CICED2008

81-39 CP1678
Technical Session 1 Distribution network equipment
AModified Power Flow Calculation Method for Radial
Distribution System
LIU Wei, NING Wen-hui, HUANG Dong-shan
Guangxi Electric Power Test and Research Institute Co., Ltd., Nanning 530023, China
ABSTRACT: Distribution power flow calculation is base of
distribution system analysis. The characteristics and
differences of Back/forward sweep method and Newton
method are compared and analyzed, and a modified
back/forward sweep method is proposed based on the
conventional back/forward sweep method, in which the
correction equation of node voltage in the back sweep process
is just simply replaced by a new equation. The proposed
method not only is simple and fast like back/forward sweep
method, but also has better convergence characteristic like
Newton method. The results of simulation tests presented
show the proposed method has faster power flow solution of
radial distribution system and better convergence
characteristic when compared with the conventional
back/forward sweep method.
KEY WORDS: distribution system; power flow;
back/forward sweep method
1 Introduction
Distribution power flow calculation is the base of
distribution network analysis. The distribution network is
radial because it is close-loop design while is open-loop
operation. Many distribution power flow calculation methods
has been proposed based on the characteristics of distribution
system, such as back/forward sweep method[1-4], Zbus
method[5], loop-impedance method[6,7], modified Newton
method[8,9], fast coupled method[10,11], and so on.
Back/forward sweep method, which has clear physical
concept, good convergence and is easy for implementation, is
suitable for solving power flow solutions of radial distribution
system. Newton method, comparing with back/forward sweep
method, has better convergence but has more calculation time
because it has to update data of Jacobian matrix at each
iteration step.
The characteristics of back/forward sweep method and
Newton method for solving power flow solutions of radial
distribution system are compared and analyzed, and it is
found that in the correction equation of Newton method, the
mismatch of branch power loss consists of two parts:
*
U 1+I U , where U I is the mismatch of branch
power loss caused by branch current mismatch, and I is
the mismatch of branch power loss caused by node voltage
mismatch, where I is branch current and can be expressed
. ..
by node voltage I
ij
= Y;j(Ui- UJ-). While in the correction
equation of back/forward sweep method, only the first part is
included and the second part is ignored during the process of
solving distribution system power flow solutions. So
back/forward sweep method is the simplified form of Newton
method. On the basis of analysis above, a modified
back/forward sweep method is proposed based on the
conventional back/forward sweep method. The proposed
method just replaces the correction equation of node voltage
in the back sweep process with a new equation in which the
second part of correction is considered approximately so that
it is easy to be realized.
2 Back/forward sweep method
Back/forward sweep method is a kind of branch method
commonly used for distribution power flow calculation. Each
node in redial distribution network has only one father-node,
and one or several child-node according to the direction of
power flow. For example, in the distribution network shown
in fig. 1(node 6 is the root node), node 4 has only one
father-node 5, and has two child-node 1 and 2. Back/forward
sweep method has two processes: back sweep and forward
sweep. The purpose of back sweep is to get all branch
CICED2008 Technical Session 1 Distribution network equipment
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
(12)
(14)
(13) au=I(Gy.ej -Bijf;)
j=1
h
u
=I (By.ej +Gijf;)
j=1
[
H .. N ..]
Jij = , i.] E (1,n)
1) 1)
* * * *. *
- Y24 U2 U2 +1
42
U2 +Y24 U2 U4 =S2 - U2 142 (16)
*. * * *. *
- Y35 U3 U3 +1
53
U3 +Y35 U3 U5 =S3 - U3 153 (17)
* *. *.
=SI-UII41 (15)
Where Gij + jBij is mutual admittance between node i
and j, G
u
+ jB
u
is self admittance of node i. e
i
+.if; is
voltage of node i.
The radial distribution network shown in fig. 1 is used as
an example to analyze the characteristics of Newton method
for solving power flow solutions of radial distribution system.
The correction equations of the network of fig. 1 can be
given as follows, for the sake of analysis, these equations are
written in complex form.
Zij is branch impendence.
