PV Curves: Output
The Output tab is found on the PV Curves dialog and allows the designation of where data should be logged.
During the PV analysis, the value of each monitored quantity is recorded at each solved transfer level. This data will only be present in memory unless some output file is specified.
Specifying File for Results
Save results to file
Click this option to save results to a file. In the adjacent text box supply the complete path and name for the output file. If a directory is included with the output file and it does not exist, the directory will be created. If the directory cannot be created, an error will result and the PV analysis will not start. Click the Browse button to open a save dialog that will allow selection of the output file. Click the View button to open the specified output file in a text editor. The View button will be enabled if the specified output file exists.
The results will be saved as a comma-separated variable file regardless of the file extension chosen. Set the file extension to .CSV to make the file type more recognizable by programs such as Excel. If using the save dialog opened with the Browse button, the Save as type field on the save dialog should be set to reflect the desired file extension. Regardless of the file extension chosen, the file is a text file with all contents separated by commas.
When saving results to a file, a log file will also be created that indicates how long the entire PV process took and the different base case and contingency scenarios examined at each nominal shift level. This log file will use the same file name specified for the output file with "_LOG" appended to the end of the file name. The log file will be saved with .TXT extension. If running multiple instances of Simulator for PV analysis, a unique file name must be given to each set of results to avoid overwriting results created from other instances.
Transpose results
Click this option to transpose the columns and rows in each section of the output file. The output file is divided in sections for each of the studied scenarios. The default file format organizes the file so that each row represents a transfer level and each column represents a tracked quantity. The transposed file is formatted such that each row represents a tracked quantity with each column representing a transfer level. This format is useful when the number of tracked quantities exceeds the number of transfer levels.
Single Header File
Additional file formats are available when saving results to file when not transposing the file. If using the default output format (Single Header file option and Transpose results option both unchecked), each scenario will be written as a section with a header line at the beginning of each section indicating what fields are included. Scenarios that become critical during the analysis will be listed with the base case scenario at the shift level at which they became critical. An example of this format is given below:
Example for Default PV Output:
RESULTS FOR PV STUDY "PVSTUDY" *
*Scenario** "base case"
"Nominal", "Export", "Import","Bus 3 (Three_138.0) PU Volt","Bus 5 (Five_138.0) PU Volt","Newly Critical"
0.0000, 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.9927, 1.0066,
100.0000,100.0000,-98.7365, 0.9928, 1.0062,
200.0000,200.0000,-193.4265, 0.9928, 1.0054,
300.0000,300.0000, -278.6270, 0.9928, 1.0043,
400.0000,400.0000, -365.9341, 0.9927, 1.0031,
500.0000,500.0000,-449.7520, 0.9926, 1.0015,
600.0000,599.9999,-525.2490, 0.9924, 0.9996,
650.0000,650.0000,-563.8931, 0.9923, 0.9986,
675.0000,674.9999,-582.8196, 0.9923, 0.9980,L_00002Two-00006SixC1 (Reached Nose)
If choosing to use a Single Header File by checking this option, only a single field header will be shown at the top of the file. The first line of the file indicates that these are the results for a PV study. Following the header are lines indicating scenarios that have become critical during the analysis. Following this information is the single header line that indicates what fields are provided with the results. Following the header are the results for each scenario. An example is given below:
Example Single Header File Output:
RESULTS FOR PV STUDY "PVSTUDY"
"Newly Critical","L_00002Two-00006SixC1 (Reached Nose)"
"Scenario","Nominal","Export","Import","Bus 3 (Three_138.0) PU Volt","Bus 5 (Five_138.0) PU Volt"
base case, 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.9927, 1.0066
base case, 100.0000,100.0000, -98.7366, 0.9928, 1.0062
base case, 200.0000,200.0000,-193.4267, 0.9928, 1.0054
base case, 300.0000,300.0000,-278.6272, 0.9928, 1.0043
base case, 400.0000,400.0000,-365.9344, 0.9927, 1.0031
base case, 500.0000,500.0000,-449.7524, 0.9926, 1.0015
base case, 600.0000,599.9999,-525.2494, 0.9924, 0.9996
base case, 650.0000,650.0000,-563.8935, 0.9923, 0.9986
base case, 675.0000,674.9999,-582.8201, 0.9923, 0.9980
L_00001One-00002TwoC1, 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.9906, 1.0067
L_00001One-00002TwoC1, 100.0000, 100.0000,-98.7366, 0.9882, 1.0062
L_00001One-00002TwoC1, 200.0000, 200.0000,-193.4267, 0.9849, 1.0053
State Archiving
In addition to saving how the monitored quantities vary with the transfer, the entire system state can be saved to file at regular intervals during the analysis. This can be helpful if for analyzing particular transfer levels more closely after the analysis is complete. Keep in mind that, depending on the size of your system, archiving states frequently can require significant disk space and will delay the process.
The state that is saved to file has automatic generation control disabled for the entire case. This is to prevent confusion when these cases are opened. With this option disabled and any changes are made to a case, the only generator that will move will be the system slack. The onus is then on the user to decide if automatic generation control should be enabled for the case and how this will be handled on an area, superarea, or island-wide basis.
When using Integrated Topology Processing, state archiving is available. The state will be archived using the consolidated planning-type model.
The following options are available for archiving states:
Do not save system states
This is the default option. No system states will be saved to file.
Save only the base case for each critical contingency
The base case state without the contingency implemented will be saved to file for each scenario that is critical. The state will be saved at the transfer level that is reported as the critical Max Shift value as given in the Results.
Save all states
Choosing this option will save to file all scenarios at each valid transfer level. Contingency scenarios will be saved with the contingency implemented, unless at the critical transfer level. If a scenario is critical, the base case state without the contingency implemented will be saved at the critical transfer level. For critical scenarios, the critical transfer level is the value that is reported as the Max Shift value given in the Results. The base case state with just the transfer implemented will also be saved for all scenarios at all transfer levels at which the scenario will solve.
Save state as
Use this drop-down to select the file type that should be used when archiving states. Files can be saved as PowerWorld auxiliary files (*.aux), PowerWorld binary files (*.pwb), or both.
Where should they be stored?
Specify the directory where state files should be saved. Click the Browse button to open a dialog to use for selecting the directory.
Specify a prefix to use in naming the state archives
Saved state files will be distinguished by a naming convention based on the scenario name and transfer level or critical state indicator and scenario name. Use a prefix to further distinguish these files if saving multiple study results to the same directory.