Algorithm to Determine Minimum Contingency Set in Voltage Collapse Scenario

This investigation explores how many system elements must be outaged in order to cause system-wide voltage collapse. The IEEE 118-bus case was used to conduct simulations which implemented continuous steady-state load flows and power-voltage curves as indicators. The base case maintained constant power factor load throughout, and applied given generator capability curve data and automatic generation control data to each unit. Using the n - 1 contingency list, sensitivities were found for the system with respect to increased system load given a unique n - 1 topology. The minimum number of system elements can be found by systematically repeating this process while outaging the most sensitive element at each step.