3
(k+l) (k+l) (k+l)
I ij =I, + L lim ,where j is the father-node of i,
meD
(k+l) (k+l) (k)
U, =Uj - ZijI ij .where j is the father-node of i,
(k+l) * (k) * (k)
by L =S, / U, , where i is number of node, k is
iteration counter.
Then branch current is calculated by
D is child-node set of i.
(2) Forward sweep
In the process of forward sweep, branch voltage
mismatch and then voltage of each node are calculated from
the root node by using the branch current obtained from the
back sweep:
currents, and forward sweep is to get all node voltages.
Back/forward sweep algorithm is as follows:
(1) Back sweep
In the process of back sweep, the node injection currents
from the end of feeders are added to their upstream branch
currents to get current of each branch.
That is, firstly node injection current is calculated
2
Fig.I 6 nodes distribution network
* *. * *. *
4 AU1+r24[4 Y45 U4
-(YI4+ r 24+'x45 )[1.4 (18)
+(I 14+124+ I 54 U4 =S4 - U4 114- U4 124- U4 154
3 Comparison of Newton method and
back/forward sweep method
* * * *
Y3S.U5 AU3+Y45U5 4
* (19)
+( I 35 + I 45 U5 =S5 - U5 135 - U5 145 - U5 165
Newton method is a commonly used power flow
calculation method. Newton method based on rectangular
coordinate is described as following equation[I2]:
(1)
where = (2)
= (3)
J is Jacobian matrix, and its elements are given
by:
Where is branch admittance between node i and j,
. . ..
Iij =- I
ji
=Yij(Ui- Uj) is branch current between node i and
j, i.] E (1,5) .
The left side of equations (15)-(19) can be rewritten by:
*
.
Ul+ 1
41
su, (20)
*
.
U2+ 1
42
2 (21)
*
.
U3+I
53
(22)
2
CICED2008 Technical Session 1 Distribution network equipment
* * *. * * *
(/14+124+
* * *. * * *
(/35+145+
(23)
(24)
. . . . ...
=(U 4-Z45(/l+/2+/4)
. .. .....
=U 6-U 5-Z56(/l+ 12+13+14+15)
(33)
(34)
. ..
expressed by node voltage Ii} = Yy(Ui- U}) .
Equations (15)-( 19) are firstly divided by their own node
voltage respectively, then child-node correction equations are
added to their father-node correction equations by upstream
sequence, for example, equations (15) and (16) are added to
(18), then equations (17) and (18 ) are added to (19).
* * *
Especially , 165 =- Y56 U5, it is because node 6 is
.
root node, so its node voltage is const. that is 6 =0 0
It is found that in the correction equation of Newton
method, the mismatch of branch power loss consists of two
* * *
parts: U I where U is the mismatch of
branch power loss caused by branch current mismatch, and
*
I is the mismatch of branch power loss caused by node
voltage mismatch, where I is branch current and can be
* * * *
Where =
.
I * * * * * *
_4_1_.--Y14 =11- 141
Ul
.
I 2 * * * * * *
_4_2-.--Y24 Y24 =12- 142
U2
(25)
(26)
Note that equations (30)-(34) are the forward sweep
equations of back/forward sweep method.
The processes above actually realize the back sweep
process and forward sweep process of back/forward sweep
method. In which the process that obtains equation (15)-(19)
realizes the back sweep process by summing all the
downstream node injection currents of each branch and the
process that obtains equation (20)-(24) realizes the forward
*
sweep process by ignoring those I U items.
On the basis of analysis above, in the correction equation
of back/forward sweep method, only the first part of
* *
U 1+I U is considered and the second part is ignored
during the process of solving distribution system power flow
solutions. Newton method has better convergence
characteristic because it considers all parts of the mismatch,
.
but has lower calculation speed because U influences all
branch currents which lead to the data updating of Jacobian
matrix at each iteration step.
4. Modified back/forward sweep method
. . .
If we consider approximately that
1
= 2 =
4
,
u. U2 U4
The following will use the correction equation of node 4
to show how to modify the node voltage correction equation
*
to include approximately the I item, and then an
algorithm based on it is given.
Equation (18) can be rewritten as:
.
