Impact of difference of feeder impedances on the performance of a static transfer switch

Conventionally, control system of a static transfer switch (STS) is designed based on the assumption that the STS terminal voltages are in-phase. This paper investigates the impact of phase difference of the STS terminal voltages on the STS transfer time and cross current. The phase difference is assumed to be a result of the difference of the feeder impedances. The paper shows that phase differences of even up to 4.5°, which are accompanied by up to 5% voltage drop at the STS terminal, can noticeably increase the transfer time and the cross current magnitude. The studies are conducted on the IEEE STS-l benchmark system using the PSCAD/EMTDC software.