UNIT 4

UNIT COMMITMENT

Mr.S.Venkatesan
Asst.Professor /EEE
K.L.N College of Engineering,
Pottapalaym
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 UNIT COMMITMENT
• Human activity follows cycles
– systems supplying services will also experience usage cycles
• transportation, communication, and electric power systems
– electric power consumption follows a daily, weekly, and
seasonal cycles
• high power usage during the day and evening hours
– industrial and commercial operations and lighting loads
• lower usage on the weekends
• higher usage during the summer and winter
– greater temperature extremes
• Load cycles create economic problems for power
generation
– it is quite expensive to continuously run all generation,
which is needed to meet the peak power demands

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 Load Demand Cycles
• Definition
– commitment means to turn-on a given generation unit
• have the prime mover operating the unit at synchronous speed
• synchronize and connect the unit to the network grid
• Economics
– savings are gained by decommitting some of the
generation units when they are not need to meet the
current load demand
– the engineering problem is committing enough units to
meet current and future load demands while minimizing
starting and operating costs

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 Load Demand Cycles
• Example
– consider the cost for operating three generation units
Unit 1: F1(P1) = 561 + 7.92 P1 + 0.001562 P1 2 150 ≤ P1 ≤ 600
Unit 2: F2(P2) = 310 + 7.85 P2 + 0.00194 P2 2 100 ≤ P2 ≤£ 400
Unit 3: F3(P3) = 93.6 + 9.56 P3 + 0.005784 P3 2 50 ≤ P3 ≤ 200

- what combination of units is best to supply a 550 MW load?

Unit1 Unit2 Unit3 Max. Min. P1 P2 P3 F1 F2 F3 FTotal
Gen Gen
OFF OFF OFF 0 0 Infeasible
OFF OFF ON 200 50 Infeasible
OFF ON OFF 400 100 Infeasible
OFF ON ON 600 150 0 400 150 0 3760 1658 5418
ON OFF OFF 600 150 550 0 0 5389 00 0 5389
ON OFF ON 800 200 500 0 50 4911 00 586 5497
ON ON OFF 1000 250 295 255 0 3030 2440 0 5471
ON ON ON 1200 300 267 233 50 2787 2244 586 5617

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 Load Demand Cycles
• Example
– notes:
• the least expensive way to supply the generation is not
with all three units running or with any combination
involving two units
• the optimal commitment is to only run unit #1, the most
economic unit
– by only running the most economic unit, the load can
be supplied by that unit operating closer to its best
efficiency
– if another unit is committed, both unit #1 and the
other unit will be loaded further from their best
efficiency points, resulting in a higher net cost

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 Load Demand Cycles
• Daily load patterns
– consider the load demand with a simple peak-valley pattern
– in order to optimize the operation of the system
• units must be shut down as load goes down
• then the units must be recommitted as load goes back up
– simple approach to the solution is a simple priority list scheme
1500MW

1150MW Max
Total loading

1000MW

500MW

450MW Min

3 PM Time of day
9PM 3AM 9AM 3 PM
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 Load Demand Cycles
• Example
– use a brute force technique to obtain a “shut-down rule” for the range of loads from 1200
to 500 MW in steps of 50 MW
• when load is above 1000 MW, run all three units Load Unit1 Unit2 Unit3
• loading between 600 MW and 1000 MW, run units #1 & #2 1200 On On On
• loading below 600 MW, only run unit #1 1150 On On On

1100 On On On
1050 On On On
1500MW 1000 On On Off
950 On On Off
900 On On Off
Total loading

200MW Unit 3
1000MW 850 On On Off

800 On On Off
400MW Unit 2 750 On On Off

700 On On Off
500MW 650 On On Off
600MW Unit 1 600 On Off Off
550 On Off Off

3 PM 500 TimeOn
of day Off Off
9PM 3AM 9AM 3 PM
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 Constraints in Unit Commitment
• Primary constraints
– enough units are committed to supply the load economically
• Spinning reserve constraints
– spinning reserve definition
• Spinning reserve = Total amount of generation – (Present load + Losses)

•
the total amount of on-line, synchronized generation power committed
less the current loading and power losses supplied
– protects the network from an unexpected loss of one or more
generation units
– typical spinning reserve rules
• the reserve is a given percentage of the forecasted demand
• must be capable of making up the loss of the most heavily loaded
generation unit
– reserves must be spread around the system to avoid transmission
limitations (bottling) and permit parts of the system to run as
“islands”
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 Constraints in Unit Commitment
• Thermal unit constraints
– a thermal unit can undergo only gradual temperature changes
• results in a time period of several hours to bring a unit on-line
• minimum up time: it should not be turned off immediately
• minimum down time: once decommitted, the minimum time before a
unit can be recommitted
• crew constraint: at a multiple unit plant, there is usually only enough
personnel to start one unit at time
– a certain amount of energy is expended to bring a unit on-line
• to slowly bring up the temperature and pressure
• this energy does not result in any power delivered from the unit
• the energy cost is brought into the unit commitment problem as a
start-up cost

