, VSI, PCC, SOLAS, GMDSS, PSB, APF.

Introduction
In order to improve the survivability of a navy ship in battle
condition, DSTATCOM or Distribution Static Compensator
can be used, which reduces the impact of pulsed loads on the
bus voltage and thus keeps the bus voltage at desired level.
DSTATCOM is a voltage-source inverter (VSI) based shunt
device generally used in distribution system to improve
power quality. The main advantage of DSTATCOM is that,
it has a very sophisticated power electronics based control
which can efficiently regulate the current injection into the
distribution bus. The second advantage is that, it has
multifarious applications, e.g. i. cancelling the effect of poor
load power factor, ii. suppressing the effect of harmonic
content in load currents, iii. regulating the voltage of
distribution bus against sag/swell etc., compensating the
reactive power requirement of the load and so on. The
performance of the DSTATCOM is very much dependent on
the DSTATCOM controller.
Basic principle of DSTATCOM: A DSTATCOM is a
controlled reactive source, which includes a Voltage Source
Converter (VSC) and a DC link capacitor connected in shunt,
capable of generating and/or absorbing reactive power. The
operating principles of a DSTATCOM are based on the exact
equivalence of the conventional rotating synchronous
compensator.

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Figure-1
Basic structure of DSTATCOM
The AC terminals of the VSC are connected to the Point of
Common Coupling (PCC) through an inductance, which
could be a filter inductance or the leakage inductance of the
coupling transformer, as shown in figure 1. The DC side of
the converter is connected to a DC capacitor, which carries
the input ripple current of the converter and is the main
reactive energy storage element. This capacitor could be
charged by a battery source, or could be recharged by the
converter itself. If the output voltage of the VSC is equal to
the AC terminal voltage, no reactive power is delivered to
the system. If the output voltage is greater than the AC
terminal voltage, the DSTATCOM is in the capacitive mode
of operation and vice versa. The quantity of reactive power
flow is proportional to the difference in the two voltages. It is

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Research Journal of Recent Sciences ____________________________________________________________ ISSN 2277 - 2502
Vol. 1(ISC-2011), 430-433 (2012)
Res.J.Recent.Sci
to be noted that voltage regulation at PCC and power factor
correction cannot be achieved simultaneously. For a
DSTATCOM used for voltage regulation at the PCC, the
compensation should be such that the supply currents should
lead the supply voltages; whereas, for power factor
Correction, the supply current should be in phase with the
supply voltages. The control strategies studied in this paper
are applied with a view to study-ing the performance of a
DSTATCOM for power factor correction and harmonic
mitigation.
Basic Configuration and Operation of D-STATCOM:
The D-STATCOM is a three-phase and shunt connected
power electronics based device. It is connected near the load
at the distribution systems. The major components of a DSTATCOM are shown in figure 2. It consists of a dc
capacitor, three-phase inverter (IGBT, thyristor) module, ac
filter, coupling transformer and a control strategy. The basic
electronic block of the D-STATCOM is the voltage-sourced
inverter that converts an input dc voltage into a three-phase
output voltage at fundamental frequency.

The situation of marine power quality inclined to worse. The
reasons are listed in the following: i. A large amount of
control equipments and power electronic devices are put into
marine use in order to promote automatization of ship
operation and to save energy. e.g., concerning the variation
of main engine cooling water temperature, the conventional
control method of regulation of valve baffle position is now
substituted by speed regulation of motors of cooling water
pumps in order to save energy. As well as more and more
frequent application of shaft driven generator has been
observed. But the operation of all these equipments and
devices contributes to the power quality deterioration to a
wide extension. ii. Since the capacity of marine electric
facilities is always with a plentiful margin, the power factor
of marine power plant under normal operation is rather low.
Operation modes of D-STATCOM

Figure-2
Basic Building Blocks of the D-STATCOM
The D-STACOM employs an inverter to convert the DC link
voltage Vdc on the capacitor to a voltage source of adjustable
magnitude and phase. Therefore the D-STATCOM can be
treated as a voltage-controlled source. The D-STATCOM
can also be seen as a current-controlled source.
Figure 2 shows the inductance L and resistance R which
represent the equivalent circuit elements of the stepdown
transformer and the inverter will is the main component of
the D-STATCOM. The voltage Vi is the effective output
voltage of the D-STATCOM and δ is the power angle. The
reactive power output of the D-STATCOM inductive or
capacitive depending can be either on the operation mode of
the DSTATCOM. The construction controller of the DSTATCOM is used to operate the inverter in such a way that
the phase angle between the inverter voltage and the line
voltage is dynamically adjusted so that the D-STATCOM
generates or absorbs the desired VAR at the point of
connection. The phase of the output voltage of the thyristorbased inverter, Vi, is controlled in the same way as the
distribution system voltage, Vs.

