Bacteria foraging based solution to optimize both real power loss and voltage stability limit

Summary form only given. Optimal location and control of an unified power flow controller (UPFC) along with transformer taps are tuned with a view to simultaneously optimize the real power losses and voltage stability limit (VSL) of a mesh power network. This issue is formulated as a non-linear equality and inequality constrained optimization problem with an objective function incorporating both the real power loss and VSL. A new evolutionary algorithm known as bacteria foraging is applied for solving the multi-objective multi-variable problem, with the UPFC location, its series injected voltage and the transformer tap positions as the variables. For a single objective of only real power loss, the same problem is also solved with interior point successive linearization program (IPSLP) technique using the LINPROG command of MATLAB. A comparison between the two suggests the superiority of the proposed algorithm. A cost effectiveness analysis of UPFC installation vis-a-vis loss reduction is carried out to establish the benefit of investment in an UPFC.