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 Constraints in Unit Commitment
• Start-up costs
– the start-up cost can vary from a maximum cold-
start value to a much smaller warm-start value
• warm unit: a recently turned-off unit with latent heat
that is near the normal operating temperature
– two approaches available to treating a thermal
unit during its down time
• allow the boiler to cool down and then heat it back up
to operating temperature in time for a scheduled turn-
on
• provide enough fuel to supply sufficient energy to the
boiler to just maintain the operating temperature

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 Constraints in Unit Commitment
• Start-up cost comparison
– cooling
• allowing the unit to cool down

• banking
Cooling
– input sufficient energy into
C start-up
the boiler to just maintain
Break- even
the operating temperature point
king
– banking cost function: B an
C fixed

C =Cost o
Time
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 Constraints in Unit Commitment
• Other Constraints
– Hydro Constraints
• UC problem involves only thermal units. In hydro thermal
scheduling, to allocate max hydro units during rainy seasons
and to allocate thermal units during remaining periods.
Most run Constraints
– Some units like nuclear units are given a must run status during
certain times of the year to maintain the voltage in the
transmission system.
Fuel Constraints
» If thermal and hydro sources are available, a combined
operation is economic and advantageous. i.e, o minimize the
fuel cost of thermal unit over a commitment period.

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 Unit Commitment Solution Methods
• Typical utility situation involving the commitment
problem
– must establish a loading pattern for M periods
– have N generation units available to commit and
dispatch
• the M load levels and operating limits on the N units are such
that any one unit can supply the load demand and any
combination of units can also supply the loads
• Commitment by enumeration
– a brute force method
• total combinations to investigate: 2N – 1
• for the total period of M intervals, the maximum number of
possible combinations is: (2N – 1)M
– example: for a 24-hour period made up of 1-hr intervals, a 5 unit
network become 6.2 * 1035 combinations

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 Unit Commitment Solution Methods

 Priority list method

 Dynamic programming method
 Forward dynamic programming method
 Lagrange Relaxation

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 Priority-List Methods
• Priority-List Methods
– consist of a simple shut-down rule
• obtained by an exhaustive enumeration of all unit
combinations at each load level
• or obtained by noting the full-load average production
cost of each unit
– the full-load average production cost is the net heat rate at full
load multiplied by the fuel cost
– various enhancements can be made to the priority-
list scheme by the grouping of units to ensure that
various constraints are met

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 Priority-List Methods
• Typical shut-down rules
– at each hour when load is dropping, determine whether dropping
the next unit on the list leaves sufficient generation to supply the
load plus the spinning-reserve requirements
• if the supply is not sufficient, keep the unit committed

– determine the number of hours before the unit is needed again

• if the time is less than the minimum shut-down time for the
unit, keep it committed
– perform a cost comparison
• the sum of the hourly production costs for the next number of
hours with the next unit to be dropped being committed
• and the sum of the restart costs for the next unit based on the
minimum cost of cooling the unit or banking the unit

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 Priority-List Methods
• Example
– construct a priority list for the units in the first
example using the same cost equations
Unit 1: F1(P1) = 561 + 7.92 P1 + 0.001562 P1 2 150 ≤ P1 ≤ 600
Unit 2: F2(P2) = 310 + 7.85 P2 + 0.00194 P2 2 100 ≤ P2 ≤ 400
Unit 3: F3(P3) = 93.6 + 9.56 P3 + 0.005784 P3 2 50 ≤ P3 ≤ 200
the full-load average production costs
Unit 1: F1(600)/ 600 = 9.7922
Unit 2: F2(400)/ 400 = 9.4010
Unit 3: F3(200)/ 200 = 11.1848
• a strict priority order for these units: [ 2, 1, 3 ]

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 Priority-List Methods
• Example
– the commitment scheme
• ignoring minimum up/down times and start-up costs
Combination Min . MW Max.MW
1+2+3 300 1200
1+2 250 1000
• notes 2 100 400

– this scheme does not completely parallel the

shut-down sequence described in the first
example
• there unit 2 was shut down at 600 MW leaving unit 1
• here unit 1 is shut down at 400 MW leaving unit
• why the differences? where is the problem?
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 Dynamic Programming Methods
• Dynamic programming
– chief advantage over enumeration schemes is the
reduction in the dimensionality of the problem
• in a strict priority order scheme, there are only N
combinations to try for an N unit system
– a strict priority list would result in a theoretically
correct dispatch and commitment only if
• the no-load costs are zero
• unit input-output characteristics are linear
• there are no other limits, constraints, or restrictions
• start-up costs are a fixed amount

