2.

Introduction :

ATC determination are reviewed in this chapter. In this review, different types of approach to the ATC calculations are mentioned with the support of published papers. This chapter represents the ATC calculation based on linear methods, continuation power flow (CPF) method, Mathematical Model for Nonlinear ATC Calculation , Optimal Power Flow (OPF) , Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) Method . Approximate linear models are often used in power systems to reduce computational burden and facilitate optimization. The utilization of linear techniques in ATC calculation is motivated by two useful properties. First, the linearization process itself enables us to assume that the network flows are directly proportional to the transaction amount. For example, if the transaction from one area of the system to another area is doubled, the flows that are directly attributable to this transaction will be doubled as well. Second, the flows on the lines or interfaces can be broken down into a sum of components each is credited to a transaction on the system. This is called the superposition. Two approaches are introduced : The first one is the network flow model which identifies paths between areas of the network in a straightforward manner and determines the maximum transfer corresponding to the lowest flow in the lines comprising the paths. The other one uses linear sensitivity factors to estimate the network response and the physical impacts of a transaction on the transmission network. In addition, the effect of topology changes is also considered. The advantages and disadvantages of both approaches are illustrated. This Chapter also presents the mathematical formulation of the full-fledged AC calculation of ATC considering reactive power and voltage effects. A common tool for nonlinear ATC calculation is the continuation power flow (CPF) method. In this model, the amount of transfer is represented as a scalar parameter.The continuation method performs a series of power system solutions for increasing amounts of transfer in a specified direction until a binding limit is encountered. However, the limitations of the CPF method (will be highlighted later) created the need for a better

method. In this Chapter, the ATC problem is formulated as an optimization problem where the objective function is to maximize the sum of the generation increase on specific power supply, with the load at the demand buses increasing accordingly, constrained by load flow equations and system operating limits. The reactive power generation is considered as a control variable to achieve maximum transfer capability. The sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method is then used to solve the optimization model.

2.2 Definition of Available Transfer Capability and Its Relevant Parameters

Available Transfer Capability (ATC) is a measure of the transfer capability remaining in the physical transmission network for further commercial activity over and above already committed uses. Mathematically, ATC is defined as the Total Transfer Capability (TTC) less the Transmission Reliability Margin (TRM), less the sum of existing transmission commitments (which includes retail customer service) and the Capacity Benefit Margin (CBM). ATC can be expressed as: ATC = TTC TRM Existing Transmission Commitments (including CBM) The ATC between two areas provides an indication of the amount of additional electric power that can be transferred from one area to another for a specific time frame for a specific set of conditions. ATC can be a very dynamic quantity because it is a function of variable and interdependent parameters. These parameters are highly dependent upon the conditions of the network. Consequently, ATC calculations may need to be periodically updated. Because of the influence of conditions throughout the network, the accuracy of the ATC calculation is highly dependent on the completeness and accuracy of available network data.

2.3

Criteria for Available Transfer Capability Evaluation

ATC is a measure bridging the technical characteristics of how interconnected transmission network perform to the commercial requirement associated with transmission service requests. Therefore, according to a 1996 report of NERC , the calculation and application must satisfy certain principles balancing

both technical and commercial issues. The intention of full use of the transmission resources for better support of transmission services relies heavily on the ability to determine transfer capability in the network accurately. In order to build an appropriate model for ATC assessment, and to construct a valid algorithm to solve the model efficiently, there are several essential criteria that should be taken into account :

2.3.1

Accuracy

ATC must accurately reflect the physical realities of the transmission network. Any conservative estimate of ATC will result in lost trading opportunity like example loss of economic efficiency, and unnecessary capital costs incurred in terms of transmission planning, whereas an over-estimate of ATC may lead to system operation risk, such as shutdowns and blackouts.

2.3.2

Dependability

As far as short-team operational planning is concerned, the determination of ATC must accommodate reasonable uncertainties in system conditions, to ensure the secure operation of the secure operation of the interconnected network . It is fully recognized that there are numerous uncertainties associated with ATC determination, including projected customer demands, generation dispatch, system configuration, scheduled transfer as well as system contingencies.

2.3.3

High Efficiency

The two demands aforementioned are posed to the ATC evaluation model. On the other hand, to meet the demand of updating OASIS postings hourly, rapid execution time is an important requirement for the method applied to solve the model.

2.4.2

Continuation Power Flow (CPF)

Obvious way of computing the available transfer capability in all possible scenarios is to use the power flow software repeatedly and is called continuation method. From the converged base case, power flow solutions are searched for increasing quantities of transfer from the specified source to the sink. The amount of the transfer is gradually increased from the base case to a point until a system constraint is violated. This continuation method needs a series of power flow solutions to be solved, and tested for limits contingencies. The ATC is the change in the quantity of transfer from the base case to the limited base case, a case has hit one of the system constraints. Normally, the amount of transfer is treated as a scalar parameter in the problem formulation. The continuation process can be easily done with coding a loop statement to perform a series of power flow calculation for increasing amounts of transfer. However, this parameter treatment can cause poor convergence especially near voltage instability limits. To improve the convergence, the challenge is to model the transfer parameter as dependent variable.

2.4.2.1

Overview of Continuation Power Flow Methods

The increase in peak load demand and power transfers between different utilities, particularly with the introduction of deregulation, has brought the operation of the network closer to its steady state limits. The difficulty associated with such case is that the Jacobian of the Newton-Raphson power flow becomes singular. This point characterizes the critical maximum loading point of the system or the voltage stability limit. As the Jacobian becomes singular, attempts to solve the power flow near this critical point are prone to divergence and error. Conceptually, the purpose of the continuation power flow is to find a continuum of power flow solutions for a given load change scenario. The set of power flow equations first have to be reformulated to include a continuation (varying) parameter. The total system demand at some collection of load buses is usually taken as the varying parameter. The power flow equations are represented as:

where Pi and Qi are the active and reactive power injection at bus is the voltage at bus and is the corresponding conductance and susceptance of the system Y-matrix; N is the total number of buses. The power injection at bus is defined as