Methods and Software for Calculating Optimal Power Flow in an Electrical Power Grid and Utilizations of Same

摘要

Methods of calculating optimal power flows (OPFs) in power transmission and distribution networks using equivalent-circuit formulations that allow the solutions to converge to corresponding global minima. In some aspects, network (circuit) elements are modeled using split circuits composed of real and imaginary parts. A variety of nonlinear OPF problem formulations are disclosed, including direct-solution formulations and iterative-solution formulations based on converting real and reactive power constraints to equivalent conductance/susceptance constraint. Also disclosed are a variety of techniques for solving the disclosed OPF problems, including new admittance-stepping homotopy techniques, among others. Software embodying disclosed methods is also described, as are example implementation scenarios.