A Network-Topology-based

Three-Phase Load Flow for

Distribution Systems
By:-Gaurav Ranjan
(06P61A0220)
 ABSTRACT:
A network-topology-based three-phase distribution power flow
algorithm is developed in this paper.
 The special topology of a distribution network has been fully
exploited to
obtain a direct solution.
Two developed matrices are enough to obtain the power flow
solution: they are the bus-injection to branch-current matrix
and the branch-current to bus-voltage matrix.
The traditional Newton Raphson and Gauss implicit Z matrix
algorithms, which need LU decomposition and
forward/backward substitution of the Jacobian matrix or the Y
admittance matrix, are not needed for this new development.
The proposed method is robust and has computer economy.
Tests show that the proposed method converges in almost all
circumstances for distribution systems and has great potential
for use with distribution automation system.
 Introduction
 Distribution load flow is a very important tool for the analysis
of distribution systems and is used in operational as well as
planning environments.
 Many real-time applications in the distribution automation
system (DAS) and distribution management system (DMS),
such as network optimization, Var planning, switching, state
estimation and so forth, need the support of a robust and
efficient power flow method.
 Some of the inherent features of electric distribution systems
are:
 a radial network structure
 an unbalanced distributed load and unbalanced operation,
 an extremely large number of branches/nodes, and
 a wide range of resistance and reactance values.
 Unbalanced Three-Phase Model

 The line parameters( 4 × 4 matrix) can be obtained using the method

developed by Carson.

---(1)
For a well-grounded distribution system, VN and Vn are assumed
to be zero, and Kron’s reduction can be applied.

---(2)

Equation (2) is designed to include the effects of the neutral or

ground wire and to be used in the unbalanced load flow
calculation :
The relations between the bus voltages and branch currents in
Fig. 1 can be expressed as

---(3)
 FORMULATION DEVELOPMENT
The proposed method is based on two matrices, the bus-injection
to branch-current matrix and branch-current to bus-voltage matrix,
and on the equivalent current injection.

Equivalent Current Injection

At each Bus i, the complex power Si is specified by
Si = (Pi + jQi ) i = 1, 2, L, N ---(4)
Equivalent current injection at the k-th iteration of the solution is

---(5)
Building Algorithms for Developed Matrices
A. Bus-Injection to Branch-Current Matrix
The power injections can be converted into the equivalent
current injections using Eq. (5).
Applying Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL) to the distribution
network, the branch currents can be formulated as a function
of the equivalent current injections.
The branch currents B5, B3 and B1 can be expressed as
B5=I6,
B3=I4+I5 ---(6)
B1=I2+I3+I4+I5+I6
The Bus-Injection to Branch-Current (BIBC) matrix can be obtained as

---(7a)

can be expressed in the general form as

[B]=[BIBC][I] ---(7b)
 Algorithm for the BIBC matrix
Procedure (1) – For a distribution system with m branch sections
and an n-bus, the dimension of the BIBC matrix is m × (n– 1)
Procedure (2) – If a line section (Bk) is located between Bus i and Bus
j, copy the column of the i-th bus of the BIBC matrix to the column of the j-th
bus and fill + 1 in the position of the k-th row and the j-th bus column as
shown below.

Procedure (3) – Repeat Procedure (2) until all the line sections are
included in the BIBC matrix.
B. Branch-Current to Bus-Voltage Matrix
 The relations between the branch currents and bus voltages as shown
in Fig. 2 can be obtained by using Eq. (3). For example, the voltages of
Bus 2, 3, and 4 are
V2=V1-B1Z12 ----------(8a)
V3=V2-B2Z23 ----------(8b)
V4=V3-B3Z34 ----------(8c)
 The voltage of Bus 4 can be rewritten as
V4= V1-B1Z12-B2Z23−B3Z34 ----------(9)
 The bus voltage can be expressed as a function of the branch currents,
line parameters and substation voltage

---(10a)

 Rewriting Eq. (10a) in the general form,

[ΔV] = [BCBV][B]. ----(10b)
 Building algorithm for the BCBV matrix
• Procedure (4) – For a distribution system with m branch sections and an
n-bus, the dimension of the BCBV matrix is (n – 1)× m.
• Procedure (5) – If a line section (Bk) is located between Bus i and Bus j,
copy the row of the i-th bus of the BCBV matrix to the row of the j-th bus,
and fill the line impedance (Zij) in the position of the jth bus row and the k-th
column (as shown below).

