Simulator 20 Patches

New Features

Bug Fixes

Date

September 25, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • General: Fixed an issue that could cause Simulator to crash primarily when logging in to a machine via remote desktop, though it was also possible at other times when system properties like monitor resolution were changed.

August 18, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: Fixed an access violation error that would occur with an SVSMO2 model if that switched shunt record had exactly one block instead of more than one.

August 14, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Case Information Displays: Changed searching in the Model Explorer to allow pattern matching when the "Find entire cells only" option is selected. Also changed searching in chooser dialogs so that if a wildcard is used within the search string, searching will still find partial matches.

July 28, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: When loading an EPC or RAW file it was possible for transformers with impedance correction tables to be assigned the wrong impedance in the YBus. This could result in incorrect flows on these transformers. This has been fixed.

July 24, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: When reading distributed generation fields stored with loads in RAW version 34 files, the values for distributed generation MW and MVAR were being read an multiplied by the System MVA base (normally 100). This has been fixed.

July 21, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: For linear contingency analysis, dc contingency analysis, or ATC analysis, lines whose terminal buses become disconnected during a contingency should not be included as valid monitored lines. This has been fixed. For interfaces, any lines in the interface that become disconnected because their terminal buses are disconnected will now be excluded when determining the post-contingency flow and OTDF for an interface.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed a bug that could cause an "Invalid operation in GDI+ (Code:11)" error.

July 14, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: For linear contingency analysis, dc contingency analysis, or ATC analysis, lines whose terminal buses become disconnected during a contingency should not be included as valid monitored lines. This has been fixed. For interfaces, any lines in the interface that become disconnected because their terminal buses are disconnected will now be excluded when determining the post-contingency flow and OTDF for an interface.
  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: When running QV analysis on a full topology case, errors and access violations could occur if a contingency or base case did not solve and fake generators were used to try to make them solvable. An access violation could also occur if clicking the Stop button to abort a run. All of these problems have been fixed.

June 18, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: Fixed a nuisance GUI bug with displaying this initial state derivatives for a synchronous machine that uses the H6E governor. That governor was initialized properly but the reported initial Pmech output of the governor was wrong. When the simulation actually began however that was corrected before the first time step so it only impacted the GUI reporting of the initial state derivative of the speed of the machine.

June 9, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: When choose to "OPEN NEAR" or "OPEN FAR" TSContingencyElement on a transformer branch, the impedance was not be modelled correctly. This has been fixed.
  • Transient Stability: Modified reading of various transient stability ASCII text file formats to process the file looking for illegal characters such as NULL (#0) characters before reading them. These illegal characters are then ignores. This impacts ready the DYD, DYR, MCRE RWM, MTR_LD, GNET, BASEGEN, and IDV files. This had been done for nearly all other 3rd party text file formats, but had not been done for the various transient stability input files until now.
  • Transient Stability: The default setting for when to engage Fast Valving for the TGOV2 and TGOV3 models is now set to never ("MOD_FastValvingOption"="None").

May 27, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: Fixed error introduced by attempts to fixed bug related to deleting TSPlotSeries, TSVertAxisGroup, TSSubPlot and TSPlot objects. This new patch introduces access violations caused by the attempted fix in the May 20, 2020 patch.

May 21, 2020

Features and Improvements

  • General: Fixed a bug determining Derived Status and Derived Online. The bug would affect specific topologies where there are no breakers between one terminal of a branch and a radially connected shunt device.
  • Sensitivity Calculations: Fixed two bugs with the LODF Screening tool.
    (1) When setting the Lines to Process option to use Defined Contingencies, Remedial Action Elements were being included. This doesn't make sense for this tool. These are now ignored.
    (2) When choosing the Lines to Monitor option as Limit Monitoring Settings all lines would be monitored. This has been fixed.

May 20, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: When deleting a TSPlot, TSSubPlot, TSVertAxisGroup, or TSPlot Series a case information display or from an Auxiliary File script, if the Plot Designer portion of the transient stability dialog was open then it would cause an access violation. This has been fixed.

