Load Modeling in Optimal Power Flow Studies

Abstract

The present day scenario of electrical power system engineering mainly encompasses the problems like power paucity, blackout, load shedding, ineptness of meeting the necessary demand of power etc. Hence new power plants are built or old ones are expanded and upgraded. Power flow analysis plays an integral role in both the above cases. Power flow analysis equips power system engineers with all the essential data for building a secure, stable and reliable power system.

Power flow analysis tells about the line flows of active and reactive power and bus bar values of voltage magnitude and phase difference. The practical application of load flow analysis is exploited by converting it to Optimal Power Flow (OPF) analysis.

There has been significant development in research fields of power generation plants and transmission and distribution systems. Although these developments play a key role in today’s scenario, there still remains a field where the scope of development still persists. Loads in general are taken as constant sinks for both active and reactive power; where in reality, the load power consumption is very much dependent on voltage magnitude and frequency deviations.

OPF analysis incorporating load modeling is a major tool for minimizing transmission and generation losses, generation cost and maximizing the system efficiency. System security and accuracy are also increased by incorporation of load models.

This thesis focuses on incorporating load models in traditional OPF studies and comparing the results of the above with those obtained from OPF analysis without the incorporation of load models.