MILP islanding of power networks by bus splitting

A mathematical formulation for the islanding of power networks is presented. Given an area of uncertainty in the network, the proposed approach uses mixed integer linear programming to isolate unhealthy components of the network and create islands, while maximizing load supply. Rather than disconnecting transmission lines, the new method splits the network at its nodes, which are modelled as busbars with switches between lines, generators and loads. DC power flow equations and network constraints are explicitly included in the MILP problem, resulting in balanced, steady-state feasible islands. Numerical simulations on the IEEE 14-bus test network demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.