May 12, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: When reading a RAW file in the non-transformer branch section, the ownership information for the branches was not being read correctly. This has been fixed.

April 21, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: When setting up a contingency solution it was possible that a generator that was at it's Max or Min MW limit may appear to be violating it's limit and thus turned off AGC during the contingency solution. This has been fixed.

March 3, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When saving injection groups to an auxiliary file with participation points listed in a SUBDATA section and using labels as the key field identifier, blanks would be written instead of the primary key field for participation points where either no label or no label for the bus existed. This has been fixed.

March 2, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When loading Generator fields for BidMW and BidMWhr, then order in which the fields mattered when it should not have. The user was required to load BidMW:5 before loading BidMWhr:5. If they were loaded in the oppositie order then the MWhr values would not be read. This has been fixed so that the order of the fields no longer matters when loading an AUX file, copy/paste or script command.

February 21, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: When determining if Transient Contingency Elements, Contingency Elements, and Remedial Action Elements are the same as existing elements when pasting from Excel or loading from an auxiliary file, the time will now be checked to the microsecond. Previously a tolerance was being used based on the number of digits to the right of decimal included with the time values. This could end up considering elements the same when they really did not occur at the same time. 9.3 seconds was being treated the same as 9.2502 seconds.
  • Contingency Analysis: Time values with Transient Contingency Elements, Contingency Elements, and Remedial Action elements will always be shown with 6 digits to the right of the decimal.
  • Transient Stability: When determining if Transient Contingency Elements, Contingency Elements, and Remedial Action Elements are the same as existing elements when pasting from Excel or loading from an auxiliary file, the time will now be checked to the microsecond. Previously a tolerance was being used based on the number of digits to the right of decimal included with the time values. This could end up considering elements the same when they really did not occur at the same time. 9.3 seconds was being treated the same as 9.2502 seconds.
  • Transient Stability: Time values with Transient Contingency Elements, Contingency Elements, and Remedial Action elements will always be shown with 6 digits to the right of the decimal.

February 20, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • General: When filtering gens, loads, and switched shunts by Area, Zone, or Balancing Authority Device or Advanced Filters, use the area, zone, or balancing authority of the shunt object and not the bus. Area/Zone/Owner filtering already did this.

February 13, 2020

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added new option to allow a LDTRPMON object to allow you to monitor the entire case.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Added the tripping of the LDELEC to the total Load tripped in Transient Stability.
    • Transient Stability: Cleaned up monitoring of nominal and instantaneous trip values for ldtrpmon monitoring. Also modified throughout to make the values tracked within the contingency summary results to match those in ldtrpmon. There were some strange differences in the treatment of "model trip" versus "relay trip" which have been made consistent between these two situations.
    • Transient Stability: When using the LDTRPMON measurement object, if the area or zone for which summary information was being collected had a CMPLDW which had a non-zero fraction for a Motor D, but zero for the A, B, or C motor, then the the summary information for the Motor D may be shifted up one to the Motor C (or higher). This indexing error in the summary results has been corrected. Note that the input date we have seen from our customers never did this, but it could have.
    • Transient Stability: fixed unusual error that could occur when generating a plot when there is no underlying results to link to.

February 7, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: Fixed error reading the ldtrpmon object from a DYD file

February 6, 2020

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added ability to read the REECCU1 USRMDL from a DYR file and interpret as a new REECC1 model that is idential to the REEC_C model
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed error when reading/writing from/to the DYR file a REECB1 or REECBU1 model. The Tpord and Imax values were flipped when reading/writing them. Thus the treatment inside Simulator had them flipped when reading them.

February 5, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed bug reading ATC Extra Monitor records from auxiliary files if the objects are identified by label.
  • Case Information Displays: The option to Paste from the clipboard into the SuperArea case information display was not working. This has been enabled for the SuperArea display.
  • Transient Stability: Improved numerical properties of the REGC_B machine model hitting the current Imax limit inside the network boundary equation solution.

