Systems, methods, and apparatus for accelerating volt/VAR load flow optimization

1. A method for accelerating load flow for integrated volt/var control (IVVC) optimization, comprising:

evaluating load flow on lines of an electrical network;

identifying combinable network lines;

combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity; and

determining load flow optimization for IVVC based at least in part on the reduced complexity network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein evaluating load flow on lines of an electrical network comprises calculating operating conditions for all lines in the network, wherein operating conditions comprise at least a voltage drop and a power loss.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity comprises one or more of:

combining end busses;

lumping bus and line loads; or

compensating line losses in the lumped loads.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying combinable network lines is based at least in part on an objective function comprising one or more rules.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the rules are utilized to disqualify combinable lines comprising one or more of:

a pre-determined number of network lines having a ordered combined loss greater than a pre-determined amount;

voltage drops greater than a pre-determined amount;

one or more regulators;

one or more transformers;

lines connected to a power bus;

lines connected to a voltage bus; or

lines having both ends connected to controllable capacitor banks.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein merging identified combinable network lines to reduce network complexity comprises combining similar load types.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein load types comprise one or more of constant current, constant power, and constant impedance.

8. A system comprising:

at least one power distribution network; and

at least one memory for storing data and computer-executable instructions; and at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions for accelerating load flow for integrated volt/var control (IVVC) optimization associated with the at least one power distribution network by:

evaluating load flow on lines of the network;

identifying combinable network lines;

combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity; and

determining load flow for IVVC optimization based at least in part on the reduced complexity network.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein evaluating load flow on lines of the network comprises calculating operating conditions for all lines in the network, wherein operating conditions comprise at least a voltage drop and a power loss.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity comprises one or more of:

combining end busses;

lumping bus and line loads; or

compensating line losses in the lumped loads.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein identifying combinable network lines is based at least in part on an objective function comprising one or more rules.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the rules are utilized to disqualify combinable lines comprising one or more of:

a pre-determined number of network lines having a ordered combined loss greater than a pre-determined amount;

voltage drops greater than a pre-determined amount;

one or more regulators;

one or more transformers;

lines connected to a power bus;

lines connected to a voltage bus; or

lines having both ends connected to controllable capacitor banks.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein combining identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity comprises combining similar load types.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein load types comprise one or more of constant current, constant power, and constant loads impedance.

15. An apparatus comprising:

at least one memory for storing data and computer-executable instructions; and at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions for accelerating load flow for integrated volt/var control (IVVC) optimization associated with at least one power distribution network by:

evaluating load flow on lines of the network;

identifying combinable network lines;

combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity; and

determining load flow for IVVC optimization based at least in part on the reduced complexity network.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein evaluating load flow on lines of the network comprises calculating operating conditions for all lines in the network, wherein operating conditions comprise at least a voltage drop and a power loss.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein combining the identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity comprises one or more of:

combining end busses;

lumping bus and line loads; or

compensating line losses in the lumped loads.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein identifying combinable network lines is based at least in part on an objective function comprising one or more rules.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the rules are utilized to disqualify combinable lines comprising one or more of:

a pre-determined number of network lines having a ordered combined loss greater than a pre-determined amount;

voltage drops greater than a pre-determined amount;

one or more regulators;

one or more transformers;

lines connected to a power bus;

lines connected to a voltage bus; or

lines having both ends connected to controllable capacitor banks.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein combining identified combinable network nodes to reduce network complexity comprises combining similar loads, wherein the loads comprise constant current, constant power, and constant impedance.