EE 369

POWER SYSTEM ANALYSIS

Lecture 12
Power Flow
Tom Overbye and Ross Baldick

Announcements
Homework 9 is 3.20, 3.23, 3.25, 3.27, 3.28,
3.29, 3.35, 3.38, 3.39, 3.41, 3.44, 3.47; due
11/3.
Midterm 2, Thursday, November 10, covering
up to and including material in HW9.
Homework 10 is: 3.49, 3.55, 3.57, 6.2, 6.9,
6.13, 6.14, 6.18, 6.19, 6.20; due 11/17. (Use
infinity norm and epsilon = 0.01 for any
problems where norm or stopping criterion
not specified.)
2

Transmission System
Planning

Source: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

ERCOT and Texas

Source: US Energy Department of Energy

ERCOT

Has considerable wind and expecting considerable

more!
Competitive Renewable Energy Zones study
identified most promising wind sites in West Texas,
ERCOT ISO planned approximately $5 billion (original
estimate of cost, actually cost $7 billion) of new
transmission to support an additional 11 GW of wind:
Used tools such as power flow to identify whether plan
could accommodate wind generation.

Built by transmission companies.

Mostly completed by 2014.

CREZ Transmission Lines

NR Application to Power
Flow
We first need to rewrite complex power equations
as equations with real coefficients (we've seen this earlier):
Si

*
Vi I i

Vi

YikVk

* *
Vi YikVk
k 1

k 1

These can be derived by defining

Yik @ Gik jBik
Vi @ Vi e

ji

Vi i

ik @ i k
Recall e j cos j sin
7

Real Power Balance

Equations
n
n

Si Pi jQi Vi Yik*Vk*
k 1

Vi Vk

k 1

jik
V
V
e
(Gik jBik )
i k

k 1

(cos ik j sin ik )(Gik jBik )

Resolving into the real and imaginary parts:

Pi PGi PDi
Qi QGi QDi

Vi Vk (Gik cosik Bik sin ik )

k 1
n

Vi Vk (Gik sin ik Bik cosik )

k 1

Newton-Raphson Power
Flow
In the Newton-Raphson power flow we use Newton's
method to determine the voltage magnitude and angle at
each bus in the power system that satisfies power balance.
We need to solve the power balance equations:
n

Vi Vk (Gik cosik Bik sin ik ) PGi PDi 0

k 1
n

Vi Vk (Gik sin ik Bik cosik ) QGi QDi 0

k 1

Power Balance Equations

For convenience, write:
Pi ( x )
Qi ( x )

Vi Vk (Gik cosik Bik sin ik )

k 1
n

Vi Vk (Gik sin ik Bik cosik )

k 1

The power balance equations are then:

Pi ( x ) PGi PDi 0
Qi ( x ) QGi QDi 0

10

Power Balance Equations

Note that Pi( ) and Qi( ) mean the functions that

expresses flow from bus i into the system in
terms of voltage magnitudes and angles,
While PGi, PDi, QGi, QDi mean the generations and
demand at the bus.
For a system with a slack bus and the rest PQ
buses, power flow problem is to use the power
balance equations to solve for the unknown
voltage magnitudes and angles in terms of the
given bus generations and demands, and then
use solution to calculate the real and reactive
injection at the slack bus.

11

Power Flow Variables

Assume the slack bus is the first bus (with a fixed
voltage angle/magnitude). We then need to determine
the voltage angle/magnitude at the other buses.
We must solve f ( x ) 0, where:
2
M

n
x
V 2

M
V
n

P2 ( x ) PG 2 PD 2

Pn ( x ) PGn PDn
f (x )
Q2 ( x ) QG 2 QD 2

Q (x) Q Q
n
Gn
Dn

12

N-R Power Flow Solution

The power flow is solved using the same procedure
discussed previously for general equations:
For v 0; make an initial guess of x, x (0)
While f (x ( v ) ) Do
x
v
End

( v 1)

(v)

x [J (x
v 1

(v)

)] f ( x

(v)

13

Power Flow Jacobian Matrix

The most difficult part of the algorithm is determining
and factorizing the Jacobian matrix, J(x)

J (x )

f1
(x )
x1

f1
(x)
x2

f 2
(x )
x1

f 2
(x)
x2

f 2 n 2
f 2 n 2
(x)
(x) L

x2
x1

f1
( x )
x2 n 2

f 2
( x )
x2 n 2

M
f 2 n 2
( x )
x2 n2
14

Power Flow Jacobian Matrix,

contd
Jacobian elements are calculated by differentiating
each function, fi ( x), with respect to each variable.