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 Dynamic Programming Methods
• Dynamic programming
– the following assumptions are made in this
implementation of the DP approach
• a state consists of an array of units
– with specified units operating and the rest decommitted (off-line)
– a feasible state is one in which the committed units can supply the
required load and meets the minimum capacity for each period
• start-up costs are independent of the off-line or down-time
– i.e., it is a fixed amount w.r.t. time
• no unit shutting-down costs
• a strict priority order will be used within each interval
• a specified minimum amount of capacity must be operating
within each interval

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 Forward Dynamic Programming Methods
• The forward DP approach
– runs forward in time from the initial hour to the final hour
• the problem could run from the final hour back to the initial hour
• the forward approach can handle a unit’s start-up costs that are a
function of the time it has been off-line (temperature dependent)
– the forward approach can readily account for the system’s
history
• initial conditions are easier to specified when going forward
– the minimum cost function for hour K with combination I:

• Fcost(K, I) = least total cost to arrive at state (K, I)

• Pcost(K, I) = production cost for state (K, I)
• Scost(K–1, L: K, I) = transition cost from state (K–1, L) to (K, I)

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 Forward Dynamic Programming Methods
• The forward DP approach
– state (K, I) is the Ith commitment combination in hour K
– a strategy is the transition or path from one state at a
given hour to a state at the next hour
• X is defined as the number of states to search each period
• N is defined as the number of strategies to be saved at each
step
– these variable allow control of the computational effort
– for complete enumeration, the maximum value of X or N is 2N – 1
– for a simple priority-list ordering, the upper bound on X is n, the
number of units
• reducing N means that information is discarded about the
highest cost schedules at each interval and saving only the
lowest N paths or strategies
– there is no assurance that the theoretical optimum will be found

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• The forward DP approach Forward Dynamic Programming Methods
• restricted search paths
N=3
X=5

N
X N
X X

Interval K-1 Interval K Interval K+1

Power System Operation and Control

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 Forward Dynamic Programming Methods

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 Forward Dynamic Programming Methods
• Example
– consider a system with 4 units to serve an 8 hour load pattern

Unit Pmax Pmin Incremental heat rate No load cost Full load average Min. Up Time Min. Down
(MW) (MW) (Btu / kWh) ($ / h) cost (h) time
($ / mWh) (h)
1 80 25 10440 213.00 23.54 4 2

2 250 60 9000 585.62 20.34 5 3

3 300 75 8730 684.74 19.74 5 4

4 60 20 11900 252.00 28.00 1 1

Unit Initial Start up cost Start up cost Cold Hour Load(MW)

condition Hot Cold start
off(-) or On(+) ($ ) ($ ) (h) 1 450
(h)
2 530
3 600
1 -5 150 350 4
4 540
2 8 170 400 5
5 400
3 8 500 1100 5
6 280
4 -6 0 0.02 0
7 290
8 500

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 Forward Dynamic Programming Methods
• Example
– to simplify the generator cost function, a straight
line incremental curve is used
• the units in this example have linear F(P) functions:

F(P) • the units must operate within their limits

Unit P max P min No load Cost Incrementa
(MW) (MW) ($ / h) l cost
($ / MWh)
1 80 25 213.00 20.88
F no-load

2 250 60 585.62 18.00

3 300 75 684.74 17.46

P
4 60 20 252.00 23.80
P min P max

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 Forward Dynamic Programming Methods
Case 1: Strict priority-list ordering Status Unit status Capacity
– the only states examined each hour 5 0 0 1 0 300 MW

consist of the listed four: 12 0 1 1 0 550 MW

14 1 1 1 0 630 MW
• state 5: unit 3, state 12: 3 + 2 15 1 1 1 1 690 MW
• state 14: 3 + 2 + 1, state 15: all four
– all possible commitments start from state 12 (initial condition)
– minimum unit up and down times are ignored
– in hour 1:
• possible states that meet load demand (450 MW): 12, 14, & 15

Economic dispatch equation

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 Forward Dynamic Programming Methods
• Case 1
K P cost S cost F cost
– in hour 1:
15 9861 350 10211
14 9493 350 9843
12 9208 0 9208
» minimum at state 12 (9208)
– in hour 2:
»
possible states that meet load demand (530 MW): 12, 14, &
15

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 Forward Dynamic Programming Methods

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 Forward Dynamic Programming Methods

• Case 2:
– complete enumeration (2.56 * 109 possibilities)
• fortunately, most are not feasible because they do not
supply sufficient capacity
– in this case, the true optimal commitment is found
• the only difference in the two trajectories occurs in hour 3
– it is less expensive to turn on the less efficient peaking unit #4 for
three hours than to start up the more efficient unit #1 for that
same time period
• only minor improvement to the total cost
– case 1: 73,439
– case 2: 73,274

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 Forward Dynamic Programming Methods

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