Techniques of visualization for distribution automation system

Distribution automation system supervises and manages all the loads, equipments and faults in the area of distribution. Due to a vast area , too many equipments and complex circumstance, the traditional display method can´t satisfy the demand of modern distribution automation system. In the traditional distribution automation system we often use one-line diagram, geography diagram, curve drawing and bar chart to display the state of distribution automation system, they´re too simple to display the complex and large scale diagrams. It need to be introduced into new techniques to supervise, control and display the running state of distribution automation system. The visualization technique is a new project practical technique which appears along with the computer graphics development in 1990s. It transforms each kind of complex project data as the direct-viewing graph. It´s advantageous to people to have a thorough grasp and a correct understanding of the facts. This paper introduces the graph visualization technique, discusses the application of visualization technique in the distribution automation system. In order to analyze data, dig up the connections between data and select suitable method to display, the paper provides a new thinking. The paper introduces all kinds of method of visualization graph, such as: 2D, 3D graph, contour line, gradual change area coloring, pie chart, arrowhead, direction, speed, varying size and so on. It describes the method to realize these techniques. The new techniques include: three-dimensional graph technique based on openGL, cartoon technique, the algorithm of contouring, the algorithm of area drawing. The research indicates that it is inefficient to simply display the system data that isn´t processed. The visualized vivid graph may express the information which need many data to indicate. Our visualization software not only expresses the system with the visualization graph method, but also carries on the analysis and the exc- avation in the system magnanimous data. It discovers intrinsic relation of the data to reflect the system mode accurately and displays them by the suitable visualization method. The information expressed in the distribution automation system is: state, capacity, margin, phase angle, speed, load distribution, movement tendency, stable region, geographic distribution information and so on. The display of the information is not isolated. It may simultaneously express many kinds of data meaning through one visualization method. Certainly, the time which the visualization technique is used in our country is not very long. Many companies use the overseas software directly. There are few companies to develop their own real-time application visualization software. Our company makes great progress in the research into computer graph technique and applying visualization technique in the real-time distribution automation system. We also have obtained the quite good effect. Along with the scale of our power system unceasing expansion, higher request, the visualization technique must be obtained broad application.