For example, if fi ( x) is the bus i real power equation

fi ( x)

Vi Vk (Gik cosik Bik sinik ) PGi PDi

k 1

fi
( x)
i

fi
( x)
j

Vi V j (Gij sin ij Bij cosij ) ( j i )

Vi Vk (Gik sinik Bik cosik )

k 1
k i

15

Two Bus Newton-Raphson

Example

For the two bus power system shown below,

Newton-Raphson power flow to determine the
voltage magnitude and angle at bus two. Ass
that bus one is the slack and SBase =100MVA.
Line Z = 0.1j

One

1.000 pu

Two

0 MW
0 MVR

2
Unkown: x ,
V2

1.000 pu
200 MW
100 MVR

Also, Ybus

j10 j10

j
10

j
10

16

Two Bus Example, contd

General power balance equations:
n

Vi Vk (Gik cosik Bik sin ik ) PGi PDi 0

k 1
n

Vi Vk (Gik sin ik Bik cosik ) QGi QDi 0

k 1

For bus two, the power balance equations are

(load real power is 2.0 per unit,
while reactive power is 1.0 per unit):
V2 V1 (10sin 2 ) 2.0 0
2

V2 V1 ( 10cos 2 ) V2 (10) 1.0 0

17

Two Bus Example, contd

P2 ( x ) 2.0

V2 (10sin 2 ) 2.0

Q2 ( x ) 1.0

V2 ( 10cos 2 ) V2 (10) 1.0

Now calculate the power flow Jacobian

P2 ( x )
2

J (x )

P2
( x)
V2

Q2
Q2
( x)
( x)
2
V2
10 V2 cos 2
10sin 2

10 V2 sin 2 10cos 2 20 V2
18

Two Bus Example, First

Iteration
2(0)
0

For v 0, guess x (0)

f (x

(0)

J (x

(0)

. Calculate:
1

V2(0) (10sin 2(0) ) 2.0

V (0)
2

10 V2(0) cos 2(0)

10 V2(0) sin 2(0)

(1)

2.0

1.0

(0)
(0) 2
( 10cos 2 ) V2
(10) 1.0

Solve x

V2(0)

0 10 0

10
1
0

10sin 2(0)
(0)
10cos 2
1

2.0
1.0

(0)
20 V2

0.2

0.9

10 0

0
10

19

Two Bus Example, Next

Iterations
0.9(10sin( 0.2)) 2.0
0.212

0.279
2
0.9( 10cos( 0.2)) 0.9 10 1.0

8.82 1.986
1.788 8.199

(1)

f (x )

J (x (1) )
x

(2)

f (x

(2)

f (x

(3)

0.2
0.9

8.82 1.986
0.212

1.788 8.199

0.279

0.0145
0.236

(3)
x

0.0190
0.8554

0.233

0.8586

0.0000906
)
Close enough! V2 0.8554 13.52

0.0001175
20

Two Bus Solved Values

Once the voltage angle and magnitude at bus

known we can calculate all the other system v
such as the line flows and the generator real a
reactive power output
200.0 MW
168.3 MVR

One

-200.0 MW
-100.0 MVR

Line Z = 0.1j

1.000 pu
200.0 MW
168.3 MVR

Two

0.855 pu -13.522 Deg

200 MW
100 MVR

21

Two Bus Case Low Voltage

Solution
This case actually has two solutions! The second
"low voltage" is found by using a low initial guess.
Set v 0, guess x

f (x

(0)

J (x

(0)

(0)

. Calculate:

0.25

V2(0) (10sin 2(0) ) 2.0

V (0)
2

2

0.875

(0)
(0 ) 2

( 10cos 2 ) V2
(10) 1.0
10sin 2(0)

10 V2(0) sin 2(0)

10cos 2(0) 20 V2(0)

10 V2(0) cos 2(0)

2.5 0

0 5
22

Low Voltage Solution, cont'd

1

0 2.5 0
2
Solve x

0 5
0.875
0.25

1.42
1.462

(2)
(2)
(3)
f (x )
x
x

0.534
0.2336

(1)

0.8
0.075

0.921

0.220

Low voltage solution

200.0 MW
831.7 MVR

One

-200.0 MW
-100.0 MVR

Line Z = 0.1j

1.000 pu
200.0 MW
831.7 MVR

Two

0.261 pu -49.914 Deg

200 MW
100 MVR
23

Two Bus Region of

Convergence
Graph shows the region of convergence for
different initial
guesses of bus 2 angle (horizontal axis) and
Red region
magnitude (vertical axis).
converges
to the high
voltage
solution,
while the
yellow region
converges
to the low
voltage
solution
Maximum
of 15
iterations24

