Timestamp inconsistency and shift detection for synchrophasor data based on correlation between relative phase angle and frequency

1. A method comprising:

performing by a processor:

receiving a plurality of synchrophasor measurements of a power system signal associated with a time interval from a phasor measurement unit (PMU), each of the plurality of synchrophasor measurements including a phase angle, frequency value, and a timestamp associated with the synchrophasor measurement;

determining a plurality of relative phase angles based on the plurality of phase angles;

determining a correlation coefficient between the plurality of relative phase angles and a plurality of corresponding frequency values of the power system signal;

detecting an error in the plurality of timestamps based on the correlation coefficient;

estimating the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values;

adjusting the plurality of timestamps of the plurality of synchrophasor measurements received from the PMU based on the error; and

performing an administrative operation on the power system based on the plurality of synchrophasor measurements having the plurality of timestamps, respectively, that have been adjusted responsive to the synchrophasor measurements indicating a change in a nominal frequency of the power system signal;

wherein the administration operation comprises a power system protection operation, a power system fault location operation, a power system oscillation detection operation, or a power system event triangulation operation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of synchrophasor measurements is a first plurality of synchrophasor measurements, the plurality of phase angles is a first plurality of phase angles, the plurality of timestamps is a first plurality of timestamps, and the time interval is a first time interval, the method further comprising:

receiving a second plurality of synchrophasor measurements of the power system signal associated with a second time interval from the PMU, each of the second plurality of synchrophasor measurements including a second phase angle and a second timestamp associated with the synchrophasor measurement; and

adjusting the second plurality of timestamps associated with the second plurality of synchrophasor measurements received from the PMU based on the error.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the plurality of relative phase angles based on the plurality of phase angles comprises:

subtracting a power system average phase angle or a phase angle of a reference PMU from each of the plurality of phase angles to obtain the plurality of relative phase angles.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the correlation coefficient between the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values of the power system signal comprises:

determining a covariance between the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values;

determining a standard deviation of the plurality of relative phase angles;

determining a standard deviation of the plurality of corresponding frequency values; and

dividing the covariance by a product of the standard deviation of the plurality of relative phase angles and the standard deviation of the plurality of corresponding frequency values.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the correlation coefficient comprises:

comparing the correlation coefficient to a threshold; and

detecting the error in the plurality of timestamps based on a difference between the correlation coefficient and the threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein estimating the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values comprises:

determining a relative phase angle difference between a maximum relative phase angle value of the plurality of relative phase angles and a minimum relative phase angle value of the plurality of relative phase angles;

determining a frequency difference between the frequency value at a time of a maximum relative phase angle and the frequency value at a time of a minimum relative phase angle; and

estimating the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the relative phase angle difference divided by a product of the frequency difference and 2π.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of synchrophasor measurements is a first plurality of synchrophasor measurements, the plurality of phase angles is a first plurality of phase angles, the plurality of timestamps is a first plurality of timestamps, the time interval is a first time interval, the plurality of relative phase angles is a first plurality of relative phase angles, and the correlation coefficient is a first correlation coefficient, the method further comprising:

receiving a second plurality of synchrophasor measurements of the power system signal associated with a second time interval from the PMU, each of the second plurality of synchrophasor measurements including a second phase angle and a second timestamp associated with the synchrophasor measurement;

determining a second plurality of relative phase angles based on the second plurality of phase angles;

determining a second correlation coefficient between the second plurality of relative phase angles and a second plurality of corresponding frequency values of the power system signal; and

determining an average of the first correlation coefficient and the second correlation coefficient.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein detecting the error in the first plurality of timestamps based on the correlation coefficient comprises:

detecting the error in the first plurality of timestamps and the second plurality of timestamps based on the average of the first correlation coefficient and the second correlation coefficient; and

wherein estimating the error in the first plurality of timestamps based on the first plurality of relative phase angles and the first plurality of corresponding frequency values comprises:

