Application of SSSC for Voltage Stability Improvement in the Nigerian 330 kV Transmission System using Particle Swarm Optimization Technique

Load imbalance has always been a major cause of voltage instability of the power system network and increase in voltage instability affects the power system reliability. In this paper, static synchronous series capacitor (SSSC) FACTS device was implemented to improve the voltage stability in the Nigerian 330 kV transmission network using particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. Modelled power system network in the power system analysis toolbox (PSAT) is simulated to determine the existing power flow analysis and the level of instability in the power system generation plants situated in the Northern region. The outcome of the power flow is thereafter, optimized with PSO by generating the relationship with a high prediction accuracy between voltage at each location and an inter-linked transmission line distance of the 330kV. The model was generated with least square method and the high prediction accuracy determination was carried out with R-square value of the polynomial order. The best model was optimized and the entire computations were carried out in MatLab resulting in the determination of the optimal location which was between Jebba transmission and Shiroro generation stations. SSSC FACTS controller was implemented on the optimized transmission line and the simulation results showed that the introduction of SSSC improved the voltage stability of the power system network.