• Procedure (6) – Repeat Procedure (5) until all the line sections are
included in the BCBV matrix. The building Procedure (5) for the BCBV
matrix is shown in Fig. 4.
 Solution Techniques
• The BIBC and BCBV matrices were developed based on the
topological structure of distribution systems.

• The BIBC matrix is responsible for the relations between the bus
current injections and branch currents.

• The corresponding variation of the branch currents, which is

generated by the variation at the current injection buses, can be
found directly by using the BIBC matrix.

• The BCBV matrix is responsible for the relations between the

branch currents and bus voltages.

• The corresponding variation of the bus voltages, which is generated

by the variation of the branch currents, can be found directly by
using the BCBV matrix.
Combining Eqs. (7b) and (10b), the relations between the bus current
injections and bus voltages can be expressed as

and the solution for the distribution load flow can be obtained by solving Eqs.
(12a) and (12b) iteratively.

Compared with the traditional Newton Raphson and Gauss implicit Z

matrix algorithms, which need LU decomposition and forward/backward
substitution of the Jacobian matrix or the Y admittance matrix, the new
formulation uses only the DLF matrix to solve load flow problem.

This considerably reduces the amount of computation resources

needed and makes the proposed method suitable for on-line operation.
 Summary of proposed algorithm
1. Input data.
2. Use Procedures (1), (2), (3) and Eq. (7) to form the BIBC
matrix.
3. Use Procedures (4), (5), (6) and Eq. (10) to form the BCBV
matrix
4. Use Eq. (11) to form the DLF matrix.
5. Iteration k = 0.
6. Iteration k = k + 1.
7. Solve for the three-phase power flow by using Eqs. (12a)
and(12b), and update voltages.
8. If maxi (|Ik+1i |– |Iki|) > tolerance, goto (6).
9. Report and end.
 TEST RESULTS
• The proposed three-phase power flow program was
implemented using the Borland C++ language and
tested on a Windows-98 based Pentium-II (350) PC.
• Two methods were used in the tests, and the
convergence tolerance was set at 0.001.
• Method 1: The Gauss implicit Z-Bus method.
• Method 2: The proposed algorithm.
• ACCURACY COMPARISON

For any new method, it is important to make sure that

the final solution obtained using the proposed method
is the same as that obtained using the existing method.
• A simple 8-bus system (equivalent 13-bus system),
including three-phase, double-phase and single-phase
line sections and buses, is shown in Fig. 5.
• The final voltage solutions obtained using Method 1 and
Method 2 are shown in Table 1.

From Table 1, it can be seen that the final converged voltage

solutions obtained using Method 1 are very close to the solutions
obtained using Method 2.
 Performance Tests
• The test feeders were 13, 37 and 123 bus, three phase
IEEE test feeders .
• The feeders were predominantly three-phase lateral with
unbalanced loads.
• The execution time and number for iterations for these
two methods are shown in Table 2
 Discussion and Conclusion
 The proposed method is robust and has computer
economy.

 Based on the topological structure of distribution

systems ,two matrices(BIBC and BCBV) have been
formed.
 The BIBC matrix is responsible for the variation
between the bus current injection and branch current.

 The BCBV matrix is responsible for the variation

between the branch current and bus voltage.

 The proposed solution algorithm is primarily based on

these two matrices and matrix multiplication.
 Discussion and Conclusion(cont..)

 Time-consuming procedures, such as LU factorization

and forward/backward substitution of the Jacobian matrix
are not needed.

 The ill-conditioned problem which occurs at the Jacobian

matrix does not exist in the solution procedure.

 Test results show that the proposed method is suitable

for power flow calculations in large-scale distribution
systems
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THANK YOU