Optimal Distribution Network

Optimal Distribution Network

Calculation Parameters (ODN)
The dialog box for the calculation parameters appears after having selected
"Calculation - Optimal Distribution Network - Parameter...".
Voltage:

Voltage level of distribution network in kV

Load data:

The minimum and maximum active and reactive power of

loads are either fixed by means of load factors or 2 loading
data files (.ndb).

Calculation
model:

2 states: to get the extreme values of the load flow results,

only the minimum and the maximum load state are
considered.
Automatic: the number of load states to be considered is fixed
automatically.

Optimization:

Normal switching, N-1 calculation.: selection, if the objective

functions are optimized regarding the normal network
operation or regarding line failures (N-1-security check). If
nothing is selected, only an evaluation of the network is done.
Opt. MV/LV-trans. Tap: the MV/LV-transformer taps are
optimized. This concerns only the optimal transformer
nominal voltage calculation.

Valuation initial
network:

Selection, if the load flow results are shown only for the
normal network operation or also for the (N-1)-security check
are shown. If at least 1 (N-1)-optimization is selected, the
(N-1)-security check results are shown.

Results:

Value setting: if this option is active the input data of the

network is modified according to the optimization.
Graphical: after the calculation the result window appears
automatically. This window also appears after having
selected "Calculation - Optimal Distribution Network Chart...".

The user defined voltage limits appear and can be changed if the menu option
"Calculation - Load Flow - Reference Voltages..." is selected. In this calculation
module only the limits of node voltages of the considered voltage level (medium
voltage level) are used. The procedure chooses for the calculation and the

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graphical results from the user defined limits and from the predetermined norm
the stricter rules. The user defined limits have the default values 95% and 105%.

Graphical Results
The graphical results window appears after having selected "Calculation -Optimal
Distribution Network - Chart...". The value to be shown can be selected with the
menu option "Results". Only results of the considered voltage level are shown.

Chart Parameters
The parameter window appears after having selected "Chart - Parameters...".
Select nodes /
elements:

All nodes/elements: results of all nodes/ elements of the

considered voltage level are shown.
Result list: only results of selected nodes/ elements are
shown.
Node list,element list: result list for nodes/ elements

Title:

User defined title

Default title:

The default title is shown. If this option is not selected, the

user defined title is shown. If this option is not selected and
"Title" has no entry, no title is shown.

Grid:

Grid on/ off

Black/white:

Black/white on/ off

Ymin:

User defined lower limit of y-axis. If the field is empty, the

value is fixed automatically.

Ymax:

User defined upper limit of y-axis. If the field is empty, the

value is fixed automatically.

Show names:

Node names/ element names are shown/ not shown on xaxis

Show node
names:

If this option is selected and element values are shown, not

only the element names but also the node names are
shown. This option has only an influence, if "Show names"
is selected.

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Chart Representation
Node Voltages
The fat bars show the value ranges of node voltages for the normal network
operation. The overlying thin bars show the value ranges of the (N-1)-security
check. The results of the (N-1)-security check are only shown if the calculation
parameter "N-1 calculation" in "Valuation initial network" is selected or if at least
one (N-1)-calculation was performed.
Line Currents, Element Loadings
The results of the normal operation case and of the (N-1)-security check
(maximum line currents/ maximum element loadings) are represented as parallel
bars. The results of the (N-1)-security check are only shown if the calculation
parameter "N-1 calculation" in "Valuation initial network" is selected or if at least
one (N-1)-calculation was performed.
Voltage Limits
The voltage limits in the normal operation case are shown as dashed lines. The
voltage limits in the exceptional case (N-1-security check) are shown as plain
lines.

Text Results

Text File
The calculated optimal values are listed in a text file if the load flow parameter
"Text file" is selected ("Calculation - Load Flow - Parameters..."). The text file is
shown after having selected the menu option "Results - List - Last Calculation...".
It can also be opened by an external text editor.

