A power flow based model for the analysis of vulnerability in power networks

•A new model for the analysis of power system vulnerability is proposed.•A new vulnerability index is presented to identify the vulnerable lines.•The proposed model can have a closer approximation to a real power grid.•Simulations show the proposed model is more effective in vulnerability analysis.

An innovative model which considers power flow, one of the most important characteristics in a power system, is proposed for the analysis of power grid vulnerability. Moreover, based on the complex network theory and the Max-Flow theorem, a new vulnerability index is presented to identify the vulnerable lines in a power grid. In addition, comparative simulations between the power flow based model and existing models are investigated on the IEEE 118-bus system. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed model and the index are more effective in power grid vulnerability analysis.