Enhancing Renewable Energy Integration:A Gaussian-Bare-Bones Levy Cheetah Optimization Approach to Optimal Power Flow in Electrical Networks

In the contemporary era,the global expansion of electrical grids is propelled by various renewable energy sources(RESs).Efficient integration of stochastic RESs and optimal power flow(OPF)management are critical for network optimization.This study introduces an innovative solution,the Gaussian Bare-Bones Levy Cheetah Optimizer(GBBLCO),addressing OPF challenges in power generation systems with stochastic RESs.The primary objective is to minimize the total operating costs of RESs,considering four functions:overall operating costs,voltage deviation management,emissions reduction,voltage stability index(VSI)and power loss mitigation.Additionally,a carbon tax is included in the objective function to reduce carbon emissions.Thorough scrutiny,using modified IEEE 30-bus and IEEE 118-bus systems,validates GBBLCO’s superior performance in achieving optimal solutions.Simulation results demonstrate GBBLCO’s efficacy in six optimization scenarios:total cost with valve point effects,total cost with emission and carbon tax,total cost with prohibited operating zones,active power loss optimization,voltage deviation optimization and enhancing voltage stability index(VSI).GBBLCO outperforms conventional techniques in each scenario,showcasing rapid convergence and superior solution quality.Notably,GBBLCO navigates complexities introduced by valve point effects,adapts to environmental constraints,optimizes costs while considering prohibited operating zones,minimizes active power losses,and optimizes voltage deviation by enhancing the voltage stability index(VSI)effectively.This research significantly contributes to advancing OPF,emphasizing GBBLCO’s improved global search capabilities and ability to address challenges related to local minima.GBBLCO emerges as a versatile and robust optimization tool for diverse challenges in power systems,offering a promising solution for the evolving needs of renewable energy-integrated power grids.

Optimal design for split-and-recombine-type flow distributors of microreactors based on blockage detection

In order to increase the productivity of microreactors, the parallelization of the microreactors is required. The performances of flow distributors can affect the product yield and fault detection ability when blockage happens.In this research, an optimal design method to calculate the channel diameters and to determine the flow sensor location is derived based on mass balance and pressure balance models of split-and-recombine-type flow distributors(SRFDs). The model accuracy is verified by experiment data. The proposed method is applied to optimal design of SRFDs under constant flow rate operation conditions. The maximum angle difference between normal and blockage conditions at one sensor to those at the other sensors is set to be the objective function and the uniformity of flow distribution in microreactors under normal condition is also required. The diameters of each pipe in SRFDs are selected as the design variables. Simulated annealing algorithm is used to solve the optimization problem. The effectiveness of the optimal design results is demonstrated by fluid dynamics simulations. The results show that using the optimal channel diameters of SRFDs, the pressure drop in SRFD section is lower than that of the microreactor section. Meanwhile, in the case studies, only a few sensors that are located inside the SRFDs can easily detect the blockage abnormal condition in the parallelized microreactor system.

Improved multi-objective artificial bee colony algorithm for optimal power flow problem

The artificial bee colony(ABC) algorithm is improved to construct a hybrid multi-objective ABC algorithm, called HMOABC, for resolving optimal power flow(OPF) problem by simultaneously optimizing three conflicting objectives of OPF, instead of transforming multi-objective functions into a single objective function. The main idea of HMOABC is to extend original ABC algorithm to multi-objective and cooperative mode by combining the Pareto dominance and divide-and-conquer approach. HMOABC is then used in the 30-bus IEEE test system for solving the OPF problem considering the cost, loss, and emission impacts. The simulation results show that the HMOABC is superior to other algorithms in terms of optimization accuracy and computation robustness.

