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Volume 13 | Issue 8 | Year 2026 | Article Id. IJECE-V13I8P107 | DOI : https://doi.org/10.14445/23488549/IJECE-V13I8P107

Transient Stability Assessment of a Grid-Connected Micro-Hydro Power Plant Using MATLAB/Simulink Under Multiple Fault Conditions with Controller Performance Analysis

Pooja Shashikant Bansode, Swapnil Yashavant Gadgune, Sushant Subhash Kamble, Ambadas B. Shinde

Received Revised Accepted Published
10 Apr 2026 02 Jun 2026 30 Jul 2026 31 Aug 2026

Citation :

Pooja Shashikant Bansode, Swapnil Yashavant Gadgune, Sushant Subhash Kamble, Ambadas B. Shinde, "Transient Stability Assessment of a Grid-Connected Micro-Hydro Power Plant Using MATLAB/Simulink Under Multiple Fault Conditions with Controller Performance Analysis," International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering, vol. 13, no. 8, pp. 99-112, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488549/IJECE-V13I8P107

Abstract

The issue of transient stability demands careful attention when integrating micro-hydro power plants into the utility grid, since synchronous generating units of small capacity are highly sensitive to electrical disturbances, particularly short-circuit faults of varying severity. Rigorous dynamic modeling is therefore essential to capture the coupled interactions among the hydraulic, electrical, and control subsystems under disturbed operating conditions. This paper develops a MATLAB/Simulink-based transient stability model of a grid-connected run-of-river micro-hydro power plant comprising a hydraulic turbine-governor, a synchronous generator, an automatic voltage regulator and excitation system, a step-up transformer, connected loads, and an infinite-bus grid, rated at 100 kVA, 11 kV, 50 Hz. The system is subjected to four distinct fault types, namely a Symmetrical Three-Phase-to-Ground (3LG) fault, a Single Line-to-Ground (SLG) fault, a Line-to-Line (LL) fault, and a double Line-to-Ground (LLG) fault, each applied at 0.1 s and cleared at 0.2 s, together with a parametric study covering different fault-clearing times and load variation conditions. Terminal voltage, rotor speed, stator current, and field voltage are analyzed across all scenarios. In addition, a comparative evaluation of controller performance is carried out, contrasting the conventional governor and IEEE Type-1 AVR configuration with an optimized PID governor and a fuzzy-logic-based excitation controller. The results demonstrate that synchronism is maintained across all fault types and operating conditions. The comparative controller analysis confirms that optimized and intelligent control strategies reduce post-fault settling time by approximately 45% relative to the conventional baseline. The findings establish the presented framework as a reliable basis for fault-type-dependent stability assessment, controller benchmarking, and grid-integration planning of micro-hydro generation systems.

Keywords

Micro-hydropower, Grid integration, Transient stability, MATLAB/Simulink, Synchronous generator, Asymmetrical faults, Controller comparison, Fault-clearing time.

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