Optimal location and parameter setting of UPFC for enhancing power system security based on Differential Evolution algorithm

This paper presents a new approach based on Differential Evolution (DE) technique to find out the optimal placement and parameter setting of Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) for enhancing power system security under single line contingencies. Firstly, we perform a contingency analysis and ranking process to determine the most severe line outage contingencies considering line overloads and bus voltage limit violations as a Performance Index. Secondly, we apply DE technique to find out the optimal location and parameter setting of UPFC under the determined contingency scenarios. To verify our proposed approach, we perform simulations on an IEEE 14-bus and an IEEE 30-bus power systems. The results we have obtained indicate that installing UPFC in the location optimized by DE can significantly enhance the security of power system by eliminating or minimizing the overloaded lines and the bus voltage limit violations. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.