Asymptotic assessment of distribution voltage profile using a nonlinear ODE model

Abstract

The promising increase of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in our society poses a challenging problem on the impact assessment of their charging/discharging to power distribution grids. This paper addresses the assessment problem in a framework of nonlinear differential equations. Specifically, we address the nonlinear ODE (Ordinary Differential Equation) model for representing the spatial profile of voltage phasor along a distribution feeder, which has been recently introduced in literature. The assessment problem is then formulated as a two-point boundary value problem of the nonlinear ODE model. In this paper we derive an asymptotic charcterisation of solutions of the problem through the standard regular perturbation method. This provides a mathematically-rigor and quantitative method for assessing how the charging/discharging of EVs affects the spatial profile of distribution voltage. Effectiveness of the asymptotic charcterisation is established with simulations of both simple and practical configurations of the power distribution grid.