SUMMARY OF POWER FLOW STUDIES

Network Node (Bus Types)

Node Type
Slack (Swing)
node
Generator Bus
Load Bus

No. of nodes

Sequence
i=1

Specified
Parameters
|Vi|, i

Unknown
Parameters
Pi , Qi

1
Ng
N-(Ng+1)

i = 2, Ng+1
i = Ng+2,N

Pi , |Vi|
Pi , Qi

Qi , i
|Vi|, i

The Admittance Matrix, Ybus

I1 Y11 Y12 L
I Y
Y22 L
21
I Ybus V M2 M
M

I N YN 1 YN 2 L
One row of this matrix can be written as

Y 1 N V1
Y 2 N V2
M M

Y NN
VN

I i Yi1V1 Yi 2V2 L YiNVN YinVn X

............(1)

n 1

Both Yin and Vn are complex quantities which can be written as:
Yij Yij ij Yij (cos ij j sin ij ) Gij jBij
Vi Vi i Vi (cos i j sin i )

The Power Flow Equations

Power injected into port i is found from:

YinVV
Yin in Vn n
i n in n i
n 1
n 1
Changing this to rectangular components:
Si Vi I Vi i
*
i

Si Pi jQi YinVV
i n cos in n i j sin in n i , whereby
n 1

Pi YinVV
i n cos in n i

............(2)

n 1

Qi YinVV
i n sin in n i

............(3)

n 1

These power flow equations express the real and reactive power injected into (or taken out of)
any node i in terms of voltage at all nodes, Vn , including that at node i itself, Vi and the admittances
of the interconnecting lines. We may further extract the terms referring to the node i as follows
2

Pi Vi Gii
2

n 1, n i

Qi Vi Bii

YinVV
i n cos in n i

n 1,n i

YinVV
i n sin in n i

............(4)
............(5)

Solution of the Power Flow Equations:

In solving the Power Flow equations (eq. 2,3 or 4,5) we seek to calculate all unknown node voltages
Vi and angles i
(magnitudes
specified, i.e.

) so that they give Complex Power at the nodes where power is

Pi Pi ,specified Pi ,calculated 0
Qi Qi , specified Qi ,calculated 0

From the node voltages and network parameters obtain the other results shown below.
Input Data and Results:

Met
hods used:
1.

Gauss-Seidel

2.

Newton-Raphson

3.

Fast Decoupled

Gauss-Seidel Power Flow Method

N

n 1

n 1
ni

I i YinVn YiiVi YinVn

I
1
Vi i
Yii Yii

Y V

in n

n 1
ni

Complex power injected to node i, Si Pi jQi Vi I i

*

P jQi Pi jQ
i
I i

, Therefore
Vi
Vi*

1 Pi jQi N
Vi
YinVn for i = 2,3,4...N, for swing bus i =1
*

Yii
Vi
n 1

N
( k 1)
1 Pi spec jQi spec
( k 1)
k
( k +1)
Vi
Vi
i
YinVn .............(1)
Yii V ( k ) ( k ) * n 1

i
i
n i

This iterative equation converges slowly and an acceleration

k 1)
factor (1 2) may be used, Vi ,(acc
Vi ( k ) Vi ( k +1) Vi ( k )

Vi

(0)

( 0)

The Gauss-Seidel Algorithm solves equation (1) from initial guesses

for each node i with
unknown voltage magnitudes and unknown voltage angles. Iteration is stopped when desired degree
of convergence is obtained.

Newton-Raphson Power Flow Method

Load Flow equations:
Pi

( k ) calc

Pi Vi

Qi( k ) calc Qi Vi

(k )

(k )

(k )
i

(k ) 2

Gii

n 1, n i
N

, i( k ) Vi ( k ) Bii

YinVn ( k )Vi ( k ) cos(in n( k ) i( k ) )

n 1, n i

YinVn ( k )Vi ( k ) sin(in n( k ) i( k ) )

where i 2,3, 4....N and k 0 for initial guess

Mismatches:
Pi ( k ) Pi spec Pi ( k ) calc ,

Qi ( k ) Qispec Qi( k ) calc

and

Corrections evaluated from:

Jacobian Corrections Mismatches

J11 J12
J J
21 22

( k )

(k )

(k )

V
Expanding:
P2

P2
N

PN
2

Pi ( k )

(k)
Qi
P2
VN g 2

PN
N

PN
VN g 2

(k )

P2

VN

P ( k )
2

PN

( k )
N

QN g 2

(k )

V
VN 2
VN g 2
N

(k )
QN
QN
QN
QN
VN

N
VN
VN g 2
2

Add corrections to previous values to get new estimates:

QN g 2

2

( k 1)

(k )

QN g 2

(k )

QN g 2

and

Vi

( k 1)

Vi

(k )

Vi

(k )

PN

VN

(k )

QN g 2

(k )
Q
N

(k )

(k )

The elements of the Jacobian are:

5

Evaluation of Diagonal Elements of the Jacobian (i.e partial derivates), at any node i
(k )
ii

J11
J12

(k )
ii

(k )
ii

J21
J22

(k )
ii

Pi
=
i
=

=
=

(k )

n 1, n i

YinVn ( k )Vi ( k ) sin(in n( k ) i( k ) ) Qicalc Vi ( k ) Bii

(k )

Pi
Vi

2 Vi ( k ) Gii

Qi
i

(k )

n 1, n i

n 1, n i

1
(k ) 2
2
V
Gii J21ii
i
( k )

