Reactive Power Optimization[RPO], Optimal Power Flow [OPF], Economic Dispatch[ED], Available Transfer Capability [ATC] Calculations

The power flow solution calculates power flows and determines bus voltages at an operating point for a given network configuration and generation and load specifications. However, it is left to the engineering judgement of the system planner to determine optimum way of system operation considering

- Operating objectives

- Operating constraints [Commercial and Security Constraints] and

- Equipment capability constraints.

Such an exercise using load flow tool is very tedious and time consuming for a practical power system with large number of operating controls and constraints.

A properly designed optimal power flow [OPF] solution provides the best and most optimum practical solution to achieve improvement in a single or multiple hierarchical objectives while respecting various constraints on the system operation. An OPF can determine the most effective subset of controls and their solution for a given operating condition to improve the specified objectives. OPF can consider different objectives for improvement such as transmission loss minimization, voltage stability improvement and minimization of system operating cost.

OPF/RPO analysis module of PowerApps is based on the Primal-dual LP programming approach and has the following features:

• Newton-Raphson load flow for solution at an operating point.
• OPF/RPO solution of multiple-islanded systems. The solution is available for each of the islands having a reference (slack) node. The reference node is automatically identified by the algorithm as the largest generator node in each island.
• Choice of objectives for the OPF/RPO (Transmission loss minimization, Voltage Stability improvement, Removal of operating violations, Economic dispatch, ATC calculations).
• Optimal load flow as per selected objectives and specified constraints
• OPF/RPO control options are active power injections, reactive power injections, shunt compensations, series compensations, phase shifters, transformer taps.
• OPF/RPO sensitivity calculations with respect to the performance objective provides information for suitable location of shunt reactive power compensation and also identifies most effective controllers for optimization.
• No limits on the number of study cases and related reports in a single execution of the program.