Investigation of grid-forming and grid-following converter multi-machine interactions under different control architectures

The proliferation of converter-interfaced generation necessitates the investigation of novel small-signal multi-machine interactions. The flexibility and lack of standardisation of converter control approaches results in a plethora of potential implementations, bringing different dynamics that can interact with each other and existing elements of the power system. This paper performs a small-signal analysis of power systems with the inclusion of grid-forming and grid-following converters for varying combinations of common control architectures, in terms of cascaded control loops, within the literature. Investigations are performed for a two-machine system and the WSCC 9-bus (three-machine) system. As well as interaction identification and characterisation, the impact of varying transmission line lengths, system loading, and generation dispatch are investigated.