Online Coherence Identification Using Dynamic Time Warping for Controlled Islanding

Abstract: Controlled islanding is considered to be the last countermeasure to prevent system-wide blackouts in case of cascading failures. It splits the system into self-sustained islands to maintain transient stability at the expense of possible loss of load. Generator coherence identification is critical to controlled islanding scheme as it helps identify the optimal cut-set to maintain system transient stability. This paper presents a novel approach for online generator coherency identification using phasor measurement unit (PMU) data and dynamic time warping (DTW). Results from the coherence identification are used to further cluster non-generator buses using spectral clustering with the objective of minimizing power flow disruption. The proposed approach is validated and compared to existing methods on the IEEE 39-bus system, through which its advantages are demonstrated.