January 27, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Case Information Displays: Contact, Phone, Email, Company, and Location information for a Data Maintainer can now be set back to blank once they have been specified.
  • General: Dynamic Formatting and Data Check objects allow picking Transformer as an Object Type to include in the formatting or checking. This will no longer be allowed. Transformers are just a special kind of Branch and now the Branch object type will need to be used to represent Transformers. Dynamic Formats or Data Checks using the Transformer type will be deleted when loading a PWB or auxiliary file with this type.
  • General: User Defined Case Information displays can no longer be created for Transformer object type. The Branch object type will need to be used instead. When loading a PWB file or auxiliary file, a Transformer User Defined Case Information display will be converted to a Branch type.
  • General: AUX Export Format Descriptions can no longer be specified to save out the Transformer object type. The Branch object type will need to be used instead. When loading a PWB file or auxiliary file with an export format that includes the Transformer object type, this object type will be converted to Branch.

January 23, 2020

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: Added ability to read a more recent version of the PSLF *.otg format for defining transient stability contingency events.

January 20, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug that when switching from One to Multiple contingencies and vice versa in Transient Stability it was initializing the simulation.

January 13, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: An access violation could result when running ATC analysis while using one of the iterated solution methods and using a full topology case while using the option to close breakers to energize switched shunts. This has been fixed.
  • Distributed Computation: Fixed distributed user configuration.

January 3, 2020

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed bug in SetSelectedFromNetworkCut script command that reversed the order of the LowerMinkV and LowerMaxkV values. This was reversed even if using the defaults. This would result in branches not being selected.
  • File Formats: The ability to add DistMW and DistMvar (distributed generation MW and MVar) to a load record was added in Simulator Version 19. A bug was fixed in Simulator Version 20 on September 18, 2018 related to performing area generation control in areas that contained this distributed generation. For cases in Version 20 and Version 19 created before this change however and then stored to a PWB file, some internal solution variables were stored slightly off. This could cause strange behavior when opening a PWB file stored in version 19 into Simulator 20 and 21. The behavior would result in a bunch of generation moving immediately when solving a power flow. Assuming the inner power flow solution worked Version 20 and 21 would move the generators right back to where they started and from that point on never exhibit this behavior.
  • Transient Stability: Added the ability to only operate one relay at a time in a load. It follows the same order as before just only added the first or relays found first at any level.
  • Transient Stability: Greatly improved the network boundary equation solution convergence for events near DC line and Multi-terminal DC line terminals.

December 17, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): The filename for saving the oneline when using the ExportOneline script command will now support the special keywords starting with @ and the PROMPT functionality.
  • Oneline Diagrams: When auto inserting line pie charts and choosing not to insert pie charts on lines where pie charts already exist, pie charts would not be inserted if Line Flow Objects existed on the lines. This has been fixed so that only line pie charts are considered when adding new pie charts.

December 12, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Simulator Automation Server (SimAuto): When clearing all registration type library information wasn't properly being cleared for both 32 bit and 64 bit entries. This has been fixed.

December 6, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: The CMPLDW and CMPLDWNF models had hard-coded the Trst field for single-phase air-conditioner models to be 0.4 seconds. This was a mistake as the input data included this value.

December 2, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: When using Merit Order Open dispatch on an Injection Group that is part of a contingency action, the amount of injection change might not occur correctly if the injection group contains a combination of generators, loads, and switched shunts. The objects that are not needed for dropping are supposed to be ignored, but this was not being done. This has been fixed.
  • Simulator Automation Server (SimAuto): SimAuto functions that take a filtername as input would return data even if the filtername that was specified was not valid. This has been fixed. Now an error message will result and no data will be returned.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed potential initialization problem in the CMPLDW and CMPLDWNF models when FmA + FmB + FmC + FmD + Fel = 1.00000 exactly. This could cause simulator to spit out an error indicating that the summation was > 1.0 when actually it was just exactly equal to 1.0.

