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The need for
investigation of distribution system phenomena and engineering
considerations has been increasing for a long time. Although the
distribution system is a very dynamic portion of the utility
system, accounting for a substantial share of utility's capital
and operating expense, it has not generally received the same
degree of research effort as the generation and transmission
portions of the system. Greater understanding is needed of the
present-day system and equipment application concerns as systems
evolve, reliability considerations are heightened, and new and
more complex loads are added to today's distributions systems.
Many of these
distribution system research and testing needs are now being met
by a consortium of utilities and utility organizations. This
consortium, known as the Distribution Systems Testing,
Application, and Research (DSTAR) group, has been sponsoring
investigations of practical distribution issues since 1986.
The formation
of DSTAR is, to a great extent, due to the initiative of Northeast
Utilities (NU). This utility appreciated the need for a
distribution-focused research and testing program and sought to
fulfill these needs within a consistent framework and with a means
for equitably funding the projects. In the early 1980's, NU
conducted a search and evaluation of various test and research
capabilities. NU was seeking impulse and short circuit generation
capability, measurement, and proximity to existing distribution
facilities. Their evaluation favored GE's High Voltage Laboratory
in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and GE's Skeats High Power Lab in
Philadelphia. These facilities plus the extensive distribution
system and equipment application expertise provided by GE's Power
System Engineering Department led to the close relationship which
continues today between the DSTAR consortium and GE.
Northeast Utilities was joined in the initial project by five
other utilities and one utility organization, with service
territories concentrated in the northeastern portion of the
country. DSTAR has since grown to its present size as other
utilities have seen the value in their participation, and now
encompasses utilities throughout the United States. The research
activities have broadened from the original scope of underground
cable surge protection to a diverse range of topics related to
practical distribution system engineering and operations,
including distribution transformer overvoltage phenomena and
protection, overcurrent protection, transformer sizing and
selection, and development of software tools. |
