Advanced power system partitioning method for fast and reliable restoration: toward a self-healing power grid

The recovery of power system after a large area blackout is a critical task. To speed up the recovery process in a power grid with multiple black-start units, it would be beneficial to partition the system into several islands and initiate the parallel self-healing process independently. This study presents an effective network partitioning algorithm based on the mixed-integer programming technique and considering the restoration process within each island. The proposed approach incorporates several criteria such as self-healing time, network observability, load pickup capability, and voltage stability limits. It can quickly provide multiple partitioning schemes for system operators to choose based on different requirements. Experimental results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for IEEE 39-bus and IEEE 118-bus standard test systems. Also, the sensitivity of the partitioning solution with respect to the various parameters is presented and discussed. Ultimately, the advantage of the proposed method is demonstrated through the comparison with other references. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2017.