Postdoc Improving Emergency Load Control and Shedding Schemes for Critical Frequency Conditions

Are you interested in working in a dynamic team consisting of academic and industrial partners, and contributing to the ongoing energy transition by doing research with a high level of scientific impact?

Job description

Electrical power systems continuously change their conventional structure which considers dispatchable synchronous generators and unpredictable load demand. The increasing share of power inverter-based resources (IBRs, such as PV, wind power, BESS), and complex demand resources (EVs, H2, datacentres, heat pumps, other converter-interfaced loads) orients system operators’ interests to the dynamic security of the power system.

The Continental Europe Synchronous Area (CESA) is a large synchronous electrical grid, historically considered resilient to frequency disturbances. System splits are quite severe events in which the system faces major challenges to avoid a black-out in either of the islands, as could be seen during several recent events in the past several years. As the renewable trends are only expected to continue, it is necessary to investigate possible severe frequency excursions in low-inertia situations to minimize the risk of cascading faults, frequency and voltage instabilities, and potential blackouts.

Developing novel and advanced emergency load control and shedding algorithms, by also utilizing grid-forming inverters able to operate rapidly and effectively in low-inertia power systems and scenarios, can contribute to arresting the frequency deviation, and consequently ensuring that the system preserves integrity and stability.

The Postdoc position is in line with an ongoing PhD position and will facilitate and extend this work. The ongoing research includes extensive studies to evaluate the impact of evolving generation and demand on frequency stability. It also includes renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and BESS, as well as electric vehicles (EVs), heat pumps, datacentres, and other converter-integrated loads.

The utilization of grid-forming and grid-following converters in low-inertia systems, and the impact on frequency stability should be evaluated for a variety of operating scenarios of interest, particularly focusing on large system events that may cause system disintegration. The model development and simulations must be conducted in an RTDS environment by utilizing Hardware-in-the-loop testing and applying modern IEDs supplied with under- and over-frequency protection, UFLS, under- and overvoltage protection.

Developing new System Integrity Protection Schemes (SIPS), by utilizing synchrophasors, is also required. The proof-of-concept includes an RTDS-based simulation platform that can be adapted to a real-world situation. Hence, for this position, solid knowledge of RTDS simulation is required.

The project is financed by industry and is in the scope of the Power System Protection Centre.

About the department

The research in the Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy is inspired by the technical, scientific, and societal challenges originating from the transition towards a more sustainable society and focuses on three areas:

• DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S)
• Photovoltaic Materials and Devices (PVMD)
• Intelligent Electrical Power Grids (IEPG)
• High Voltage Technologies (HVT)

The Electrical Sustainable Energy Department provides expertise in these areas throughout the entire energy system chain. The department owns a large ESP Laboratory assembling High Voltage testing, DC Grids testing environment, and large RTDS that is actively used for real-time simulation of future electrical power systems, AC and DC protection and wide-area monitoring and protection.

The Intelligent Electrical Power Grid (IEPG) group, headed by Professor Peter Palensky, works on the future of our power system. The goal is to generate, transmit and use electrical energy in a highly reliable, efficient, stable, clean, affordable, and safe way. IEPG integrates new power technologies and smart controls, which interact with other systems and allow for more distributed and variable generation.

Job requirements

• An MSc degree in Electrical Power Engineering.
• A strong emphasis on electrical power systems dealing with System Integrity Protection Schemes, wide area monitoring applications related to system protection, frequency and voltage stability.
• Comprehensive knowledge in electrical power system operation and system integrity protection schemes.
• Affinity with programming.
• Mastery of EMT-based software tools, particularly RTDS and HiL testing.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Excellent English skills.

About TU Delft

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology) is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world-class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society.

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines. Combined, they reinforce each other and are a driving force behind technologies used in daily life. The faculty contributes to making the electricity grid completely sustainable and future-proof, while also advancing chips, sensors, software technologies, AI, and applied mathematics. There is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research, innovative engineering education, and excellent labs and facilities in a strong international environment.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 3 years. Temporary.
• Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave.
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.