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Figure-3
Basic Building Blocks of the D-STATCOM
Commonly Used Solutions to Improve Electric Power
Quality: i. There are three ways that is commonly applied to
improve voltage deviation of electrical power system. The
most effective solution is reactive power compensation, as
SVC - Static Var Compensator (typically, TCR-Thyristor
Controlled Reactors and TSC-Thyristor Switched
Capacitors), SVG - Static Var Generator and APFCC-Active
Power Factor Correction Circuit. Other solutions include
regulation of field current of synchromotor, application of
on-load voltage regulation transformer. ii. A large number of

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Research Journal of Recent Sciences ____________________________________________________________ ISSN 2277 - 2502
Vol. 1(ISC-2011), 430-433 (2012)
Res.J.Recent.Sci
solutions have been selected to solve the problem of
fluctuation and flick of voltage and almost all these solutions
simultaneously have the function of harmonic suppression.
iii. To suppress harmonics in electrical power quality. The
most effective solution is to apply filters. The commonly
applied filters are passive power filter (usually passive LC
filter) and active power filter (APF). APF normally has two
types according to the ways it connects to the object that is
compensated shunt APF and series APF. Among which,
shunt APF is common in practical application.
Power Quality Improvement in Ship Networks: Marine
electrical power network demands even higher quality of
electrical power energy while compared with overland power
network. Requirements that should be met during the process
of measurement for electrical power quality assessment are:
i. be able to catch instantaneous interference very quickly,
e.g. variation of amplitude, distortion of waveform and rate
of enlargement of amplitude. ii. quick and accurate
measurement for harmonics and inter harmonics. iii. be able
to reveal the characteristics and regulations of the electrical
power quality indices as well as regulations of the variation
along with variation of time using an effective analysis and
automatic identification system.
Voltage Source Convertors (VSC): A voltage-source
converter is a power electronic device, which can generate a
sinusoidal voltage with any required magnitude, frequency
and phase angle. Voltage source converters are widely used
in adjustable-speed drives, but can also be used to mitigate
voltage dips. The VSC is used to either completely replace
the voltage or to inject the ‘missing voltage’. The ‘missing
voltage’ is the difference between the nominal voltage and
the actual. The converter is normally based on some kind of
energy storage, which will supply the converter with a DC
voltage. The solid-state electronics in the converter is then
switched to get the desired output voltage. Normally the
VSC is not only used for voltage dip mitigation, but also for
other power quality issues, e.g. flicker and harmonic.
Commonly applied solutions to improve marine electrical
power quality: Division of the ship power system: One of
the recommendations of the SOLAS convention concerns an
appropriate configuration of the main switchboard.
Regarding this recommendation for a ship power station with
a high power, the main switch board should be divided into
sections. Then, the loads with increased sensitivity for
changes of voltage supply parameters (for example GMDSS
systems) and devices with special significance for ship safety
may be supplied from the separated sub-system. Specialized
constructional and technological solutions are employed, e.g.
to employ12-phase (or 24- phase) frequency transformer and
low reactance generators, as well as special earthing to drain
the frequencies induced in protective shields. To install
filters and power factor correction circuits for quick and

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accurate suppression of dominant harmonics and reactive
power compensation.
MATLAB Based Test System: The ship power system
actually consists of four generators and two propulsion
motors. But, to study the effect of DSTATCOM, a simplified
model consisting of one generator of 36 MW/45 MVA and a
propulsion motor of 20 MW is considered in this paper. The
model of the test system is built in MATLAB/SIMULINK
environment.

Conclusion
This paper has presented the application of DSTATCOM to
improve the power quality in a ship power system during and
after pulsed loads. The expected simulation results show that
the voltage regulation at the point of common coupling is
much better with a DSTATCOM.

Figure-4
Test Ship Power System

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Res.J.Recent.Sci
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