Systems, methods, and apparatus for accelerating volt/VAR load flow optimization

• US 8,648,499 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2011
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Digital Holdings LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Krok, Michael Joseph, Ren, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US13/014,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 307/103
• US Class Current: 307/103
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2203/20 Simulating, e g planning, reliability check, modelling or computer assisted design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/06 Controlling transfer of power between connected networks; Controlling sharing of load between connected networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/16 by adjustment of reactive power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/18 Arrangements for adjusting, eliminating or compensating reactive power in networks for adjustment of voltage H02J3/16
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/30 Reactive power compensation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/00 Systems supporting electrical power generation, transmission or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/22 Flexible AC transmission systems [FACTS] or power factor or reactive power compensating or correcting units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/221 General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems and methods for accelerating volt/VAR load flow optimization. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for accelerating load flow for integrated volt/var control (IVVC) optimization. The method can include evaluating load flow on lines of an electrical network, identifying combinable network lines, combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity, and determining load flow optimization for IVVC based at least in part on the reduced complexity network.

Claims

1. A method for accelerating load flow for integrated volt/var control (IVVC) optimization, comprising:

evaluating load flow on lines of an electrical network;

identifying combinable network lines;

combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity; and

determining load flow optimization for IVVC based at least in part on the reduced complexity network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating load flow on lines of an electrical network comprises calculating operating conditions for all lines in the network, wherein operating conditions comprise at least a voltage drop and a power loss.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity comprises one or more of:

combining end busses;

lumping bus and line loads;

or

compensating line losses in the lumped loads.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying combinable network lines is based at least in part on an objective function comprising one or more rules.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the rules are utilized to disqualify combinable lines comprising one or more of:

a pre-determined number of network lines having a ordered combined loss greater than a pre-determined amount;

voltage drops greater than a pre-determined amount;

one or more regulators;

one or more transformers;

lines connected to a power bus;

lines connected to a voltage bus;

or

lines having both ends connected to controllable capacitor banks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein merging identified combinable network lines to reduce network complexity comprises combining similar load types.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein load types comprise one or more of constant current, constant power, and constant impedance.

8. A system comprising:

at least one power distribution network; and

at least one memory for storing data and computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions for accelerating load flow for integrated volt/var control (IVVC) optimization associated with the at least one power distribution network by;

evaluating load flow on lines of the network;

identifying combinable network lines;

combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity; and

determining load flow for IVVC optimization based at least in part on the reduced complexity network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein evaluating load flow on lines of the network comprises calculating operating conditions for all lines in the network, wherein operating conditions comprise at least a voltage drop and a power loss.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity comprises one or more of:

combining end busses;

lumping bus and line loads;

or

compensating line losses in the lumped loads.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein identifying combinable network lines is based at least in part on an objective function comprising one or more rules.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the rules are utilized to disqualify combinable lines comprising one or more of:

a pre-determined number of network lines having a ordered combined loss greater than a pre-determined amount;

voltage drops greater than a pre-determined amount;

one or more regulators;

one or more transformers;

lines connected to a power bus;

lines connected to a voltage bus;

or

lines having both ends connected to controllable capacitor banks.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein combining identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity comprises combining similar load types.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein load types comprise one or more of constant current, constant power, and constant loads impedance.

15. An apparatus comprising:

at least one memory for storing data and computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions for accelerating load flow for integrated volt/var control (IVVC) optimization associated with at least one power distribution network by;

evaluating load flow on lines of the network;

identifying combinable network lines;

combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity; and

determining load flow for IVVC optimization based at least in part on the reduced complexity network.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein evaluating load flow on lines of the network comprises calculating operating conditions for all lines in the network, wherein operating conditions comprise at least a voltage drop and a power loss.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity comprises one or more of:

combining end busses;

lumping bus and line loads;

or

compensating line losses in the lumped loads.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein identifying combinable network lines is based at least in part on an objective function comprising one or more rules.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the rules are utilized to disqualify combinable lines comprising one or more of:

a pre-determined number of network lines having a ordered combined loss greater than a pre-determined amount;

voltage drops greater than a pre-determined amount;

one or more regulators;

one or more transformers;

lines connected to a power bus;

lines connected to a voltage bus;

or

lines having both ends connected to controllable capacitor banks.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein combining identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity comprises combining similar loads, wherein the loads comprise constant current, constant power, and constant impedance.