1766 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER SYSTEMS, VOL. 28, NO. 2, MAY 2013 Compliance Analysis of PMU Algorithms and Devices for Wide-Area Stabilizing Control of Large Power Systems Innocent Kamwa, Fellow, IEEE, S. R. Samantaray, Senior Member, IEEE, and Geza Joos, Fellow, IEEE Abstract—For the first time, IEEE Std. C37.118.1-2011 now provides metrics for PMU dynamic performance in terms of classes P and M filter designs. This paper attempts to determine whether fulfilling these requirements makes the PMU inherently well suited for stability control applications such as wide-area power system stabilizers (PSSs). In this aim, we considered two different frequency-adaptive approaches for class-P and -M compliance to ensure operation over a wide frequency range. The first is based on a finite-impulse response (FIR) with no overshoot in either the phase or the amplitude step responses, while the second is Kalman filter-based (EKF), which allows for a more refined out-of-band interference rejection at the cost of a phase step response with overshoot. These two approaches are benchmarked against Hydro-Québec‘s existing PSS requirements and the conclusion is that the total vector error-based response time is not indicative of the phase lag within the frequency band of interest, nor of the 3-dB bandwidth under sinusoidal ampli- tude/frequency modulation phenomena, which are key criteria when specifying PSS PMUs. Using simulated and field-recorded network fault responses, we also show that a class-M PMU is unsatisfactory for wide-area stabilizing control, unless its perfor- mance is improved during the fault period, which is not covered by Std. C37.118.1-2011. Index Terms—Adaptive complex bandpass filtering, changing harmonics, IEEE Std. C371181-2011, Kalman filtering, phasor measurement unit (PMU), power system oscillations, syn- chrophasor, wide-area measurement systems (WAMS), wide-area protection and control (WAPC). I. INTRODUCTION P HASOR measurement unit (PMU) performance has been the subject of very intense activity recently. IEEE stan- dard C37.118.1 [1] provides metrics for comparing dynamic performances of various PMU brands in terms of class-P and class-M filter designs while Std. C37.118.2 defines the commu- nication protocols more precisely. An IEEE guide for testing and calibrating PMUs more comprehensively and with a greater Manuscript received May 13, 2012; revised May 27, 2012, July 18, 2012, and August 26, 2012; accepted September 24, 2012. Date of publication November 12, 2012; date of current version April 18, 2013. Paper no. TPWRS-00494- 2012. I. Kamwa is with the Hydro-Québec/IREQ, Power System and Mathematics, Varennes QC J3X 1S1, Canada (e-mail: kamwa.innocent@ireq.ca). S. R. Samantaray is with the School of Electrical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa-751 013, India (e-mail: sbh_samant@yahoo.co.in). G. Joos is with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engi- neering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2A7, Canada (e-mail: geza.joos@mcgill.ca). Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org. Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPWRS.2012.2221168 level of uniformity is currently under ballot [2]. Over ten years ago [3], authors were arguing that PMU-based wide-area stabi- lizing control of PSS could result in a number of stability ben- efits ranging from markedly improved damping to less severe post-fault voltage dips and angle shifts[4], [5]. However, despite substantial work at the design stage to improve the controller tuning and coordination or at the laboratory and pilot stages to simulate the whole concept in real time or prove it in open loop [6], [7], no significant progress towards actual implementation has been achieved so far. The common view is that system oper- ators and reliability regulators are reluctant to move ahead cre- ating the extra risk posed by a centralized continuous control bugged by communications uncertainties and delays. However, the gaps in PMU technology and its lack of maturity are sim- pler explanations for the reluctance of planning and project en- gineers to implement new approaches to improve system sta- bility. The objective of this paper is to determine whether the recent developments in PMU standards and related commercial products have significantly improved the prospects of wide-area PSS implementation. A literature survey on this topic revealed that some au- thors [8]–[11] have developed extensive test procedures to benchmark commercial PMUs against Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) and North American Syn- chroPhasor Initiative (NASPI) PMU filtering requirements. Novel synchrophasor algorithms claiming to meet or exceed similar requirements are proposed in [12]–[14]. Specific met- rics which a PMU must meet to make it suitable for wide-area damping control are summarized in [15] while sample filters are proposed in [16] showing that the requirements can in fact be met. These metrics, which are defined in terms of step response and frequency response (gain and phase) character- istics, under sinusoidal amplitude and phase modulation, are easy to understand and are the motivation behind the proposed work. In fact, while Std. C37.118.1 proposes specific criteria for measurement bandwidth and step response characterization, these are built around total vector error (TVE), which is not a natural concept for control systems designers. In addition, out of the five commercial PMUs tested in [17], only two met the C37.118.1 class-M step response specification while none of them fulfilled the frequency ramp response specification. As observed, some work remains to be done to link the metrics in [1] with more conventional figures of [16] and, as a result, more work is now required by manufacturers to fully meet C37.118.1 for class-M performance [18]. This paper will impact on both fronts. On one hand, adap- tive algorithms able to help manufacturers meet C37.118.1’s dynamic requirements will be identified. On the other hand, 0885-8950/$31.00 © 2012 IEEE