Result File
The extreme values of the node voltages and the element loadings are listed in a
result file if the load flow parameter "Result file" is selected ("Calculation - Load
Flow - Parameters..."). The result file can be used by external programs (e.g. MSExcel).

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Error File
Comments and error messages are listed in the error file. It is always shown if the
load flow parameter "Iteration caracteristics" is selected ("Calculation - Load Flow
- Parameters... - Iteration Data...")

Theory
The module Optimal Distribution Network optimizes the operation of distribution
networks regarding different objective functions. Distribution networks have
usually meshes but they are radially operated. In the normal operation case
network losses can be minimized selecting optimal separation points. In case of
element failures some portion of the system may be out of service and can be
resupplied by changing the separation points. Dispersed generators may feed
energy into the distribution system. The HV/MV-transformers usually have voltage
control with possibly active compounding. The MV/LV-transformers have no
voltage control, but their taps can be changed by hand mostly.

Normal Operation and (N-1)-Security Check

It is distinguished between the optimization of the system in the normal operation
case and in the case of line failures.
Valuation of Normal Operation
Several load flow calculations are performed in order to estimate the value ranges
of the node voltages and the element loadings. The number of load flow
calculations is dependent on the selection of the calculation parameter
"Calculation model". The results are value ranges of the node voltages and the
maximum loadings of the elements (lines, cables, transformers).
Valuation by (N-1)-Security Check
The (N-1)-security check simulates a failure for each element of the considered
voltage level. If some part of the system is out of service because of this failure,
the procedure changes the network topology in order to resupply this part and to
minimize losses (optimal separation points procedure). An evaluation of the new
network state is done after each failure. The results are value ranges of the node
voltages and the maximum loadings of the elements (lines, cables, transformers).

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Optimization
The four optimization procedures are performed in the predetermined order and
independently of each other. The calculated optimal values of the preceding
optimization procedure are taken on.
Optimal Separation Points
Network losses of the high load case are minimized applying the optimal
separation points procedure in accordance with chapter "Optimal Separation
Points".
Compounding
The goal is to aligne the value ranges of the MV-nodes reducing the big ones and
increasing the small ones. The procedure changes iteratively the compounding
data of the HV/MV-transformers if their voltage control and their compounding are
active. The predetermined values Umin and Umax remain constant and the
values Imin and Imax are changed. The smaller the range between Umin and
Umax is, the lower is the influence of the compounding on the node voltages.
Cosphi-Values of Cosphi-Controlled Generators
The control input "Cosphi oper" of cosphi-controlled generators with type "Cosphi
constant" is changed. The goal is to find feasible values as close as possible to 1
in order to minimize network losses. If the voltage range of the corresponding
node amounts more than 80% of the range between the upper an lower voltage
limit, the cosphi-value is changed so that the generator consumes inductive
reactive power. "Cosphi oper" must not leave the feasible domain defined by
"Cosphi lim1" and "Cosphi lim2".
Transformer Nominal Voltages
The goal is to set the nominal voltages of the voltage controlled HV/MVtransformers as high as possible, in order to minimize network losses. The node
voltage limits are considered. If the calculation parameter "opt. MV/LV-trans. tap"
is active, the taps of the MV/LV-transformers are changed too. The procedure
proceeds iteratively. It is only successful if the HV/MV-transformers have a
sufficiently big number of tap steps and a sufficiently big magnitude of the
additional voltage per tap step.

Voltage Limits
On the low voltage level voltages must be within the limits +6% and -10% in the
case of normal operation and +6% and -15% in the exceptional case. These limits
are converted to the medium voltage level under consideration of the voltage drop
in the low voltage network (5%) and over the MV/LV-transformer. This yields the
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allowed voltage range of each MV-node. The procedure chooses for the
calculation and the graphical results from the user defined limits and from the
predetermined norm the stricter rules. The user defined limits have the default
values 95% and 105%.
The voltage limits are always shown in the graphical result window. However, they
are only considered by the last optimization procedure (transformer nominal
voltages).

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