Québec Control Area Procedure Real and Reactive Power Tests at Generating Stations of 50-MW or Higher Capacity

November 11, 2005

Québec Control Area Procedure

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System Control

Title Number

P-ZRQ-001

Revised version

yes no

Effective date

Real and Reactive Power Tests at Generating Stations of 50-MW or Higher Capacity

November 11, 2005

Issued to

Generator owners in the Québec Control Area Drafted by Modified by Verified by Approved by

Caroline B-Côté Caroline B-Côté Albert Poiré Michel Armstrong

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. PURPOSE ............................................................................................................................................. 2 2. APPLICATION....................................................................................................................................... 2 3. COMPLIANCE AND REFERENCES.................................................................................................. 2 4. CONFIDENTIALITY OF DATA.......................................................................................................... 2 5. TEST CONDITIONS.............................................................................................................................. 2

5.1. TEST SCHEDULE.................................................................................................................. 2 5.2. TEST DURATION .................................................................................................................. 3 5.3. OTHER TEST CONSTRAINTS................................................................................................ 3 5.4. TESTS CONDUCTED BY THE GENERATOR OWNER............................................................. 4

6 TEST PROCEDURE .............................................................................................................................. 4 6.1 SCHEDULING THE TESTS .................................................................................................... 4 6.2 CONDUCTING THE TESTS.................................................................................................... 5

6.2.1 Communications prior to the tests .............................................................................................. 5 6.2.2 Framework test procedure........................................................................................................... 5

6.2.2.1 Maximum real and reactive power of a generating station – STATION TEST................... 5 6.2.2.2 Maximum real and reactive power of each unit at a generating station – UNIT TEST....... 6

6.2.3 Retesting ..................................................................................................................................... 6 6.2.4 Communications immediately after the tests .............................................................................. 6

7 TEST FOLLOW-UP AND COMPLIANCE......................................................................................... 7 7.1 COMMUNICATING RESULTS ............................................................................................... 7 7.2 COMPLIANCE FOLLOW-UP ................................................................................................. 7

8 CONTACTS............................................................................................................................................. 8 PROCESS 1: SCHEDULING THE TEST.............................................................................................. 9 PROCESS 2: CONDUCTING THE TEST ........................................................................................... 10 APPENDIX A MAXIMUM REAL AND REACTIVE POWER – STATION TEST ......................... 11 APPENDIX B MAXIMUM REAL AND REACTIVE POWER – UNIT TEST ................................. 12

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

1. PURPOSE The purpose of this Procedure is to provide guidance when testing the maximum real and reactive power of a generating station (station test) or a generating unit (unit test) in order to update real-time system operations databases and evaluate available resources in the Québec Control Area. The results of unit tests help validate official specifications for generating units provided by each generator owner and used for system planning and operations studies.

2. APPLICATION This Procedure applies to the owners of generating facilities with a capacity of 50 MW or more located in, or considered part of, the Québec Control Area.

3. COMPLIANCE AND REFERENCES This Procedure is in compliance with the following documents:

NERC Reliability Standards and requirements TOP-002-0 and VAR-001-0 NPCC Guides B-09 and B-18 NPCC Procedure C-07 Since loads on the Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie system are not heavy in summer, station testing is carried out once a year in anticipation of the winter peak.

4. CONFIDENTIALITY OF DATA In accordance with the Transmission Provider Code of Conduct, Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie staff participating in this Procedure keeps data submitted by generator owners confidential.

5. TEST CONDITIONS

Two types of tests are used to verify maximum real and reactive power: 1) station tests, used to verify the maximum real and reactive power that a generating station can develop under peak conditions, and 2) unit tests, used to verify the characteristics of generating units.

5.1. TEST SCHEDULE Station tests must be conducted every year in January, February, November or December. The System Control Outage Scheduler must grant an exemption for a generating station’s maximum real and reactive power to be tested outside that period. If a request for an exemption is refused, the Outage Scheduler will so notify the generator owner representative, specifying the reasons for the refusal.

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

Unit testing is conducted every five years or as soon as changes are made that affect the generating unit’s reactive power. Generator owners that must conduct unit tests are so notified in advance.

All generating stations to which this Procedure applies are tested according to a schedule drawn up by the generator owner every year. The schedule must be sent to the Telecontrol Outage Scheduler no later than two weeks before testing begins.

