Reliability evaluation in operational planning of power systems

This paper presents a computer approach to evaluate the power system reliability considering generation/transmission capacities. The proposed technique is a 2-step approach. Step 1 is to modify the system minimal cutsets to a capacity related cutsets CRC. CRC is defined as a minimum set of system elements, which if failed, the rest of the elements are not enough for the system to survive, and this set is a subset of any minimal cutset of the system. Step 2 deals with the evaluation of the power system reliability based on CRC of the system, enumerated in step 1, and a symbolic reliability computation algorithm based on journal article (Fong, et al.,1987). The above method is illustrated by numerical examples and compared with the results tabulated in journal article (Rai, et at.,1991). A reinforcement strategy to improve the system reliability is suggested. The strategy is to select the important link and reinforce it.