Power transfer limit calculation for multi-area interconnected power networks

Abstract Multi-area interconnected schemes are beneficial for power networks to coordinate energy resources and have created the need to identify the critical conditions for transferring power among multiple subareas. This study proposes an improved continuation power flow (CPF) model to calculate the power transfer limits (PTL) among interconnected networks corresponding to either saddle node bifurcation (SNB) or limit-induced bifurcation (LIB). Formulations of the cooperation in multi-area automatic generation control (AGC) systems are proposed to express the power balance in each subarea and the adjustments of power exchange. The predictor-corrector scheme for the improved CPF is derived and restated. Moreover, a practical step size control method is proposed in accordance with polynomial fitting analysis with the relevant computational variables to enhance the performance and efficiency of CPF steps. Case studies based on an IEEE 5-bus, IEEE 118-bus and Polish 2383-bus test system demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed CPF model and its ability to generate reliable PTL results.