A new multiple line outage identification formulation using a sparse vector recovery technique

This paper develops new methods to estimate the locations of transmission line outages in transmission networks. Two transmission outage models are developed based on DC and AC power flow equations and injected power changes due to line outages. The models are then generalized to include other transmission lines in addition to the outaged lines to provide a full representation of transmission networks. Three methods are developed based on the DC and AC models: Method_1 uses the DC power flow model; Method_2 uses the AC power flow model with zero line resistance; Method_3 uses the AC power flow model with line losses taken into account. A regularized least square based on ℓ1-norm minimization is developed to solve the models and estimate the locations of outages. Simulation results of the IEEE 39-, 57- and 118-bus systems verify the effectiveness of the developed methods in detecting line outage locations.