November 25, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When loading an "AUX format export description" from an auxiliary file, if an objecttype was encountered that did not exist it would cause access violations. This has been fixed so that these blocks within the format description are just ignored instead and not read.

November 22, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: Added RAW version 34 write to release code. The v34 write routines currently DO NOT write out the substation data yet. The substation links, if they exist in the PWB, are temporarily removed, the RAW 34 file written with no topology information, and then the substations re-linked afterwards.

November 18, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Added ability to identify QVCurve results by label.

November 14, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Previously for the WT3E and WT3E1 electrical control wind turbine models, setting both Kip AND Kpp would be treated as a validation error. We have modified this to only be an information message indicating that Kip will be treated as a very small positive number instead to allow proper model initialization.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Case Information Displays: An access violation could result when opening the Jacobian case information display if area/zone/owner filters were applied. This has been fixed.
    • File Formats: When loading three-winding transformers from an EPC file, only the first three ratings are specified in the file for the secondary and tertiary windings. There was a bug where the ratings beyond the first three were not being initialized correctly to 0 and instead were being set to numbers in the e-40 range. This would result in very large % of Limit Used calculations and very negative ATC results. This has been fixed when loading an EPC file. When loading a PWB file that had been saved with this issue, this incorrect limits will now also be set to 0.
    • Optimal Power Flow (OPF): Removed the field OPF_SolutionType on the object OPF_Options. This does not do anything.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed potential numerical problem when using a CSVGN1 model which could occur with a particular set of input parameters.
    • Transient Stability: Allowed the GP3 Relay Model to propagate to all generators in the case even when the generator to which the GP3 relay is attached does not have an active machine model.

November 6, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Power Flow Solution: Further refined the power flow solution when multiple continuous switched shunts are remotely regulating the same bus together.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed error when defining a MeasurementObject in transient stability to does not have an associated object with it. This doesn't make sense, but was causing an error. It will now just be ignored.

November 1, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: When reading an Areva RASMOM file, an access violation could occur if encountering an unknown TRIGCON GATE field. This has been fixed so than an error message is produced instead.
  • Power Flow Solution: Improved transformer tap switching consistency after a failed solution.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed duplicate event messages that could appear saying that the loss-of-field relay portion of a GP3 model can not be used with a GENCLS model.
  • Transient Stability: Modified to read USRMDL IEEEG1CDU and convert to a IEEEG1D model.

October 29, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Updated the script command TSLoadPTI() so that a 5th option parameter for MOD_REMOVE filename is now available.
  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed error in parsing fields from AUX files which had consecutive single quote characters embedded inside the string.
  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed how TSPlotSeries read from an AUX file are when the plot series referred to fields of a Measurement Model such as LDTRPMON.
  • Transient Stability: In the measurement object LDTRPMON which monitors the composite load model, the reported Other field values of Pld, xshn, and Pdg were being shown in per unit instead of in MW (off by a factor of the system MVABase and thus by default 100 times too small). As a result values for these 3 fields would show 2.5 instead of 250. This has been fixed. Also, the field name "xton" was showing up as "ston" which was a typo that has been fixed now too.
  • Transient Stability: Added validation of the Ta parameter on the ESST1A exciter model to ensure it is not too small.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed bug reading zonedef for distrel when reading from a dyd file.

October 23, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: Modified WT3E, WT3E1, and WT4E1 to better handle user-input in the Kip = 0 (gain on integrator PI Controller).
  • Transient Stability: Typically in PSLF the Extra Object or Extra Devices used the "! ! ! ! !" but it seems that the repc_a and repc_b used only the "! !". Fixed this.
  • Transient Stability: Added VKlr as an other field for EXST1_GE.

