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About

About

I’m a Senior Researcher at INESC TEC and an Assistant Professor at FEUP. I’m specialized in dynamic behavior studies and security operation analysis of power systems and also on the application of automatic learning techniques to obtain an optimal and secure operation of power systems. I have participated in many consultancy projects, manly related with the dynamic security of isolated power systems with a high penetration of renewable power production. I have also strongly participated in R&D projects related with power systems secure control.

Interest
Topics
Details

Details

  • Name

    Helena Vasconcelos
  • Role

    Senior Researcher
  • Since

    01st January 1999
023
Publications

2024

Flexibility extension in hydropower for the provision of frequency control services within the European energy transition

Authors
Vasconcelos, MH; Castro, MV; Nicolet, C; Moreira, CL;

Publication
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ELECTRICAL POWER & ENERGY SYSTEMS

Abstract
This paper presents a comprehensive assessment of the large-scale deployment of hydropower on the provision of frequency regulation services, when equipped with the extended flexibility solutions being developed and/or tested within the scope of the XFLEX HYDRO project. The current analysis is performed on the Iberian Peninsula (IP) power grid considering its interconnection to the Continental Europe (CE) system, since this power system zone is expected to have the most severe frequency transient behaviour in future scenarios with increased shares of variable renewable energies. For this purpose, prospective scenarios with increased shares of time variable renewable generation were identified and analysed. To assess the impacts of the hydropower flexibility solutions on frequency dynamics after a major active power loss, extensive time domain simulations were performed of the power system, including reliable reduced order dynamic models for the hydropower flexibility solutions under evaluation. This research assesses the effects of synchronous and synthetic inertia, and of the Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR) and Fast Frequency Response (FFR) services as specified in European grid codes. The main findings highlight the potential of hydropower inertia and of adopting a variable speed technology for enhancing frequency stability, while contribute to better understand the role of hydropower plants in future power systems.

2019

An advanced platform for power system security assessment accounting for forecast uncertainties

Authors
Ciapessoni, E; Cirio, D; Pitto, A; Omont, N; Carvalho, LM; Vasconcelos, MH;

Publication
International Journal of Management and Decision Making

Abstract
Accounting for the increasing uncertainties related to forecast of renewables is becoming an essential requirement while assessing the security of future power system scenarios. Project iTesla in the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) of the European Union (EU) tackles these needs and reaches several major objectives, including the development of a security platform architecture. In particular, the platform implements a stochastic dependence model to simulate a reasonable cloud of plausible 'future' states - due to renewable forecast - around the expected state, and evaluates the security on relevant states after sampling the cloud of uncertainty. The paper focuses on the proposed model for the uncertainty and its exploitation in power system security assessment process and it reports the relevant validation results. Copyright © 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

2019

A methodology to evaluate the uncertainties used to perform security assessment for branch overloads

Authors
Vasconcelos, MH; Goncalves, C; Meirinhos, J; Omont, N; Pitto, A; Ceresa, G;

Publication
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ELECTRICAL POWER & ENERGY SYSTEMS

Abstract
This paper presents a generic framework to evaluate and compare the quality of the uncertainties provided by probabilistic forecasts of power system state when used to perform security assessment for branch overloads. Besides exploiting advanced univariate and multivariate metrics that are traditionally used in weather prediction, the evaluation is complemented by assessing the benefits from exploiting probabilistic forecasts over the current practices of using deterministic forecasts of the system operating conditions. Another important feature of this framework is the provision of parameters tuning when applying flow probabilistic forecasts to perform security assessment for branch overloads. The quality and scalability of this framework is demonstrated and validated on recent historical data of the French transmission system. Although being developed to address branch overload problems, with proper adaptations, this work can be extended to other power system security problems.

2019

Dynamic security of islanded power systems with pumped storage power plants for high renewable integration - A study case

Authors
Vasconcelos, MH; Beires, P; Moreira, CL; Pecas Lopes, JAP;

Publication
JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING-JOE

Abstract
This work consists in assessing a real islanded power system from a dynamic security point of view, to support the planned installation, in the near future, of a hydro power plant with pumped storage, aiming to increase the integration of renewable energy. The analysed hydro power plant will include a Pelton turbine as it is a high-head hydro facility. Due to economic reasons, the adopted water pumping technology consists in fixed speed pumps coupled to induction motors with direct grid connection. It was possible to verify through detailed simulations of this power system's time domain behaviour that, even though the expected installation of this new power plant will bring additional frequency stability constraints, a robust technical solution may be found dealing with the new constraints without increasing the complexity of operation in this islanded power system. The conclusions obtained from this specific case are also valid for similar isolated power systems, namely when hydro pumping stations are being considered to increase time-variable renewable generation penetration.

2019

Evaluation of the Uncertainties used to Perform Flow Security Assessment: A Real Case Study

Authors
Vasconcelos, MH; Goncalves, C; Meirinhos, J; Omont, N; Pitto, A; Ceresa, G;

Publication
2019 IEEE MILAN POWERTECH

Abstract
In this paper, a validation framework is proposed to evaluate the quality of uncertainty forecasts, when used to perform branch flow security assessment. The consistency between probabilistic forecasts and observations and the sharpness of the uncertainty forecasts is verified with advanced metrics widely used in weather prediction. The evaluation is completed by assessing the added value of exploiting uncertainty forecasts over the TSO current practices of using deterministic forecasts. For electric power industry, this proposed validation framework provides a way to compare the performance among alternative uncertainty models, when used to perform security assessment in power systems. The quality of the proposed metrics is illustrated and validated on historical data of the French transmission system.

Supervised
thesis

2021

Mitigação de flutuações PV por limites impostos ao aumento de produção

Author
João Tiago Teixeira Almeida

Institution
UM

2016

Estudo de Condições de Viabilidade da Manutenção em Serviço de Produção Distribuída em Situações de Contingência na Rede AT

Author
João Paulo Martins Santos Fernandes

Institution
UP-FEUP

2016

Avaliação rápida de sobrecargas pós-contingência em ramos de sistemas elétricos interligados

Author
Ricardo Jorge de Lima Capão

Institution
UP-FEUP

Avaliação Rápida de Sobrecargas Pós-Contingência em Ramos de Sistemas Elétricos Interligados

Author
Ricardo Jorge de Lima Capão

Institution
UP-FEUP