TPCPF: Three-Phase Continuation Power Flow Tool for Voltage Stability Assessment of Distribution Networks With Distributed Energy Resources

Abstract

This work presents a three-phase unbalanced continuation power flow algorithm for voltage stability assessment of distribution systems with high penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs). Analyzing distribution system voltage stability with DER will allow high penetration of renewable energy necessary for the sustainability goals. The developed algorithm can analyze voltage stability for both the meshed and radial systems and the balanced and unbalanced three-phase distribution systems. The developed tool allows the voltage stability analysis to facilitate the planning, operation, control, and distribution system management. The impact of DER on the voltage stability of several test cases has been analyzed considering constant power (PQ) and regulated-voltage (PV) modes of operation for DER units. Moreover, different voltage stability case studies are presented to demonstrate the impact of unbalance, load increment, and network topology on the maximum loading capacity. Results using the IEEE 13-node feeder, the 18-bus balanced shipboard system, the 13-node CIGRE benchmark system, and the 136-bus redial distribution feeder demonstrate that the developed continuation power flow tool can efficiently perform voltage stability analysis for active distribution systems.