October 21, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added a new script command LoadPTISEQData(filename, version); The filename is the file being opened. Version is an integer representing what version of the SEQ file to open.
  • Transient Stability: Modified the meaning of the "rrpwr" rate limit on real current for many renewable energy machine models. Previously this rate limit only applied to real current that was increasing in the positive direction. It will now apply to increasing the ABSOLUTE value of real current instead. Thus if the present real current is negative it will be a negative rate limit and if present real current is positive it will be a positive rate limit. This has become necessary as these machine models are being used for energy storage devices which can initialize real current as a negative value to represent charging. This impacts the models GEWTG, WT3G, WT4G, WT3G2, WT4G1, PV1G, REGC_A, REGC_B and REGC_C. The DER_A model had always been coded in this manner.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug with the auto insert DISTRELAY feature. The auto insert feature was incorrectly placing the relay at the opposite end of the line from what the user indicated. This has been fixed.

October 18, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: Modified DGDER_A and DGPV load distributed generation models so that when defining their MBase as a negative value, we do not always base the MVABase on DistMW/abs(Mbase). It will now take the absolute value of the DistMW and DistMVar fields and take the larger of those two values and then divide by abs(MBase). This was done for the situation where DistMvar is much larger than DistMW. In extreme example, DistMW = 0, DistMvar <> 0. This is potentially possible if someone were modeling distributed energy storage, but the more likely situation is inadvertent user input. Regardless it will no longer cause software errors for this situation.
  • Transient Stability: Modified filtering associated with applying complex load model. Normally the filtering applies only to the load MW/Mvar portion of the load object and not the DistMW/DistMvar. If however there is not a dynamic model for the distributed generation then DistMW and DistMvar are substract from MW and Mvar and the Net values are used with the load characteristic. Simulator has been changed so that when the NetMW and NetMVar are being used then NetMW and NetMVar are used in the filtering features of the load characteristic

October 16, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Modified the LD1PAC (and thus LD1PAC_CMP which derives from this model and also CMPLDW, CMLD, and CMLWDWNF that contain this model). When the Tstall parameter is set to a negative number, then a hard-coded inverse time characteristic is implemented which replaces the definite time Vstall/Tstall characteristic. The curve implemented uses the following table to lookup a Tstall from the terminal voltage of the model (with a linear interpolation between points). Also the inverse time internal state is automatically reset whenever the terminal voltage goes above 0.565 per unit.
    Vterm Tstall (in cycles)
    0.000 2
    0.450 2
    0.490 3
    0.550 12
    0.565 15
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When loading PTI RAW files for Branches, LineShunts that were 0 MW and 0 MVar were being created. This did not impact the simulation but was strange, so has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed the Branch Event of changing the R and X. The label spin and the edit box wasn't working from the dialog.

October 15, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Fault Analysis: Added option on the fault analysis dialog to open a version 34 PSS/E sequence data file.
  • File Formats: Added code to abort hdbexport reading when the fields in the records don't match the expected fields in the header. This is in response to several files with string fields without quotes. These fields contained commas, which was causing an access violation attempting to access the header for a field that doesn't exist.
  • Simulator Automation Server (SimAuto): Changing RegSimAuto.exe program so that the dialog that appears shows the currently registered executable
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed access violation that could occur with the SetData script command if no fields are specified.
    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added optional fieldlist parameter to the ATCWriteToText and ATCWriteToExcel script commands. If the fieldlist is specified, the results will be saved with these specified fields. If not specified, the results will be saved with the fields that are specified with the TransferLimiter DataGrid. It is possible that the results could be blank if the TransferLimiter DataGrid has not been initialized by either opening the ATC dialog or loading the DataGrid settings from an auxiliary file. To make sure that results are stored and the desired fields are included, it is suggested that the fieldlist option be used.
      The format of the script commands are now:
      ATCWriteToText("filename", filetype, [fieldlist]);
      ATCWriteToExcel("worksheetname", [fieldlist]);
    • Transient Stability: Fixed error check when Kpp = 0 on the WT3E1 model. It was supposed to check if Kip was also 0.0 and return this as an error, but this was not working properly.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed error in implementation of ABBSVC1 model when no transformer branch has been specified.
    • Transient Stability: If specifying a distributed generation model for the entire case, we were including this transient stability model in the list of states even for loads which do not have any distributed generation (DistMW = 0 and DistMvar = 0). This did not effect the numerical simulation, but was strange and has been removed.
    • Transient Stability: On the Transient Stability Plot dialog, when selecting a multiple devices we automatically update the strings underneath folders such as "Exciter State" or "Machine State" to reflect the names of fields for the objects which have been selected. If "State 2" for all the selected devices where the same string we would show that string, and otherwise we would just show "State 2" instead. When selecting a very large number of generators or loads (> 500) this was making the user interface sluggish. This has been modified so if more than 500 devices are selected we always only show the "State 2" or the equivalent.