5.2. TEST DURATION Station tests must have the following minimum duration:

Hydroelectric generating stations and thermal plants (except gas-fired) – 2 hours Gas-fired plants – 1 hour 15 minutes

Unit tests must have the following minimum duration:

Hydroelectric generating stations and thermal plants (including gas-fired) – 1 hour Hydroelectric generating stations with reactive power absorption testing – 1 hour 15

minutes

5.3. OTHER TEST CONSTRAINTS Maximum real and reactive power is tested in compliance with any operating restrictions

which may apply to generating stations, generating units or related equipment. Operating constraints to prevent damage to generating units (e.g., on axial pulsing, vibrations and temperature) must not be exceeded.

Testing must not lead to contravening operating criteria (e.g., minimum operating reserves and maximum power flows). Testing may be limited or interrupted at the request of a System Operator should a system limit be reached and system reliability compromised.

The maximum real and reactive power of hydroelectric generating stations with interdependent water levels or flows potentially affecting the results must be tested at the same time.

It is preferable that generating stations or units capable of being islanded to a neighboring system be tested when the generating units are synchronized to the Québec grid. If that is impossible, the System Control Outage Scheduler or System Operator – Interconnections, depending on the horizon, analyzes the impact of testing on maintaining interchange schedules. Testing is conducted if power fluctuations are negligible or can be compensated, provided the System Operator – Interconnections and counterpart operator in the control area affected reach agreement on the quantity of inadvertent energy generated. Otherwise, testing is postponed to a later date.

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

5.4. TESTS CONDUCTED BY THE GENERATOR OWNER Each generator owner is in charge of scheduling and conducting the tests, and making sure that the criteria in this Procedure are followed. Each generator owner must record the measurements for the generating unit parameters specified in Appendix A (for station tests) and B (for unit tests).

During the tests, the generator owner may test or measure other generating unit parameters for its own purposes provided this does not change test conditions and does not lead to power variations.

6 TEST PROCEDURE

6.1 SCHEDULING THE TESTS Reference: Process 1 (Scheduling the tests)

Testing must comply with the requirements of Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie, which sends a letter to each generator owner notifying it that testing must be done. The scheduling process is the same for both station and unit tests.

Generator owners must complete test scheduling no later than noon four working days before the test date. The generator owner must send its testing request as an outage request to the Telecontrol Outage Scheduler for its location and include its test procedure with that request.

In scheduling the test, the generator owner takes such facility-specific factors into account as the time of local ice cover formation.

The Telecontrol Outage Scheduler analyzes the requested test in terms of its impact on regional power system reliability.

If regional power system reliability is not compromised, the Telecontrol Outage Scheduler forwards the request to the System Control Outage Scheduler, who studies the request in terms of the main power system. Provided reliability of the main power system is not compromised, the request is approved.

Should either the Telecontrol Outage Scheduler or the System Control Outage Scheduler refuse the request, the generator owner representative is so informed and given the reasons for the refusal.

Under special circumstances where opportunities for testing arise on short notice, generator owners may send outage requests that do not allow the normal time for processing. Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie will do its best to accommodate such tests provided power system conditions so permit and system reliability is not compromised.

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

6.2 CONDUCTING THE TESTS Reference: Process 2 (Conducting the tests)

6.2.1 Communications prior to the tests On the day of testing, one hour before testing is to begin, the designated operator of the generating station contacts the Telecontrol Dispatcher to confirm the test.

The Telecontrol Dispatcher analyzes the impact of testing on regional power system reliability. Provided testing does not compromise regional power system reliability, the Telecontrol Dispatcher asks the System Control Operator to authorize the test. If it does compromise reliability, the Telecontrol Dispatcher cancels the test and informs the generator's operator of the reason for so doing. The latter must then reschedule the test as set out in Section 6.1.

The System Operator analyzes the impact testing maximum real and reactive power will have on transmission system reliability. Provided the request does not compromise transmission system reliability and has no major effect on interchange schedules, the System Operator authorizes the Telecontrol Dispatcher to proceed and the latter then contacts the generating station(s) so that testing begins on schedule. If it does compromise reliability, the System Operator so notifies the Telecontrol Dispatcher who so informs the requesting party, who must then reschedule the test as set out in Section 6.1. The reasons for preventing the test are given to the generator's operator.