PV Buses

Since the voltage magnitude at PV buses is fixed there is no

need to explicitly include these voltages in x nor explicitly
include the reactive power balance equations at the PV
buses:
the reactive power output of the generator varies to maintain the
fixed terminal voltage (within limits), so we can just use the solved
voltages and angles to calculate the reactive power production to
be whatever is needed to satisfy reactive power balance.
An alternative is to keep the reactive power balance equation
explicit but also write an explicit voltage constraint for the
generator bus:
|Vi | Vi setpoint = 0

25

Three Bus PV Case Example

For this three bus case we have
2
x 3

V2

P2 ( x ) PD 2
f ( x ) P3 ( x ) PG 3 0

Q2 ( x ) QD 2
Line Z = 0.1j

0.941 pu
One
170.0 MW
68.2 MVR

1.000 pu

Line Z = 0.1j

Three

Two

Line Z = 0.1j

-7.469 Deg
200 MW
100 MVR

1.000 pu
30 MW
63 MVR

26

PV Buses
With Newton-Raphson, PV buses means that
there are less unknown variables we need to
calculate explicitly and less equations we need
to satisfy explicitly.
Reactive power balance is satisfied implicitly by
choosing reactive power production to be
whatever is needed, once we have a solved case
(like real and reactive power at the slack bus).
Contrast to Gauss iterations where PV buses
complicated the algorithm.
27

Modeling Voltage
Dependent Load

So far we've assumed that the load is independent of

the bus voltage (i.e., constant power). However, the
power flow can be easily extended to include voltage
dependence with both the real and reactive load. This
is done by making PDi and QDi a function of Vi :
n

Vi Vk (Gik cosik Bik sin ik ) PGi PDi ( Vi ) 0

k 1
n

Vi Vk (Gik sin ik Bik cosik ) QGi QDi ( Vi ) 0

k 1

28

Voltage Dependent Load

Example
In previous two bus example now assume the load is
constant impedance, with corresponding per unit
admittance of 2.0 j1.0 :
2

P2 ( x ) 2.0 V2 V2 (10sin 2 ) 2.0 V2

2

Q2 ( x ) 1.0 V2 V2 ( 10cos 2 ) V2 (10) 1.0 V2 0

Now calculate the power flow Jacobian
10 V2 cos 2
J (x )
10 V2 sin 2

10sin 2 4.0 V2

10cos 2 20 V2 2.0 V2
29

Voltage Dependent Load,

cont'd
(0)
0

Again for v 0, guess x

f (x

(0)

V2(0)

J (x

(0)

Solve x

(1)

(0)

. Calculate:
1

(0)
V2

(0)
(0) 2
(10sin 2 ) 2.0 V2

2.0

2
2

1.0

V2(0) ( 10cos 2(0) ) V2(0) (10) 1.0 V2(0)
10 4
0 12
0

1

10 4

0
12

2.0
1.0

0.1667

0.9167

30

Voltage Dependent Load,

cont'd
With constant impedance load the MW/MVAr lo

bus 2 varies with the square of the bus 2 volta

magnitude. This if the voltage level is less tha
the load is lower than 200/100 MW/MVAr.
160.0 MW
120.0 MVR

One

-160.0 MW
-80.0 MVR

Line Z = 0.1j

1.000 pu
160.0 MW
120.0 MVR

Two

0.894 pu
-10.304 Deg
160 MW
80 MVR

More generally, load can be modeled as the sum

constant power, constant impedance, and, in som
31
constant current load terms: ZIP load.

Solving Large Power

Systems
Most difficult computational
task is inverting the
Jacobian matrix (or solving the update equation):
factorizing a full matrix is an order n3 operation,
meaning the amount of computation increases with
the cube of the size of the problem.
this amount of computation can be decreased
substantially by recognizing that since Ybus is a sparse
matrix, the Jacobian is also a sparse matrix.
using sparse matrix methods results in a
computational order of about n1.5.
this is a substantial savings when solving systems
with tens of thousands of buses.
32

Newton-Raphson Power
Flow
Advantages

fast convergence as long as initial guess is

close to solution
large region of convergence

Disadvantages

each iteration takes much longer than a

Gauss-Seidel iteration
more complicated to code, particularly when
implementing sparse matrix algorithms

Newton-Raphson algorithm is very

common in power flow analysis.
33