October 3, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Bus View and Substation View Onelines: The information stored in the system registry for Bus View settings will now include the name of the Custom View if one is chosen to be the current view. This will be retained when Simulator is closed and will be applied when reopening Simulator and used with any PWB if the named custom view is saved with the PWB.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added options on the local menu of the contingency case information display under the Save As menu entry for "PTI Contingency File..." and "PTI Contingency File (only selected records)...".
  • File Formats: When reading an hdbexport CSV file, modified how we read multiple XFLIM records which have pointers to the same XF record. Normally this won't happen, but users are able export a CSV file with multiple XFLIM records. Previously we would read all of them an continue overwriting the ABC limits and thus the final XFLIM record encountered would override all others. In talking with customers the preference was to read them into limits DEF and beyond instead. Now when reading
    1. The first XFLIM record will take parameters LIMIT1_XFLIM, LIMIT2_XFLIM, LIMIT3_XFLIM and put them into limits A, B, and C.
    2. The second XFLIM record will populate D, E, F
    3. The third XFLIM record will populate G, H, I
    4. The fourth XFLIM record will populate J, K, L
    5. The fifth XFLIM record will populate M, N, O
    All subsequent XFLIM records for the same XF record would then be ignored.
    The same logic was added taking LNLIM and assigning limits to LN records, and for taking ZBLIM records and assigning limits to ZBR records.
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When changing switched shunt data within the Simulator GUI or through an auxiliary file for GE specific fields that are associated with EPC files, fields that can be associated with both SVD and Shunt data in an EPC file, such as GE In Service Date and GE Retirement Date, may not have been set correctly. This has been fixed. Information was correct if it was read directly from an EPC.
    • File Formats: When reading PTI sequence data the circuit IDs of transformers were not always being identified correctly resulting in sequence information not being read. This has been fixed.
    • User Interface Dialogs: When trying to paste in data to the renumbering routines for Area, Zone or Substation, and using something that was NOT an Area, Zone or Substation (such as an Owner), an error would occur. This has been fixed

September 30, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: When setting the EPC datein and dateout fields through an auxiliary file, trim any extra spaces. These fields are supposed to be integers and conversion to an integer can fail with extra blanks. Trim these fields when writing to an EPC file to prevent invalid integer errors.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed access violation that would result if starting a contingency analysis run while the All Violations case information display is open and contains violations.
  • User Interface Dialogs: When dialogs were maximized inside the main Simulator window and a dialog was already open but hidden behind other dialogs, clicking on the option to open that dialog would bring the dialog to the front but not display it properly as maximized. The top caption of the dialog would be shown and some option buttons and the bottom of the dialog could be hidden behind the bottom of the main Simulator window. This was happening with the Scale dialog and Limit Monitoring Settings dialog and various others. This has been fixed.

September 24, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: When loading PTI MON file now support loading an interface when specified in this format: MONITOR flowgate 3 'My Flowgate' biratings -10000 10000
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed bug in the LoadCSV script command. The command was crashing when the specified file did not exist. Now, it checks for the file's existence and returns an error message when it's not there.

