Feasibility study of PMU based on IEEE 1588

The principal function of phasor measurement unit (PMU) is the synchronized collection of data from each node of the power system, monitoring of the important nodal voltage phasors. It plays an increasingly important role in the security operation of the grid. Precision timing signal is the basis of the synchronized collection of data. IEEE 1588 is the standard for a precision clock synchronization protocol for networked measurement and control system. The capital function of IEEE 1588 is to make the most accurate clock of distributed network synchronized with the other clocks of the network. As a result, the clocks of the network will keep synchronization. The features of radio communication are employed to minimize the synchronous information, and the synchronous system can readily achieve sub-microsecond accuracy. Researchers of the automation, communications and other industrial areas pay more and more attention to the standard. This paper analyzes the operation principle of the standard and compares the performance of the GPS and the IEEE 1588 protocol. A new accurate time synchronization scheme was proposed which is in accordance with the IEEE 1588 protocol and can be used in the PMU, and the structure modes were given. Finally, the feasibility of the scheme was analyzed.