Optimal Power Flow Solution Using Particle Swarm Optimization Technique with Global-Local Best Parameters

This paper proposes an efficient method for optimal power flow solution （OPF） using particle swarm optimization （PSO） technique. The objective of the proposed method is to find the steady state operation point in a power system which minimizes the fuel cost, while maintaining an acceptable system performance in terms of limits on generator power, line flow limits and voltage limits. In order to improvise the performance of the conventional PSO （cPSO）, the fine tuning parameters- the inertia weight and acceleration coefficients are formulated in terms of global-local best values of the objective function. These global-local best inertia weight （GLBestlW） and global-local best acceleration coefficient （GLBestAC） are incorporated into PSO in order to compute the optimal power flow solution. The proposed method has been tested on the standard IEEE 30 bus test system to prove its efficacy. The results are compared with those obtained through cPSO. It is observed that the proposed algorithm is computationally faster, in terms of the number of load flows executed and provides better results than the conventional heuristic techniques.

Security Constrained Distributed Optimal Power Flow of Interconnected Power Systems

The security constrained distributed optimal power flow （DOPF） of interconnected power systems is presented. The centralized OPF problem of the multi-area power systems is decomposed into independent DOPF subproblems, one for each area. The dynamic security region （DSR） to guarantee the transient stability constraints and static voltage stability region （SVSR） constraints, and line current limits are included as constraints. The solutions to the DOPF subproblems of the different areas are coordinated through a pricing mechanism until they converge to the centralized OPF solution. The nonlinear DOPF subproblem is solved by predictor-corrector interior point method （PClPM）. The IEEE three-area RTS-96 system is worked out in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Three-Phase Optimal Power Flow for Study of PV Plant Distributed Impact on Distribution Systems

This paper presents a TOPF （three-phase optimal power flow） model that represents photovoltaic systems. The PV plant is modeled in the TOPF as active and reactive power source. Reactive power can be generated or absorbed using the available capacity and the adjustable power factor of the inverter. The reduction of unbalance voltage and losses in the distribution systems is obtained by actions of reactive power control of the inverter. The TOPF is formulated by current balance equations and the PV systems are modeled via an equivalent circuit. The primal-dual interior point method is used to obtain the optimal operating points for the systems for different scenarios of solar irradiance and temperature, thus providing a detailed view of the impact of photovoltaic distributed generation.

Applying Convex Optimal Power Flow to Combined Economic and Emission Dispatch

This paper addresses the problem of reducing CO2 emissions by applying convex optimal power flow model to the combined economic and emission dispatch problem. The large amount of CO2 emissions in the power industry is a major source of global warming effect. An efficient and economic approach to reduce CO2 emissions is to formulate the emission reduction problem as emission dispatch problem and combined with power system economic dispatch (ED). Because the traditional optimal power flow (OPF) model used by the economic dispatch is nonlinear and nonconvex, current nonlinear solvers are not able to find the global optimal solutions. In this paper, we use the convex optimal power flow model to formulate the combined economic and emission dispatch problem. The advantage of using convex power flow model is that global optimal solutions can be obtained by using mature industrial strength nonlinear solvers such as MOSEK. Numerical results of various IEEE power network test cases confirm the feasibility and advantage of convex combined economic and emission dispatch (CCEED).

Optimal Power Flow Using Firefly Algorithm with Unified Power Flow Controller

Firefly algorithm is the new intelligent algorithm used for all complex engineering optimization problems. Power system has many complex optimization problems one of which is the optimal power flow (OPF). Basically, it is minimizing optimization problem and subjected to many complex objective functions and constraints. Hence, firefly algorithm is used to solve OPF in this paper. The aim of the firefly is to optimize the control variables, namely generated real power, voltage magnitude and tap setting of transformers. Flexible AC Transmission system (FACTS) devices may used in the power system to improve the quality of the power supply and to reduce the cost of the generation. FACTS devices are classified into series, shunt, shunt-series and series-series connected devices. Unified power flow controller (UPFC) is shunt-series type device that posses all capabilities to control real, reactive powers, voltage and reactance of the connected line in the power system. Hence, UPFC is included in the considered IEEE 30 bus for the OPF solution.

