Sequential Monte Carlo method to assess the availability of power station layouts with generator circuit-breakers
Résumé
The problem of operating power stations with the highest possible availability at the lowest possible cost has become more and more important in recent years. This paper is specifically concerned with a computer code based on the sequential Monte Carlo method which has been developed and validated in order to reproduce the electrical behavior of power stations and to quantify the availability of their layouts. This computer code features several innovative functions such as the possibility to model different alternatives for connecting the generator to the associated step-up transformer, flashover across the open contacts of the high-voltage circuit-breaker and of the generator circuit-breaker, different priorities for the employment of the backup sources for unit auxiliaries, as well as fail-to-synchronise events. The presented method helps to precisely quantify the cost-effectiveness of different power station layouts and provides important insights in the optimization of equipment maintenance policie