An efficient approach to handle the problem of load flow divergence in phasor based simulators

• The problem of load flow divergence could be solved in phasor based simulators.
• High R/X ratio systems could be solved by using transient stability calculations.
• Dynamic parameters of generators can speed up the load flow convergence time.
• Transient stability calculations could be initialized in a fast and stable manner.
• The method could be utilized in both critical and normal conditions.

Dynamic behavior and stability of power systems can be studied with phasor-based programs in a reasonable time. Dynamic simulation of power systems needs to be initialized by Load Flow (LF) solutions. However, LF solutions may diverge in some critical conditions. This paper proposes an efficient Transient Stability (TS) based method to overcome the problem of load flow divergence in phasor-based power system simulators. The main idea is using the capability of TS module in such packages in order to overcome the divergence problem in fast-decoupled load flow (FDLF) method. This article focuses on LF convergence in networks with high R/X ratios branches such as distribution systems and microgrids. Suggestions for speeding up the convergence time and preventing of angle instability during TS simulation are described. The proposed methodology can be utilized in TS programs that use FDLF method for solving LF problems. The obtained accurate simulation results in a reasonable time show the efficiency and practical applicability of the proposed method.