To satisfy the robust and real-time requirements of power flow calculation for large-scale power systems, a globally convergent method is proposed with trust-region techniques, which shows satisfying robustness and convergence. Then, this method is combined with Newton's method to achieve a two-stage algorithm, benefiting from their different advantages. In the first stage, the proposed globally convergent method is used for searching power flow solution. When the values of state variables in a certain iteration are close enough to the real operational point, the algorithm enters the second stage to use Newton's method to achieve the solution. This two-stage algorithm can achieve an accurate solution for solvable cases, and can also achieve a least square solution, which is an approximate solution for unsolvable cases. Numerical experiments show that the proposed globally convergent method and two-stage algorithm have better robustness and efficiency than the existing methods in previous research. They have universality for well- and ill-conditioned systems as well as the cases under ill-conditioned operational modes, heavy loads and inappropriate initial values. They can also handle different limit violations, such as reactive power limit in PV buses and voltage limit with tap changers action, which could significantly benefit real practice.

Considering the separate management of transmission networks (TNs) and distribution networks (DNs), this paper proposes a chance-constrained optimal power flow (CCOPF) formulation for integrated transmission and distribution (I-T&D) networks and its solution algorithm with limited information interaction. The uncertainties of loads and renewable generations are considered in the formulation, which guarantees that generations, power flows, and voltage magnitudes in both TNs and DNs remain within their bounds with a predefined probability. A double-iterative solution algorithm is proposed to solve CCOPF, of which the inner-iteration is applied to solve a deterministic OPF of I-T&D networks while the outer-iteration is to repeatedly update uncertain margins around a forecasted solution to converge finally. Particularly, the heterogeneous decomposition algorithm is applied to solve the deterministic OPF, and an I-T&D-powerflow-based two-point estimation method is proposed to calculate uncertainty margins. The overall solution algorithm is realized based on boundary information exchange between TNs and DNs, where the data and model privacy of TNs and DNs are wellpreserved. Numerical experiments demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed solution algorithm.

This paper introduces a novel successive-intersection-approximation-based power flow method for integrated transmission and distribution networks (I-T&D). In this method, the entire I-T&D is split into the transmission network part, distribution network part, and boundary part. Then, alternate iterations are processed between a transmission network (TN) and several distribution networks (DNs) by exchanging the voltage and power injection of boundary buses. Particularly, the voltage magnitude of the boundary buses will be modified every two iterations by obtaining an intersection with the results in the previous two iterations. The local quadratic convergence of the method is proved strictly. The numerical experiment demonstrates that the proposed method has the same accuracy as the method based on the global model. Also, better convergence and efficiency can be achieved under the proposed method compared with the master-slave-splitting method in several different circumstances, DNs with loops, DNs with distributed generations, DNs with on-load tap changers, large-scale systems, etc. Besides, the proposed method is applied in the contingency analysis, achieving satisfying convergence and efficiency.

Considering the increasing coupling between transmission and distribution networks, an affine arithmetic-based interval power flow algorithm of integrated transmission and distribution (I-T&D) networks is proposed. First, a novel two-step approximation method for sine and cosine functions is proposed to reduce the number of noise variables in the affine form of the injected power, as the basis of the proposed algorithm. Then, this algorithm is divided into four stages, which are implemented alternatively between a transmission system operator (TSO) and multiple distribution system operators (DSOs) by exchanging parameters at TSO-DSO boundaries. Three-phase unbalanced IT& D networks and boundary tap changer action are also discussed. In addition, an asynchronous power flow method is proposed to mitigate the influences of communication networks on the proposed interval power flow algorithm. Numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed two-step approximation method, as well as the conservative property, fairly good approximation effect, high efficiency, and low data exchange amount of the proposed algorithm in various circumstances, including single-phase and three-phase networks, varying degrees of unbalance, various smart inverter controls, etc.

Considering that the conventional synchronous splitting (MSS) method for power flow calculation of coupled transmission and active distribution (TDC) systems has limitations in efficiency and convergence due to the penetration of distributed generations (DGs) and loop operation, this paper proposes an asynchronous forward-backward-splitting power flow algorithm of TDC systems. In this algorithm, the transmission system operator (TSO) acts as a coordinator and processes forward steps while the distribution system operators (DSOs) act as agents and process backward steps. Two first-in-first-out queues are introduced to realize an asynchronous mechanism, and thus, the TSO does not have to wait for the slowest DSO to complete its power flow calculation and power injection update before the next iteration can proceed. This asynchronous mechanism has a higher efficiency compared with a synchronous one when communication delays exist. In addition, the conventional fixed-point iteration in the MSS method is replaced with the Krasnosel’skii-Mann iteration. The proposed algorithm with appropriate settings will achieve better convergence, especially when active distribution networks are considered, where volt-walt-control-typed and volt-var-control-typed DGs are penetrated. The linear convergence of the proposed algorithm is proved under several assumptions and the parameter tuning issue is discussed with numerical experiments.