AC-DC Optimal Power Flow Incorporating Shunt FACTS Devices Using HVDC Model and Particle Swarm Optimization Method

Abstract

This paper presents an efficient and reliable evolutionary-based approach to solve the AC-DC optimal power flow (OPF) incorporating shunt FACTS devices in electrical power networks. Our main goal is to minimize the objective function necessary for a best balance between the energy production and its consumption which is presented in a nonlinear function, taking into account the constraints of equality and of inequality. The objective is to minimize the total cost of the generations and also the active power losses with incorporating shunt FACTS devices such as the static VAr compensator (SVC). Furthermore, we will consider in detail the study of the AC-DC OPF under the use of the HVDC-link and the SVC. This optimization is based, on the application of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method. Incorporation of the PSO method as a derivative-free optimization technique in solving AC-DC OPF problem relieves, significantly, the assumptions imposed on the optimized objective functions. The PSO method has been examined and tested on the standard IEEE 14-bus test system with different objectives that reflect active power losses minimization and active power generation cost minimization. The PSO results have been compared to those that reported in the literature recently. The results are promising and show the effectiveness and robustness of PSO method.