Project Title: Comparative Power Flow Analysis and Power Flow Quality Criteria
Project Summary: Distribution Management System (DMS) closed-loop control components rely on power flow results to make grid optimization decisions, so accurate power flow results are critical to the safe, optimal operation of the power grid. Unfortunately, power flow results are not always accurate, and existing methods of analysis regularly fail to determine the cause of the inaccuracy due to the size and complexity of the DMS. This project will address this issue in two ways: first, by developing greater understanding of the DMS power flow algorithm through comparison with other industry recognized power flow programs; second, by using artificial intelligence tools to identify the factors that are relevant to the quality of a power flow solution, and data that is a good indicator of power flow success or failure.
University Team Members
Lead: Dr. Valentina Cecchi – UNC Charlotte
Members: Dr. Badrul Chowdhury – UNC Charlotte and Dr. Mesut Baran – NC State University
Industry Advisors: Cara Chacko of Duke Energy and Mike Simms of Duke Energy