Optimizing Wide Area Measurement System architectures with advancements in Phasor Data Concentrators (PDCs)

Large scale deployment of Wide Area Measurement System (WAMS) is underway at several major power utilities around the globe. This is influencing several activities and discussions at international standard associations (IEEE/IEC) and meetings (NASPI/CIGRE/PSRC) to devise the effective but optimum WAMS architecture. This paper presents some of the recent advancements in Phasor Data Concentrator (PDC) technology to achieve fit-to-purpose WAMS architecture. The presented guidelines can be used to reduce the network bandwidth requirements as well as PDC latency. In addition, this paper also discusses various desired features to handle communication network contingencies, e.g. GPS fail, loss of PMU communication, PMU streams with different data rates and different latency; lost synchrophasor data; diagnostics and their notification at upstream devices, etc.