Transmission Contingency Analysis Based on Integrated Transmission and Distribution Power Flow in Smart Grid

In future smart grids, with distribution networks having loops more frequently, current transmission contingency analysis (TCA) which usually neglects the distribution power flow variations after a contingency may leave out severe outages. With more distribution management systems deployed on the distribution side, a new transmission CA method based on global power flow (GPF) analysis which integrates both the transmission and distribution power flow is proposed in this paper (named as GTCA) to address the problem. The definition and new features of GTCA are first introduced. Then, the necessity of GTCA is physically illustrated. Difference in the results of GTCA and TCA is mathematically analyzed. A GPF-embedded algorithm of performing GTCA is then provided. The data exchange process and the performance with communication interruptions are discussed. As multiple contingencies are considered in GTCA, several approaches are proposed and discussed to reduce communication burdens and improve the computational efficiency. Plenty of numerical tests are performed in several systems to verify the theoretical analysis. With theoretical analysis and numerical verification, it is suggested that GTCA should be performed instead of TCA to avoid potential false alarms, especially in the condition that DNs are more frequently looped in the future smart grids.