Calculation and Evaluation of Ecological Flow of Hydropower Station Based on Fuzzy Evaluation Model

The reasonable determination of ecological flow is of great significance for the efforts to promote the transformation of water ecological environmental protection from pollution management to synergistic management of water resources,water ecology and water environment,and to promote them in an integrated manner.This paper analyzed and calculated the ecological flow process of the Bangsha River diversion power station using the minimum ecological flow method,the annual spreading method,the improved annual spreading method,the NGPRP method,and the month-by-month frequency method,and evaluated the reasonableness of the process and results of the ecological flow calculations by using the fuzzy evaluation model established.The study showed that the minimum ecological flow rate determined by improving the coupling of the spreading method and the NGPRP method was the best,and the suitable ecological flow rate determined by the month-by-month frequency method was the best;the minimum ecological flow rate of the Bangsha River diversion power station was at 0.43-4.21 m 3/s,and the suitable ecological flow rate was at 0.56-4.94 m 3/s,and the trend of its change showed the trend of first increasing and then decreasing,and the trend of change from January to July showed the trend of first increasing and then decreasing.Its trend of change showed an increasing and then decreasing trend,from January to July showed a gradually increasing trend,from August to December showed a gradually decreasing trend.It aimed to provide a theoretical basis for the reasonable determination of the ecological flow of the river hydropower station.

Small-signal Stability Constrained Optimal Power Flow Considering Eigenvalue Distribution

In the existing small-signal stability constrained optimal power flow(SSSC-OPF)algorithms,only the rightmost eigenvalue or eigenvalues that do not satisfy a given threshold,e.g.,damping ratio threshold and real-part threshold of eigenvalue,are considered in the small-signal stability constraints.The effect of steady-state,i.e.,operating point,changes on eigenvalues is not fully taken into account.In this paper,the small-signal stability constraint that can fully reflect the eigenvalue change and system dynamic performance requirement is formed by analyzing the eigenvalue distribution on the complex plane.The small-signal stability constraint is embedded into the standard optimal power flow model for generation reschedul-ing.The simultaneous solution formula of the SSSC-OPF is established and solved by the quasi-Newton approach,while penalty factors corresponding to the eigenvalue constraints are determined by the stabilization degree of constrained eigenvalues.To improve the computation speed,a hybrid algorithm for eigenvalue computation in the optimization process is proposed,which includes variable selection for eigenvalue estimation and strategy selection for eigenvalue computation.The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is tested and validated on the New England 10-machine 39-bus system and a modified practical 68-machine 2395-bus system.

Convexification of Hybrid AC-DC Optimal Power Flow with Line-Commutated Converters

Line-commutated converter (LCC)-based high-voltage DC (HVDC) systems have been integrated with bulk AC power grids for interregional transmission of renewable power. The nonlinear LCC model brings additional nonconvexity to optimal power flow (OPF) of hybrid AC-DC power grids. A convexification method for the LCC station model could address such nonconvexity but has rarely been discussed. We devise an equivalent reformulation for classical LCC station models that facilitates second-order cone convex relaxation for the OPF of LCC-based AC-DC power grids. We also propose sufficient conditions for exactness of convex relaxation with its proof. Equivalence of the proposed LCC station models and properties, exactness, and effectiveness of convex relaxation are verified using four numerical simulations. Simulation results demonstrate a globally optimal solution of the original OPF can be efficiently obtained from relaxed model.

Improved Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithm for Sequential Security-constrained Optimal Power Flow Based on Expert Knowledge and Safety Layer

In recent years,reinforcement learning(RL)has emerged as a solution for model-free dynamic programming problem that cannot be effectively solved by traditional optimization methods.It has gradually been applied in the fields such as economic dispatch of power systems due to its strong selflearning and self-optimizing capabilities.However,existing economic scheduling methods based on RL ignore security risks that the agent may bring during exploration,which poses a risk of issuing instructions that threaten the safe operation of power system.Therefore,we propose an improved proximal policy optimization algorithm for sequential security-constrained optimal power flow(SCOPF)based on expert knowledge and safety layer to determine active power dispatch strategy,voltage optimization scheme of the units,and charging/discharging dispatch of energy storage systems.The expert experience is introduced to improve the ability to enforce constraints such as power balance in training process while guiding agent to effectively improve the utilization rate of renewable energy.Additionally,to avoid line overload,we add a safety layer at the end of the policy network by introducing transmission constraints to avoid dangerous actions and tackle sequential SCOPF problem.Simulation results on an improved IEEE 118-bus system verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Learning the optimal power flow:Environment design matters

