File Management Options

See Also

 

The following options are useful when loading, storing, and configuring data in different file formats supported by PowerWorld.

 

PowerWorld Files

Automatic Loading of Auxiliary File

A default auxiliary file can be loaded when the present case is opened by checking the Automatically load an auxiliary file when the present case is opened check box. The auxiliary file given under Auxiliary File will then be loaded with the present case. The full path needs to be included with the file name. This option is stored when the case is saved in the PWB format.

Automatic Loading of Auxiliary File with ANY Case 

A default auxiliary file can be loaded when each case is opened by checking the Automatically load an auxiliary file when ANY case is opened check box. The auxiliary file given under Auxiliary File will then be loaded with each case. The full path needs to be included with the file name. This option is stored in the system registry.

Automatic Archiving of PWB Files

This option allows you to effectively make backup copies of your working case every time you save the PWB file. For example, assume you have a case named Test Case.pwb. With the Automatic Archiving turned on, saving the case will first create a copy of the original file and rename it Test Case_1.pwb. The character used as a delimiter can be chosen optionally. The case with any changes you have just made will then be saved as the new Test Case.pwb file. Each time you save the case, the latest version is named Test Case.pwb, the last Test Case.pwb is renamed with the delimiter and 1 appended, and all other archived versions will be renamed with their number incremented by 1. The number of archive versions to maintain can also be chosen by setting the maximum number of archive files property.

Autosave Every … Minutes

This option allows the user to specify how often (in minutes) the case is automatically saved. A value of zero means that this option will not be used. A case will only be autosaved while in Edit Mode. The case will be autosaved in the same directory from which the last case was opened unless a specific File Location is specified. Cases will be saved with the name autosave.pwb.

The autosave and automatic archive options can be used simultaneously. If both are in use, the autosave.pwb file will be saved with incremented versions as described in the Automatic Archiving of PWB Files section.

File Location

Specifies where the autosaved PWB files are saved. If this is left blank, the files will be saved in the same directory from which the last case was opened.

Save Unlinked Elements of contingency, interface and injection group records in the PWB file

Checking this box allows saving any unlinked contingency, interface, and injection group records in the PWB case. The unlinked elements are only created when read from an auxiliary file containing unlinked records.

 

EPC and RAW Files

GE Additional Data Options

Load Additional Data from ECF

Older versions of Simulator did not read all the extra data from the GE EPC file and instead stored it in files with the ECF extension. If you would like to read in one of these old ECF files, click this button.

Remove Additional Data from Case

Because all of the extra data in the EPC can take up a lot of space (approximately doubles the PWB file size and increases the memory foot-print of Simulator itself too), you may want to just delete all this information. Click this button to permanently remove this data from your case.

GE EPC Motor Data Table

Part of the extra data read from the EPC file is Motor Data which does not map to an object used inside PowerWorld. To see this information, click on this button.

 

PTI RAW Transactions due to tie-line loads

Loads may be assigned to a different area than the load’s terminal bus. PTI offers an option that allows the user to ignore this assignment when calculating the tie-line flow for an area.

(AREA INT CODE = 1 FOR LINES ONLY)

(AREA INT CODE = 2 FOR LINES AND LOADS)

Simulator does not allow you to define a load this way and then choose to ignore it. Most RAW files that PowerWorld has seen seem to be solved ignoring the loads that are in different areas than their terminal bus by using the "lines only" option. To overcome this, when PowerWorld reads a RAW file, MW Transactions are automatically created with the ID "RAW_LOAD". (You can optionally choose to load the RAW file "with options". This will allow you to choose whether or not the transactions should be added. See Case Formats for more information.) These transactions are between the load’s area and its terminal bus and are created so that the export from each area correctly matches a case solved using "lines only". If you know that your case was solved using "lines and loads", then click the button Remove transaction due to tie-line loads. Clicking this will delete all the MW Transactions with an ID of "RAW_LOAD". You may also click the button Add transactions due to tie-line loads to recreate a list of transaction which represent flows between loads with different areas than their terminal bus.

PTI RAW Three-Winding XF Star Bus Numbering

In RAW format data, three-winding transformer star buses are not explicitly defined. Within Simulator these buses are explicitly created and assigned as one terminal of the three two-winding transformers that comprise the three-winding transformer. These options specify how the star buses are numbered:

Use numbers near primary bus number

A star bus number will be chosen from unused bus numbers that are near the number of the primary bus number of the three-winding transformer.

Start numbering above the maximum bus number

The maximum bus number is determined by the buses that are explicitly defined in the RAW file, i.e. none of these are star buses. Star buses are number sequentially starting at the next highest bus number and assigned in the order in which three-winding transformers are defined in the RAW file.

Start number at specified bus number

The star buses of three-winding transformers are numbered in the order in which they are read from the RAW file starting with the specified bus number. The star buses are ordered sequentially starting from the specified number. Any bus numbers that have already been used will be skipped and the next unused number will be asigned.