I * * * * * *
_5_3-.--Y35 Y35 =13- 153
U3
* *. * * *

--.- +--.- +--:..:....-....::..:.....----:;...:....--
lj1 * lj2 * * *U4 * *
- Y45 U4 +Y45 U5 =(14+11+ 12) - 154
(28)
* * *
1
41
su, 1
42
1
53

--.-+--.-+--.-
u. U2 U3
* * * * *
(/
14+
1
24+
(/35+
+ . +---.--
U4 U5
(27)
(29)
.. .. .
j (t1UI _ t1U4)+j (t1U2 _ t1U4)+j t1U
4
41. 42. 54.
UI U4 U2 U4 U4
* * * * * *
- y 45 t1U4+Y45 t1U5 =(14 +11+12)- 154
(35)
*
Where I, =Sit U, i E (1,5), is node injection current,
*
After I U items are ignored equations (25)-(29) can
be rewritten by:
* * 5 * *
=LI} -/65
}=1
. . . . .
su, =(U l-Z1411
. . . . .
=(U 2-Z2412
. . . . .
=(U 3-Z3513
(30)
(31)
(32)
the first and second item of the left side of the equation can be
ignored, and the equation becomes:
.
* * * * * * * * *
1
54-.
--Y45 Y45 =(/4+ 11+ 12) - 154 (36)
U4
It can be rewritten as follows:
. .
U -U *
5* 4 =(U 4-Z45(/4+/l+/2)
U
4
(37)
General forward sweep equation will be given by:
3
CICED2008 Technical Session 1 Distribution network equipment
. .
Uo- Ui *
I1Ui---*-I1Ui =Uo+I1Uo-Ui-Z
oiloi
(38)
Ui
Note that equation (38) is the modified forward sweep
equation, where 0 is the farther-node of i , ZOi is branch
.
impedance, Ioi is branch current obtained by back sweep
process.
Compared with conventional forward sweep equation,
the I 11 U item is considered approximately in the modified
. .
c. d b he i f (Uo-*Ui)AU*1'.
rorwar sweep y t e Item 0 L1
Ui
According to the analysis above, a modified
back/forward sweep method is proposed, which just need to
replace forward sweep equation with equation (16).
The modified back/forward sweep algorithm is as
follows:
(1) Back sweep
Just the same as the back sweep of back/forward sweep
method.
(2)Forward sweep
Node voltages are calculated from the root node by
using the following equation:
(k) (k)
(k+l) U U, * (k+l) (k+l) (k) (k)
I1Ui - ( 0 1 )I1Ui =U; - U, - ZOi Ioi (39)
Uj
4 Examples
The convergence characteristic and calculation time
between conventional back/forward sweep method and the
proposed method are compared by a 69nodes distribution
system[13], a 37 nodes distribution system and a 123 nodes
distribution system[14]. Test results are shown in tab. 1, where
the convergence criterion is III1UII 10-
6
p.u., Computer's
CPU is Pentium4 3.06GHz, calculation time is the average
value of many times calculation.
Tab.I comparison of conventional back/forward sweep
method and proposed method
conventional back/forward
proposed method
Test
sweep method
systems
calculation calculation
Iteration Iteration
time/ms time/ms
69 nodes
5 5.4 4 5.1
system
37 nodes
4 1.6 3 1.4
system
123 nodes
5 14.1 3 13.6
system
The test results shown in tab. 1 show that the proposed
method has faster power flow solution of radial distribution
system and better convergence characteristic when compared
with the conventional back/forward sweep method.
The proposed method considers approximately the
*
I 11 U item of branch power mismatch, so that it is a kind of
Newton method with variable Jacobian matrix, which has
better convergence characteristic. At the same time, the
proposed method avoids directly solving the Jacobian matrix
by means of back/forward sweep process, Thus it not only is
simple and fast like back/forward sweep method, but also has
better convergence characteristic like Newton method.
5 Conclusions
According to the analysis and comparison of
characteristics of back/forward sweep method and Newton
method for solving power flow solutions of radial distribution
system, a modified back/forward sweep method is proposed,
which just modified the forward sweep equation of
back/forward sweep method and is easy to be realized. The
test results show that the proposed method leads faster power
flow solution of radial distribution system and better
convergence characteristic
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CICED2008 Technical Session 1 Distribution network equipment
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