To solve the optimal power flow(OPF)problem,reinforcement learning(RL)emerges as a promising new approach.However,the RL-OPF literature is strongly divided regarding the exact formulation of the OPF problem as an RL environment.In this work,we collect and implement diverse environment design decisions from the literature regarding training data,observation space,episode definition,and reward function choice.In an experimental analysis,we show the significant impact of these environment design options on RL-OPF training performance.Further,we derive some first recommendations regarding the choice of these design decisions.The created environment framework is fully open-source and can serve as a benchmark for future research in the RL-OPF field.

A Cascading Fault Path Prediction Method for Integrated Energy Distribution Networks Based on the Improved OPA Model under Typhoon Disasters

In recent times,the impact of typhoon disasters on integrated energy active distribution networks(IEADNs)has received increasing attention,particularly,in terms of effective cascading fault path prediction and enhanced fault recovery performance.In this study,we propose a modified ORNL-PSerc-Alaska(OPA)model based on optimal power flow(OPF)calculation to forecast IEADN cascading fault paths.We first established the topology and operational model of the IEADNs,and the typical fault scenario was chosen according to the component fault probability and information entropy.The modified OPA model consisted of two layers:An upper-layer model to determine the cascading fault location and a lower-layer model to calculate the OPF by using Yalmip and CPLEX and provide the data to update the upper-layer model.The approach was validated via the modified IEEE 33-node distribution system and two real IEADNs.Simulation results showed that the fault trend forecasted by the novel OPA model corresponded well with the development and movement of the typhoon above the IEADN.The proposed model also increased the load recovery rate by>24%compared to the traditional OPA model.

Optimization Design of Hydraulic Valve Block and Its Internal Flow Channel Based on Additive Manufacturing

Hydraulic valve block is an important part of the hydraulic system.The traditional hydraulic valve block is made by turning and milling,drilling and boring,which leads to many right-angle bending and closed cavity structure of process holes in its internal flow channel,seriously affecting the flow performance of oil.Based on the new design space provided by additive manufacturing technology,the internal hydraulic flow channel of valve block is optimized by using B-spline curve.Computational fluid dynamics analysis is carried out on the hydraulic flow channel to determine the optimal flow channel structure with the smallest pressure drop.The weight reduction of hydraulic valve block is carried out through topology optimization.According to the results of topology optimization,using the method of selective laser melting(SLM),the printing of the hydraulic valve block is completed.The optimized hydraulic channel reduces the pressure loss by 31.4%compared with the traditional hydraulic channel.Compared with the traditional valve block,the hydraulic valve block manufactured by SLM with topology optimization reduces the weight by 33.9%.Therefore,the proposed flow channel optimization and valve block lightweight method provide a new reference for the performance improvement of the internal flow channel of hydraulic valve block and the overall lightweight design of valve block.

Investigation on a vertical radial flow adsorber designed by a novel parallel connection method