Transformer Regulated Bus Side

EPC and RAW files require the storage of which side of the transformer the regulated bus is on to determine which direction to move the tap in order to regulate voltage. In PowerWorld the tap sensitivity is always calculated when a transformer needs to move so this is not relavent. The buttons are provided to determine this side. If you have a solved power flow solution, then using tap sensitivities is good. If you do not have a solved power flow, then Recalculate using Closest Bus will also work (this just determines how far away the regulated bus is from the FROM and TO bus by summing up the total impedance that must be crossed to reach the regulated bus.)

 

hdbexport Files

All of the following options are stored in the system registry.

 

Mapping of CBTyp to Branch Device Type

When loading an hdbexport CSV file, a Branch record in Simulator is created for each CB record. The Branch Device Type for these branches is defined based on the CB's CBTyp using the following rules:

if CBTyp contains "CB" --> Breaker

Else if contains "LBD" --> Load Breaker Disconnect

Else if contains "GND" --> Ground Disconnect

Else if contains "FUSE" --> Fuse

Else utilize user-Defined rules specified below

Else -- Disconnect

The Defined rules specified below can be defined in the table in this section. The Priority can be set here for the CBTyp and the Branch Device Type can be specified with the following options: Breaker, Disconnect, Fuse, Ground Disconnect, or Load Break Disconnect.

Also after loading an hdbexport CSV file, if any CBTyp values were encountered that were not recognized a dialog box similar to the Defined rules specified below will appear prompting the user to designate the Branch Device Type rules for each CBTyp.

The Clear Mappings button will clear this table. Any subsequent file loads where an unrecognized type is encountered will prompt the user.

 

Default Label Delimiter

The default label delimiter is a dollar sign, $. The delimiter must be changed prior to loading in an hdbexport file. No changes will be made to the delimiter in existing labels.

 

Custom Label Generation

The specification of custom labels is done with these options. Labels are generated in these custom formats when loading an hdbexport file. No changes will be made to existing labels.

 

Examples of custom labels in the auxiliary file format is given below. Loading this auxiliary file will populate the table for this option.

 

DATA (AREVALABELIMPORTSPEC, [ObjectType,LabelFormat,ArevaType])

{

"Bus" "%ID_ST%+'_'+%ID_KV%+'_'+%ID%" "ND"

"Gen" "%ID_ST%+'_'+%ID_KV%+'_'+%ID%" "UN"

"Branch" "%ID_LINE%+'_'+%I__ND.ID_ST%+'_'+%Z__ND.ID_ST%+'_LN_'+%ID_LN%" "LN"

}

 

The following rules apply when defining custom labels:

1. The label format uses the same syntax as PowerWorld's custom expression parser, which means that generating labels is very flexible.
2. %field% means that you want to substitute the value in field for %field% within the string.
3. The case database is hierarchical, which means it understands that some objects contain references to others. If you specify %field_type%, Simulator will find the parent record of the current record that is being used to generate the label. If that parent record's type matches type, it will find field within that record and substitute it for %field_type%. If the parent record's type doesn't match type, it will go up to the parent's parent and conduct the same test and so on until it finds the ancestor record whose type matches type. The generator example above of %ID_ST% on a UN record makes sense because it will first go to the parent ND record, then its parent KV record and then finally its parent ST record to find the ID_ST value. Note that this is technically a shorthand for item 4 below as all parents of records have pointers to their parent.
4. The case database also contains pointers to other records that aren't parents. If you specify %field1__type.field2%, Simulator will look at field1_type and look at the record that it points to and then return the value of field2. Note that this can go as far as you'd like, so it can be something like %field1_type1.field2_type2.field3% and so on. The branch example above is instructive here as well with %I__ND.ID_ST%. It will get the ND record that I__ND points to in the LINE record and then based on that conduct the search as in item 3 above for ID_ST on the ND record. Note that %I__ND.ID_ST% can also be represented as %I__ND.P__KV.P__ST.ID%. It's just shorthand.

Do Not Create Default Labels For Any Objects

Check this box to not create default labels for any objects. If no custom labels are defined for an object type and this option is checked, no labels will be created for that object type.

 

Translate the DC System

POLE, DCCNV, VSC, DCND, and DCLN records within an hdbexport file can be translated into mult-terminal dc line and VSC DC line objects within PowerWorld. If not translated these objects will instead be modeled as load and transformer objects. This option determines if the translation is attempted or not. Using the Prompt each time a case is loaded will prompt the user each time the appropriate record types are identified in a file. Upon prompting the user can select Yes to All which will set the Always translate if possible option. Selecting No to All at the prompt will set the Never translate option. If not choosing to prompt each time and one of the permanent options has been set, the option can always be changed here for future file loads.

 

Save Known Fields in HDB Pattern File

Pattern files are used by the hdbexport process to determine which record types and fields are included in the export file. Click this button to create a pattern file for the record types and fields that PowerWorld recognizes. A recognized field is one that PowerWorld actually uses upon loading the export file. Even though a field is not recognized by PowerWorld that will not create an error upon loading. That field will simply be ignored.