Enhancements and New Features in Simulator 10.0

Graphical User Interface: We’ve included several new features that make navigating and interpreting the results of your analysis faster and easier.

• New User-Customizable Menus and Toolbars have been added throughout the software. Included in this are numerous new toolbars buttons for changing settings and options in the software.

• New Custom Case Information Displays: these allow the user to build a custom "workbook-like" case info display where the value displayed in each cell is defined by the user.

• Three Custom Floating Point and Custom Strings are now available for power system objects such as buses, lines, generators, shunts, etc… Just add them using the Display/Column options on the relevant Case Information Displays.

• Automated file archiving as you save PWB files. This is accessed on the Environment tab of the Simulator Solution/Environment Dialog.

• All the options on the Oneline Display Options dialog can now be saved as named Oneline Options. These various settings are then stored with the case and can be applied to other onelines. They may also be saved as an AUX file. These features are accessed via button at the button of the Oneline Display Options Dialog.

• Bus View Customizations: Users may now define the fields which are displayed on the bus view and store these as Custom Bus Views. A new button is available at the top of the bus view which says Views > and gives access to these abilities. Along with the custom views, there are now two hard-coded views: System State and Input Data.

• Modifications for the Bus View and Sub View oneline display options are now stored and maintained as you open new bus views. 

• Bus View Include Field Labels: users may choose a new option so that the name of the fields shown on the bus view are displayed.

• A new oneline object has been added for displaying a multi-section line object as a single object instead of it's component lines.

• All oneline objects in Simulator may now be assigned to a layer. Users may then show/hide entire layers or select objects based on these layers.

• Text on the oneline may now be rotated.

• A new ability to browse through all open onelines for particular objects is now available.

• General improvements throughout when using the Search/Find dialogs

• General improvements throughout regarding the case information diaplays: Color coding of columns headings for required/key fields, coloring of sorted columns, centering of column text, captions show the name of the advanced filter, and many other…)

• Transformers may now have multiple colors allowing you to show the high and low voltage sides with different colors.

• Added a oneline browsing path. This is used with oneline links, document links, and substation objects. When looking for a particular file or oneline to display after clicking on one of these links, Simulator will look in the specified directory path.

• Pie Charts now display what their percentage is based on (MVA, Amps, PTDF, etc…) as well as what rating they are based on (A, B, C, etc…)

New Data and Features

• Interface elements may now have a multiplier specified for them. Using this feature you may create limits which represent the weighted sum of element flows instead of only the pure sum.

• Interfaces may now include DC lines flows, generator outputs, load values, and injection groups as members of the interface. DC line flows add to the interface flow. Generators add to the flow. Loads subtract from the flow. Injection Groups add the "net injection" of the entire group to the flow. Using this feature you may specify special limits such as the net generator output from a power plant (sum of generators < Max value).

• Nomograms may now be created which represent a two-dimensional flow limit. A nomogram is defined by specifying two interfaces as the two-dimensions, and then specifying a curve which represents the limitation on these interfaces. These nomograms can then be monitored in the contingency analysis, OPF, and ATC tools.

• An extra tool has been added for merging all the devices at a two buses into a single bus.

• An extra button has been added to the TLR/GSF and Other Sensitivities dialog which allows you to set the "P Sensitivity" for out-of-service buses equal to the value at the closest inservice bus.

• Added support for specifiying 8 transmission line and interface limits instead of the present 3 values.

• Ownership records throughout Simulator have been greatly enhanced. For instance users may now Scale the system by owner.

• The topological comparison tool has been enhanced to include all objects.

• Substation information is made more prominent throughout the software.

Power Flow Modifications: Enhancement of Simulator’s engineering analysis algorithms provide even greater flexibility and robustness.

• Generation Control may now be achieved across an island instead of across an area. Island-based AGC is available on the Power Flow Solution tab of the Solution/Environment Dialog.

• Switched Shunt Control Range modification: You can now specify different target voltages for after hitting the high limit compared to the low limit.

• Modified Line-Drop-Compensation for generators so that all generators at a single bus act together to perform LDC voltage control.

• Improvements to the optimal multiplier technique for use when calculating power flow solutions near voltage collapse.

• Provided the ability to better control tap-changing transformers which are in parallel with each other. Parallel transformers will coordinate their switching actions so that they maintain similar tap settings (the same value if possible).

• Added the ability to specify post-solution actions. Post-solution actions represent "contingency-like" actions that occur at the end of every power flow solution. Normally these actions would be conditional actions such as under voltage load shedding (i.e. IF voltage is low, then Drop Load).

Contingency Analysis Changes

• Contingency analysis definitions, options, and results can now be stored in the PWB file.

• Contingency Comparison now includes violations from both the comparison and controlling case

• Improved the linear solution techniques for CTG and ATC so that they work properly when contingencies result in a change in the number of islands in the system

• Added support for handling "Load Throwover" records for buses. When a bus goes out-of-service as a result of a contingency the load at the bus is then moved to another bus to simulate distribution system switching.

• Many new contingency actions included: DC Line Open/Close and MW/Amp set-point modifications, Phase Shifter MW set-point modifications, Addition of a power flow solution inside the definition to change the method used for solving the power flow.

• More options for automated text file contingency reporting

• Added script commands for auto-inserting contingencies.

• Now record the total amount of load which is islanded during a contingency

• The post-contingency solution make-up power is now handled by utilizing Simulator's new Island-based Automatic Generation Control response.

• Post-contingency solution options are now stored in the reference state.

PVQV Modifications

• Many upgrades to the reporting of PVQV information

• Modification of how buses which contain switched shunts are handled in the QV tool

• Modified the QV curve tool to create the QV curve for contingencies even when the contingency is unsolvable in the base case system. This provides estimates of "negative Mvar margin".

OPF and SCOPF Enhancements

• Added support for enforcement of the new nomogram limits in the OPF and SCOPF.

• Add load-multipliers that are used when the "Use DC Approximation" option is checked in the Power Flow Solution Options. These multipliers are specified for each bus in the system and are applied to all loads at the bus. These multipliers are intended to represent the transmission system losses that are removed when using the DC approximation.

• Add the ability to utilize the loss-sensitivity values which are "User-Specified" in the DC OPF/SCOPF routines. These act as penalty multipliers on the output of power of generators at these buses and will affect the dispatch solution.

• Added the ability to specify a piecewise-linear curve to represent the maximum violation cost used in the OPF and SCOPF. This curve can be thought of as a "penalty curve" applied when violating the flow constraints. By specifying lower penalties for lower overloads and then increasing the penalty as the overload worsens, a more gradual change from enforceable to unenforceable will be seen.

• Added load dispatch as a control in the SCOPF algorithm.

• Added support for modeling reactive flow adjustments in the DC SCOPF algorithm

• Added support for calculating the reactive power LMPs when solving the full AC OPF or SCOPF.

• Add the MW area-to-area transaction as a control for the OPF and SCOPF algorithms. When the transactions is between two areas that are both on OPF control, then the OPF algorithm will determine the appropriate MW level. If only one area is on OPF control, then a price curve for a MW transaction may be specified to dispatch against.

• Added the ability to specify a reference for losses and for energy by Area and Super Area. These references are then used to calculate components of the final MW Marginal Cost (LMP) at each node in a power system. The components are for energy, losses and congestion.

• Added the ability to enter "User-Specified" loss sensitivity values at each bus. This way if the user has loss-sensitivities calculated from an external tool, they may enter these values into Simulator and tell Simulator not to modify these sensitivities.