Due to the increasing global demand for industrial gas, the development of large-scale cryogenic air separation systems has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Increasing the height of the adsorption bed in a vertical radial flow adsorber used in cryogenic air separation systems may efficiently increase the treatment capacity of the air in the adsorber. However, uniformity of the flow distribution of the air inside the adsorber would be deteriorated using the height-increasing method. In order to reduce the non-uniformity of the flow distribution caused by the excessive height of adsorption bed in a vertical radial flow adsorber, a novel parallel connection method is proposed in the present work. The experimental apparatus is designed and constructed; the Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) technique is used to develop a CFD-based model, which is used to analyze the flow distribution, the static pressure drop and the radial velocity in the newly designed adsorber. In addition, the geometric parameters of annular flow channels and the adsorption bed thickness of the upper unit in the parallelconnected vertical radial flow adsorber are optimized, so that the upper and lower adsorption units could be penetrated by air simultaneously. Comparisons are made between the height-increasing method and the parallel connection method with the same adsorber height. It is shown that using the parallel connection method could reduce the difference between the maximum and minimum radial static pressure drop by 86.2% and improve the uniformity by 80% compared with those of using the height-increasing method. The optimal thickness ratio of the upper and lower adsorption units is obtained as 0.966, in which case the upper and lower adsorption units could be penetrated by air simultaneously, so that the adsorbents in adsorption space could be used more efficiently.

A novel hybrid estimation of distribution algorithm for solving hybrid flowshop scheduling problem with unrelated parallel machine

The hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with unrelated parallel machine is a typical NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem, and it exists widely in chemical, manufacturing and pharmaceutical industry. In this work, a novel mathematic model for the hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with unrelated parallel machine(HFSPUPM) was proposed. Additionally, an effective hybrid estimation of distribution algorithm was proposed to solve the HFSPUPM, taking advantage of the features in the mathematic model. In the optimization algorithm, a new individual representation method was adopted. The(EDA) structure was used for global search while the teaching learning based optimization(TLBO) strategy was used for local search. Based on the structure of the HFSPUPM, this work presents a series of discrete operations. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid algorithm compared with other algorithms.

Theoretical investigation of micropolar fluid flow between two porous disks

The steady, laminar, incompressible and two dimensional micropolar flow between two porous disks was investigated using optimal homotopy asymptotic method(OHAM) and fourth order Runge–Kutta numerical method. Comparison between OHAM and numerical method shows that OHAM is an exact and high efficient method for solving these kinds of problems. The results are presented to study the velocity and rotation profiles for different physical parameters such as Reynolds number, vortex viscosity parameter, spin gradient viscosity and microinertia density parameter. As an important outcome, the magnitude of the microrotation increases with an increase in the values of injection velocity while it decreases by increasing the values of suction velocity.

Uniformity evaluation and optimization of fluid flow characteristics in a seven-strand tundish

The effect of flow control devices（FCDs） on the uniformity of flow characteristics in a seven-strand symmetrical trapezoidal tundish was studied using both an experimental 1：2.5 hydraulic model and a numerical simulation of a 1：1 geometric model.The variation coefficient（CV） was defined to evaluate the flow uniformity of the seven-strand tundish.An optimized FCD configuration was proposed on the basis of the evaluation of experimental results.It is concluded that a turbulence inhibitor（TI） and U-type dam are essential to improve the uniformity of fluid flow in the seven-strand tundish.In addition,the configuration of inclination T-type dams with a height of 200 mm between the second and third strands and with a height of 300 mm between the third and fourth strands can minimize the proportion of dead zone.After optimizing the configuration of FCDs,the variation coefficient reduces below 20%of the mean value,and the average proportion of dead zone is just 14.6%;in addition,the temperature fluctuation between the strands could be controlled within 0.6 K.In summary,the uniformity of flow and temperature in the seven-strand tundish is greatly improved.

Detailed string stability analysis for bi-directional optimal velocity model

The class of bi-directional optimal velocity models can describe the bi-directional looking effect that usually exists in the reality and is even enhanced with the development of the connected vehicle technologies. Its combined string stability condition can be obtained through the method of the ring-road based string stability analysis. However, the partial string stability about traffic fluctuation propagated backward or forward was neglected, which will be analyzed in detail in this work by the method of transfer function and its H∞ norm from the viewpoint of control theory. Then, through comparing the conditions of combined and partial string stabilities, their relationships can make traffic flow be divided into three distinguishable regions, displaying various combined and partial string stability performance. Finally, the numerical experiments verify the theoretical results and find that the final displaying string stability or instability performance results from the accumulated and offset effects of traffic fluctuations propagated from different directions.