At the scheduled test time or the time specified by the Telecontrol Dispatcher, the latter asks the designated operator at the generating station to perform the test following standard procedures. The Telecontrol Dispatcher must notify the System Operator of the exact time testing starts. The designated operator of the generating station notes any unusual situation arising during the test and sends that information to the Telecontrol Dispatcher, who records it.

6.2.2 Framework test procedure

6.2.2.1 Maximum real and reactive power of a generating station – STATION TEST

For hydroelectric generating stations and thermal plants (except gas-fired), the station test lasts at least two hours and follows the steps below.

1) During hour 1, test the maximum real power of the generating station (all generating units simultaneously) accounting for the reactive power (Mvar) required by the state of the power system at the time of testing.

2) For the first 15 minutes of hour 2, maintain the state described in step 1) then check the reactive power (Mvar) developed by raising the generator output voltage setpoint until the limit for one of the following is reached: generator output voltage, transmission system voltage, stator current or rotor current.

3) For the next 45 minutes, test the maximum real power of the generating station (MW) accounting for the reactive power (Mvar) required by the state of the power system at the time of testing (return to state 1).

Station testing of a gas-fired plant lasts one hour fifteen minutes and only steps 1) and 2) above are performed. Once the test is done, gas-fired generating units must be shut down if they are not required by the transmission system.

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

This kind of testing, given its impact on regional power systems, must be coordinated with support of Telecontrol staff at Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie.

6.2.2.2 Maximum real and reactive power of each unit at a generating station – UNIT TEST

The purpose of unit testing is to check the electrical characteristics of generating units. Two types of tests check the characteristic curve (P-Q curve) of a generating unit: 1) maximum production of reactive power (Mvar) and 2) maximum absorption of reactive power (Mvar), both at the generating unit’s maximum real power (MW).

1) Unit test of reactive power produced

For the hydroelectric generating stations and thermal (including gas-fired) plants to be tested, the generator's operator increases to its maximum the generating unit’s real power, then checks:

for a minimum duration of one hour (or until the temperature stabilizes), the reactive power (Mvar) developed by raising the generator output voltage setpoint until the stator current limit or rotor current limit is reached.

2) Unit test of reactive power absorbed

Once the unit test is complete for the production of reactive power, the generator's operator must keep the generating unit at its maximum real power (MW) and check:

for a 15-minute period, the reactive power (Mvar) developed by lowering the generator output voltage setpoint until the stator current limit or polar angle limiter has been reached.

6.2.3 Retesting Tests must be run again at a different time should the state of the power system at the time of testing not allow one of the following limits to be reached: generator output voltage, stator current or rotor current.

6.2.4 Communications immediately after the tests When testing ends, the designated operator of the generating station must notify the Telecontrol Dispatcher of any restriction, constraint or alarm that occurred during the test and was related to the equipment tested. The Telecontrol Dispatcher records this information and forwards it to the System Control Operator.

When testing ends, the Telecontrol Dispatcher, after having received instructions from the System Control Operator, asks the designated operator of the generating station to adjust generation to the scheduled value or another value depending on the state of the power system at that time.

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

7 TEST FOLLOW-UP AND COMPLIANCE

7.1 COMMUNICATING RESULTS Generator owners must send the compiled test results to the Senior Agent – System Operation at the Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie System Control Centre as soon as possible and no later than 30 days after the tests were conducted.

7.2 COMPLIANCE FOLLOW-UP The generator owners in question must schedule and conduct maximum real and reactive power tests for all their generating stations before December 31 of the same year to comply with NPCC guidelines.

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

8 CONTACTS

Telecontrol centre Telecontrol Outage Scheduler Dispatcher

Baie-Comeau (418) 296-8450

extension 3726, 3740 or 3775 Agent_Planification_Baie_Comeau@hydro.qc.ca

(418) 294-4032

Rouyn-Noranda (819) 764-5124

extension 4326, 4320, 4313 or 4374 Agent_Planification_Rouyn@hydro.qc.ca

(819) 764-7916

Chicoutimi (418) 696-3854

(418) 696-3815 Agent_Planification_Chicoutimi@hydro.qc.ca

(418) 690-8367

Trois-Rivières (819) 694-2432

(819) 694-2422 (Bécancour and Gentilly) Agent_Planification_Trois-Rivieres@hydro.qc.ca