estimating the error in the first plurality of timestamps and the second plurality of timestamps based on the first plurality of relative phase angles, the second plurality of relative phase angles, the first plurality of corresponding frequency values, and the second plurality of corresponding frequency values.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and comprising computer readable program code embodied in the memory that is executable by the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of synchrophasor measurements of a power system signal associated with a time interval from a phasor measurement unit (PMU), each of the plurality of synchrophasor measurements including a phase angle, frequency value, and a timestamp associated with the synchrophasor measurement;

determining a plurality of relative phase angles based on the plurality of phase angles;

determining a correlation coefficient between the plurality of relative phase angles and a plurality of corresponding frequency values of the power system signal;

detecting an error in the plurality of timestamps based on the correlation coefficient;

estimating the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values;

adjusting the plurality of timestamps of the plurality of synchrophasor measurements received from the PMU based on the error; and

performing an administrative operation on the power system based on the plurality of synchrophasor measurements having the plurality of timestamps, respectively, that have been adjusted responsive to the synchrophasor measurements indicating a change in a nominal frequency of the power system signal;

wherein the administration operation comprises a power system protection operation, a power system fault location operation, a power system oscillation detection operation, or a power system event triangulation operation.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein determining the correlation coefficient between the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values of the power system signal comprises:

determining a covariance between the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values;

determining a standard deviation of the plurality of relative phase angles;

determining a standard deviation of the plurality of corresponding frequency values; and

dividing the covariance by a product of the standard deviation of the plurality of relative phase angles and the standard deviation of the plurality of corresponding frequency values.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein detecting the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the correlation coefficient comprises:

comparing the correlation coefficient to a threshold; and

detecting the error in the plurality of timestamps based on a difference between the correlation coefficient and the threshold.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein estimating the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values comprises:

determining a relative phase angle difference between a maximum relative phase angle value of the plurality of relative phase angles and a minimum relative phase angle value of the plurality of relative phase angles;

determining a frequency difference between the frequency value at a time of a maximum relative phase angle and the frequency value at a time of a minimum relative phase angle; and

estimating the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the relative phase angle difference divided by a product of the frequency difference and 2π.

13. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable program code embodied in the medium that is executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of synchrophasor measurements of a power system signal associated with a time interval from a phasor measurement unit (PMU), each of the plurality of synchrophasor measurements including a phase angle, frequency value, and a timestamp associated with the synchrophasor measurement;

determining a plurality of relative phase angles based on the plurality of phase angles;

determining a correlation coefficient between the plurality of relative phase angles and a plurality of corresponding frequency values of the power system signal;

detecting an error in the plurality of timestamps based on the correlation coefficient;

estimating the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values;

adjusting the plurality of timestamps of the plurality of synchrophasor measurements received from the PMU based on the error; and

performing an administrative operation on the power system based on the plurality of synchrophasor measurements having the plurality of timestamps, respectively, that have been adjusted responsive to the synchrophasor measurements indicating a change in a nominal frequency of the power system signal;

wherein the administration operation comprises a power system protection operation, a power system fault location operation, a power system oscillation detection operation, or a power system event triangulation operation.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein determining the correlation coefficient between the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values of the power system signal comprises:

determining a covariance between the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values;

determining a standard deviation of the plurality of relative phase angles;

determining a standard deviation of the plurality of corresponding frequency values; and

dividing the covariance by a product of the standard deviation of the plurality of relative phase angles and the standard deviation of the plurality of corresponding frequency values.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein detecting the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the correlation coefficient comprises:

comparing the correlation coefficient to a threshold; and

detecting the error in the plurality of timestamps based on a difference between the correlation coefficient and the threshold.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein estimating the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the plurality of relative phase angles and the plurality of corresponding frequency values comprises:

determining a relative phase angle difference between a maximum relative phase angle value of the plurality of relative phase angles and a minimum relative phase angle value of the plurality of relative phase angles;

determining a frequency difference between the frequency value at a time of a maximum relative phase angle and the frequency value at a time of a minimum relative phase angle; and

estimating the error in the plurality of timestamps based on the relative phase angle difference divided by a product of the frequency difference and 2π.