Application of catastrophe theory to describe voltage collapse in power systems

Catastrophe theory gives a qualitative description of how sudden effects can arise from the smooth change of parameters in a system. According to Thom´s classification theory, in any system governed by a potential and in which the system´s behavior is determined by no more than four controls, only seven qualitatively different types of discontinuities are possible. These are called elementary catastrophes. The applicability of the theory to describe voltage stability in terms of one of the elementary catastrophes is explored