(819) 694-2761

Québec City (418) 624-5405

Agent_Planification_Quebec@hydro.qc.ca (418) 634-3380 (418) 624-5613

Saint-Jérôme

(450) 431-3102 (450) 431-3103 (450) 431-3104

Agent_Planification_St-Jerome@hydro.qc.ca

(450) 530-3869

Montréal

(514) 289-5451 (514) 289-5411 (514) 289-5175

Agent_Planification_Montreal@hydro.qc.ca

(514) 879-4581

Senior Agent – System Operation (514) 289-2211, extension 4993

Fax 289-4556 Gagne.Daniel.2@hydro.qc.ca

For any questions related to this procedure, please write to: infote@hydro.qc.ca

Putting as the subject line “INFO-TE (P-ZRQ-001)”

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

PROCESS 1: SCHEDULING THE TEST

Plan max. power test for generating stations of ≥ 50-MW capacity

Each calendar year, during heavy load period*

Analyze outage request for impacts on regional power system

no

yes

Outage SchedulerOutage SchedulerPower producer

Under NPCC Guide B-09

Telecontrol System Control

Negative impact on regional system?Reschedule test Negative impact

on reliability or interchanges?

Analyze outage request for impacts on main power system &

P-ZRQ-001compliance

Approve test request

yes

no

Conduct testfollowing process 2

* January, February, November and December

Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie

At latest, noon 4 working days before the scheduled test date

At latest, noon 3 working days before the scheduled test date

Forward approved test request to power

producer

Receive approvedtest request

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

PROCESS 2: CONDUCTING THE TEST

System OperatorTelecontrol Dispatcher

Power producerUnder NPCC Guide B-09

Request approval to proceed

(1 h in advance)

Day testing scheduled

Analyze impacts of requested test on

main power system

Analyze impacts of requested test on

regional power system

Negative impact on regional system?

Negative impact on reliability or interchanges?

Senior Agent – System Operation

Telecontrol Centre (TC) System Control Center (SCC)

no

yes

yes

no

Refuse testing and inform power producer

of reason

Replan test following process 1 Authorize test

Compile results using screenshots

Power producer compliant

Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie

Authorize test

Conduct test basedon established

parameters and type of generating station

Log constraints and send information to System Operator

Make copies for files, add comments on testing and forward

information

Record generating unit measurements and

parameters, and send data as specified in

P-ZRQ-001

Keep data on filefor consultation

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

Appendix A MAXIMUM REAL AND REACTIVE POWER – STATION TEST

Test date (yyyy-mm-dd): [ - - ]

GENERATING STATION

Time Total Output MW MX

Water temp.1 °C (hydroelectric

generating station)

Air temp.2 °C

Upstream water level (m)

Down-stream water level (m)

COMMENTS

Start: End:

UNIT No. MW MX kV G.O.3 (%) COMMENTS Start: After 1 h of testing: After 1 h 15 min.: End: Start: After 1 h of testing: After 1 h 15 min.: End: Start: After 1 h of testing: After 1 h 15 min.: End: Start: After 1 h of testing: After 1 h 15 min.: End:

1 Water temperature: Temperature of cool water at the generator cooling system intake 2 Air temperature: Temperature of cool air at the cooling system outlet or generator rotor intake 3 G.O.: Gate opening

By: ________________________________________

Procedure P-ZRQ-001

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System Control

Appendix B MAXIMUM REAL AND REACTIVE POWER – UNIT TEST

Test date (yyyy-mm-dd): [ - - ]

GENERATING STATION

Time Total Output MW MX

Water temp.1 °C (hydroelectric

generating station)

Air temp.2 °C

Upstream water level (m)

Down-stream water level (m)

COMMENTS

Start: End:

UNIT No. MW MX kV G.O.3 (%) COMMENTS Start: End: Absorption test:4 Start: End: Absorption test:4 Start: End: Absorption test:4 Start: End: Absorption test:4 Start: End: Absorption test:4

1 Water temperature: Temperature of cool water at the generator cooling system intake 2 Air temperature: Temperature of cool air at the cooling system outlet or generator rotor intake 3 G.O.: Gate opening 4 For specified generating stations only By: ________________________________________