Vi
2

YinVn ( k )Vi ( k ) cos(in n( k ) i( k ) ) Pi calc Vi ( k ) Gii

(k )

Qi
Vi

YinVn ( k ) cos(in n( k ) i( k ) )

2 Vi ( k ) Bij

n 1, n i

YinVn ( k ) sin(in n( k ) i( k ) )

1
Vi ( k )

2 V ( k ) 2 B J11
i
ii
ii

Evaluation of Off-Diagonal Elements of the Jacobian, for nodes i and j

J11ij( k ) =

Pi
j

Pi
J12ij( k ) =
Vj
Qi
J21 =
j
(k )
ij

Qi
J22 =
Vj
(k )
ij

(k )

YijV j ( k )Vi ( k ) sin(ij j( k ) i( k ) )

(k )

YijVi ( k ) cos(ij j( k ) i( k ) )

1
V j (k )

J21ij

(k )

YijV j ( k )Vi ( k ) cos(ij j( k ) i( k ) )

(k )

YijVi ( k ) sin(ij j( k ) i( k ) )

1
J11ij
Vi ( k )

Hence
Hence, if submatrices J11 and J21 of the Jacobian are computed the
other submatrices J12 and J22 can be obtained from them.
However the Jacobian elements need to be recalculated during every iteration.

Fast Decoupled Power Flow Method

If a few practical assumptions are introduced the Jacobian Matrix can be reduced to a constant which
need not be calculated during every iteration. These practical approximations are:
1.

A change in voltage magnitude does not substantially change active power , i.e.
Pi
0 or J12 = 0
Vi
Qi
0 or J21 = 0
i

2.

A change in voltage angle has little effect on reactive power, i.e.

The new iteration equation for obtaining corrections becom
J11 0
0 J

22

( k )

(k )

(k )

Pi ( k )

(k )
Qi

or

Pi ( k ) J11 ( k )
k

Qi ( k ) J 22 V

(k )

i j is small, Gij sin( i j ) 0 and Bij cos( i j ) Bij

3.

Further, since

Vi V j 0
4.

For a flat start and thereafter, voltage differences in p.u. are small i.e.

5.

The resistance of overhead lines is usually << the reactance of the line, R<<X , therefore
Gij<<Bij.

The above assumptions give the following approximations for the elements of J11 and J22:

Evaluation of Diagonal Elements of the Jacobian (i.e partial derivates), at any node i
(k )
ii

J11

Pi
=
i

J22ii( k ) =

(k )
2

Qicalc Vi ( k ) Bii Vi ( k ) Bii Vi ( k ) Bii

(k )

Qi
Vi

1
Vi ( k )

2 V ( k ) 2 B J11 V ( k ) B
i
ii
ii
i
ii

Evaluation of Off-Diagonal Elements of the Jacobian, for nodes i and j

(k )
ij

J11 =

Pi
j

Qi
J22ij( k ) =
Vj
Qi
Vj

(k )

YijV j ( k )Vi ( k ) sin(ij j( k ) i( k ) ) V j ( k )Vi ( k ) Yij sin ij V j ( k )Vi ( k ) Bij Vi ( k ) Bij

(k )

YijVi ( k ) sin(ij j( k ) i( k ) )

1
J11ij
Vi ( k )

(k )

Vi ( k ) Bij

The decoupled iteration matrices now become:

V2 ( k ) B22

(k )
VN BN 2 L

V2 ( k ) B2 N 2( k )

M M

( k )
VN ( k ) BNN N

VN 2 ( k ) BN 2, N 2
g
g
g

P 2

(k )
P N
(k )

VN g 2 ( k ) BN g 2, N

M
M

L
VN ( k ) BNN
VN ( k ) BN , N g 2

Diving each row by the common voltage:

L

(k )
V ( k )
QN 2
Ng 2
g

(k )
(k )
VN
QN

P2

(k )
V2

M
P ( k )
N

(k )
VN
(k )

B22 L
M

BN 2 L

B2 N
M
BNN

(k )

(k )

QN 2
g
(k )

(k )
V ( k )

V
Ng 2
Ng 2

M
M
M

(k )
(k )
B
L

N
,
N

g
N

V (k )
N

The Jacobian matrices are now replaced by matrices of the imaginary parts of the
admittance matrix Ybus . In short we may write the above equations as:
BN g 2, N g 2

P
V

B V

Q
V

BN g 2, N

M
BNN

and work out corrections as

1 P
1 Q
and V B
B
V
V
In other words the inversion of the Ybus sub matrix need only be inverted once at
the beginning
The Fast decoupled load flow method, even though it converges slowly, may be used for fast calculations in real
time situations such as required in contingency analysis.

Currents, Power Flows and Losses

Vi
Iij

ILij
Ii0
Yi0

Vj

Yij

Iji
Ij0
Yj0

After the iterative solution of the bus voltages we calculate the line flows and line losses. Consider a medium
length line between node i and node j. Let the line current Iij be defined as measured at bus I positive in the
direction i to j.

The line current measured at bus i is given by

I ij I Lij I i 0 Yij (Vi V j ) Yi 0Vi
Similarly the line current measured at bus j defined positive in direction j to i
is given by
I ji I Lij I j 0 Yij (V j Vi ) Y j 0V j
The complex powers Sij from node i to j and S ji from node j to i are
Sij Vi I ij
S ji V j I ji
The power loss in the line i to j is the algebraic sum of the two complex powers
at either end
Power Loss = Sij S ji

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