Enhancements and New Features in Simulator 13.0

User Interface

• New Model Explorer allows fast navigation through all case information displays without needing to open multiple windows.
• Toolbars and Menus have been replaced with Microsoft's new Ribbon interface to group related actions together for fast navigation and selection.
• Generally all the user interface dialogs now obey the Windows XP and Windows Vista Themes (look and feel) settings.

Auxiliary Files and Display Auxiliary Files 

• New Export Format Description allows quick creation of auxiliary files with specified object types and fields. Each object type may be custom filtered.
• Modified reading of an AUX file to now allow the creation of a new object if a required field is specified, but the required field is blank. Also, added better error messaging to the log when an object has blank values for required fields to better alert the user of the problem.
• Added support for several kinds of objects that previously could only be defined using SUBDATA sections.
  • ContingencyElement objects represent the <SubData CTGElement> sections for all Contingency objects.
  • ViolationCTG objects represent the <SubData LimitViol> sections for all Contingency objects.
  • CTGElementBlockElement objects represent the <SubData CTGElement> sections for all CTGElementBlock objects.
  • GlobalContingencyActionsElement objects represent the <SubData CTGElement> section for the GlobalContingencyActions object.
  • PostPowerFlowActionsElement objects represent the <SubData CTGElement> section for the PostPowerFlowActions object
  • InterfaceElement objects represent the <SubData InterfaceElement> sections for all Interface objects.
  • PartPoint objects represent the <SubData PartPoint> sections for all Injection Group objects.
  • ReactiveCapability objects represent the <SubData ReactiveCapability> sections for all Gen objects.
  • MTDCBus, MTDCConverter, MTDCTransmissionLine objects represent their respective SubData sections for all MTDCRecord objects.
• Added support for calling specific sub-types of PartPoints via script commands. These include PartPointGen, PartPointInjectionGroup, PartPointLoad, and PartPointShunt. These special object types then give you access to a combination of all the PartPoint fields and specific device fields simultaneously.
• Added support for calling specific sub-types of InterfaceElements via script commands. These include InterfaceElementBranch, InterfaceElementBranchClose, InterfaceElementBranchOpen, InterfaceElementDCLine, InterfaceElementGen, InterfaceElementInjectionGroup, InterfaceElementInterface, InterfaceElementLoad, and InterfaceElementMSLine. These special object types then give you access to a combination of all the InterfaceElement fields and specific device fields simultaneously.
• Added the ability to store the Advanced Sort as part of the DataGrid Auxiliary file section.

Auxiliary File SCRIPT and SimAuto Changes 

• Changes throughout to support the use of object labels. If you give all your objects a unique label then the same auxiliary files can work for multiple cases regardless of bus numbering.
• New and modified script commands
  • DeleteIncludingContents(*) Use this to delete objects of a particular type and other objects that these contain.
  • New optional parameter to the SaveData(*) script command to specify sort order.
  • CalculateTLRMultipleElement(*)
  • SaveDataWithExtra(*)
  • SaveDataUsingExportFormat(*)
  • ExitProgram
  • ExportOnelineAsShapeFile(*)
  • CalculateRXBGFromLengthConfigCondType(*)
  • DetermineShortestPath() and DeterminePathDistance()
  • New optional parameter "ApplyTransfer" to the ATCDetermineATCFor(*) to set system state to the calculated transfer level.

Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Enhancements

• Added better handling of degenerate cases in ATC such as when an injection group runs out of injection.
• Added a new option to iterate on failed contingency. These options performs iterates power flow solution to find the transfer level at which the contingency fails.

Case Information Displays

• Most Case Information Displays are viewed through the Model Explorer.
• The right-click local menu of case information displays has been standardized to be consistent across all case information displays. The menu mimics the Case Information Toolbar directly.
• New option to "Send to Open Office" which mimics the "Send to Excel" feature.
• There is now a new "Is Blank" and "Not is Blank" condition comparison for Advanced Filters.
• Added option to highlight rows if their Selected? field is YES.
• Added option to show a hint describing the field when you hover over a column heading.
• Display/Column Options
  • Available fields are grouped in folders by category making the navigation of the large number of available fields much easier.
  • Special folders are available providing you an easy summary of the key and required fields
  • Option to show variable names alongside traditional field names
  • Fields identified by data type (string, integer, floating point)
  • Automatically show hints to better let you know what the fields actually show.

Connection Analysis Tools (Graph Theory)

• Added two new tools Determine Path Distances to Buses... and Determine Shortest Path between which help calculate topological distances between parts of the network. These tools allow you to define a specific distance measure for each branch (X, Z, Length, number of Nodes, or a specified field), and also operating on Buses, Substations, Areas, Zone, Super Areas and Injection Groups.

