On the Calculation of Time Alignment Errors in Data Management Platforms for Distribution Grid Data

Area of Science:

• Electrical engineering
• Data science
• Power systems analysis

Background:

• Distribution grids require synchronized measurements for operation and planning.
• Low- and medium-voltage grids often suffer from imprecise clock synchronization in measurement devices.
• Existing methods for assessing clock impact are computationally intensive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a metric, Additive Alignment Error, for quantifying clock misalignment impact.
• To develop an efficient online estimation procedure for this metric.
• To reduce computational demands on measurement devices in data management platforms.

Main Methods:

• Formal introduction of the Additive Alignment Error metric.
• Extension of a Markov-modulated process to model electrical traces.
• Derivation of a closed-form matrix analytic formula for the Additive Alignment Error.
• Trace-driven assessment of the model-based approach.

Main Results:

• The proposed Markov-modulated process accurately models electrical traces.
• A closed-form formula for Additive Alignment Error was derived.
• The model-based approach was confirmed accurate through trace-driven assessment.
• Significant reductions in computational demands on measurement devices were demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The developed model provides an accurate and computationally efficient method for estimating Additive Alignment Error.
• This approach is suitable for practical implementation in data management platforms for distribution system operators.
• The findings facilitate improved data processing and grid management despite clock synchronization challenges.