Contingency Analysis Enhancements

• Added ability to view all contingency definitions in a single combined table case information display giving you possibility of using a single DATA section to define contingencies, or even using copy/paste to/from a spreadsheet to define your contingencies.
• Added ability to view all contingency violations in a single combined table case information display. Also gives ability to define using a DATA section or using copy/paste to/from a spreadsheet.
• Pan to object on oneline when selecting a limit violation in the contingency tool.

Data Objects

• There is now no limit on the number of Custom Expressions defined for each object type.
• Added ability to specify the number of custom floating points, integers, and strings that each type of object has using the Custom Field Descriptions. You can also give names and column headings to the fields.
• New supplemental data object type.
• Improved storage of interfaces to accommodate large numbers of interfaces.

Dialogs

• Most device dialogs now have a Custom Tab which contains access to all custom singles, floating points, and integer values, as well as the Memo and Selected? field for each object.
• Added the Branches Tab to the Multi-Section Line Information Dialog to list all the individual branches in the multi-section line.
• On the Equivalencing Dialog, a feature was added to "Merge Shunts" across low impedance branches. This was done because we have continued to see strange input data with very large bus shunt values at either end of low impedance branches. (For example +10,000 MW at the FROM end and -10,000 MW at the TO end). The Merge Shunts button helps clean up this data.

File Formats 

• PowerWorld Binary File (PWB) version 13
  • Option to perform the case autosave in Run Mode.
• PowerWorld Auxiliary File (AUX) support
  • User prompt when saving the Limit Monitoring Settings from the Limit Monitoring Settings dialog to determine whether to use primary or secondary key fields or labels for identifying elements.
  • Extensive support added for writing to auxiliary file using object labels. If you define labels for all your important devices such as generator, loads, and branches and these labels do not change between models, then you can create AUX files that work with different topologies.
• PTI RAW file support
  • Allow opening a RAW file with options instead of opening with defaults only.
• GE EPC file support
  • Automatically set the option for sharing of generator vars across groups of buses during remove regulation appropriately when reading an EPC file.

Geographic Data Views

• Quickly create graphical representations of buses, generators, loads, switched shunts, substations, areas, zones, super areas, transmission lines, and injection groups.
• Latitude and longitude coordinates specified with buses and substations are used to place the objects geographically on the display. (The latitude and longitude information must be specified in order to use this feature.)
• Object attributes such as color, size, rotation rate, rotation angle, and visibility can easily be formatted based on element field values.
• Different element types can be combined on a common display by using a previously saved PWD file as a starting template.
• Geographic borders can be included on the display when inserting new objects.

Oneline Diagrams

• Completed the support for viewing of all objects on the oneline diagram in 3D mode. Also enhanced the ability to specify 3D Stacks and Stack Slices.
• Enhanced GIS Support
  • Identify closest facilities to a selected point.
  • Geographic data view.
• Can now select by region using an ellipse or a polygon. Also modified so that holding the CTRL key forces the Ellipse or Rectangle region selection to be centered on the initial click. Also modified so that holding the SHIFT key forces the Ellipse or Rectangle region selection to be a Circle or Square.
• Added new Copy Format and Paste Format feature.
• Allow field prefixes to be edited for selected objects.
• Contouring: Dialog only shows object types that occur on the oneline.
• Rotate through onelines specified in the keyboard shortcuts in a "slideshow".
• Added more shapes for the display of breakers.
• Added ability to specify a generator field which appears inside each generator symbol.
• Added new GIS Tool for clicking on a oneline and returning a list of the closest facilities to that point

Optimal Power Flow Enhancements

• New Add-on Tool to simulate Ancillary Services Reserve Markets.
• Generator and Load reserve controls include spinning, regulating, and supplemental reserves.
• Area and Zonal constraints include regulating, contingency and operation reserves modeled by demand curves.

Power Flow Solution

• Added better ability to handle areas that span multiple islands when using area interchange.
• Allow specification of metered end for two-terminal and multi-terminal DC line records.
• Under rare circumstances it's possible for a transformer controlling it's FROM bus to have a negative voltage to tap sensitivity. It doesn't make sense for the transformer to attempt to change its tap in this situation, therefore Simulator will not anymore.

PV and QV Curve Enhancements

• Added new options for exporting results to a text file.
• For critical scenarios that are critical because an inadequate voltage was found, we now report the bus and voltage of the lowest inadequate voltage.

Sensitivity Calculations

• When using a Super Area as a buyer or seller in the ATC, PTDF, TLR, and voltage senstivities the area participation factors defined for the super areas are used to calculate appropriate sensitivities

Time Step Simulation Enhancements

• Added support for auxiliary file commands to run, stop and solve single points.
• Added state reset when resetting the simulation.
• Added support for schedule subscriptions for interfaces.
• Time format throughout Simulator is now compatible with the Windows locale (regional settings).