September 20, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Fixed access violations that could occur when running one of the iterated ATC methods when oneline diagrams are open.
  • Contingency Analysis: When using the contingency option to specify Generator Maximum MW Response, the Max MW and Min MW limits are adjusted for generators with a maximum response specified. The change in limits will restrict how far the generator can move during the post-contingency solution. At the end of the contingency solution the limits are now restored to their original values. Previously they were kept at the reduced limits and this could result in incorrect generator responses if applying additional contingencies on top of the first contingency.
  • Power Flow Solution: When checking switched shunts in the voltage control loop of the power flow solution, a tolerance is now included so that shunts will only move if the voltage at the regulated bus is different than the target voltage by this tolerance. This will help prevent switched shunt oscillations especially in situations where generators are regulating the same bus as switched shunts.
  • Transient Stability: When loading a DYR file and loading a machine, exciter, governor, or stabilizer we now make sure that if an existing model of a different name exists at the generator, then the newly created and loaded model from the DYR file becomes the active model.
  • Transient Stability: Prevent errors by preventing generator relay from being included in calculations if its generator is not inservice.

September 16, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: Fixed a bug that would prevent a PTI CON file from loading.

September 10, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: Fixed access violation when reading contingency records from an Areva EMS file.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed an access violation that would occur when closing a oneline for which a Display Explorer is also open.
  • Optimal Power Flow (OPF): In OPF solution when using the minimum control change option, the phase shifters and DC Lines controls were not working properly and instead were using a cost function centered around zero instead of the present operating point. This has been fixed.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed treatment of damping on the WTGT_A model.
  • Transient Stability: When reading a DYR file which contains the USRMDL with the name DERAU1, Simulator will automatically convert that to the DER_A model.
  • User Interface Dialogs: When trying to change the ID of a branch from the branch dialog while in Edit mode, an error for "Cannot make a visible window modal" could result. This has been fixed.

September 4, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Case Information Displays: When listing the Areas, either by Name or Number, that are assigned to a Zone, include gens, loads, and shunts along with buses. Previously only buses were being included.
  • Case Information Displays: When listing the Zones, either by Name or Number, that are assigned to an Area, include gens, loads, and shunts along with buses. Previously only buses were being included.
  • Case Information Displays: Added Case Info Customizations for the following contingency related case information displays: Generator Post-Contingency AGC, Bus Load Throw Over, Generator Maximum MW Response, Generator Line Drop and RCC, and Switched Shunt Post CTG.
  • General: Closing a case containing many injection groups that include other injection groups could be very slow. This has been fixed.
  • Power Flow Solution: Fixed log messages regarding the AGC changing generator MW outputs. They should have been listing the area that was resulting in the change in MW.
  • User Interface Dialogs: The plotting of a reactive capability curve from user-specified points was not working properly. This has been fixed and diamonds have been added to the display to show the points.
  • User Interface Dialogs: On the bus dialog while in Run mode the Selected checkbox and other options on the Custom tab were not being updated to reflect the values associated with the current bus when the dialog was opened unless the Simulator license key included the OPF add-on. This has been fixed. The values set on the dialog were being transferred to the bus when the dialog was closed with the OK button or Save was clicked.

August 29, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed bug in CalculateLODFMatrix script command. There was a bug using the ALL qualifier to monitor ALL of the interfaces. The code was accessing the monitor filter incorrectly.
  • General: Fixed a bug where the impedance correction table was not working properly. The table was using the range of the values in the table to determine whether to use the phase or tap ratio to lookup in the table. Now, the type of value is determined correctly before looking up the impedance in the correction table.
  • User Interface Dialogs: On the Auto Insertion of Injection Groups dialog the Custom Field dropdowns were not being updated if the Element Type changed. This has been fixed.

August 28, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: Certain categories of contingency violations could not be loaded from an auxiliary file or correctly returned when using distributed contingency analysis. These include the Change Bus dV/dQ, Change Bus Disconnected, and Bus Neg dV/dQ violation categories. This has been fixed.
  • Contingency Analysis: An access violation could occur when deleting contingency violations from the following categories: Change Bus dV/dQ, Change Bus Disconnected, and Bus Neg dV/dQ. This has been fixed.
  • Distributed Computation: For Distributed Contingency Analysis an error would occur when including the Advanced Limit Monitoring options to "Report changes in bus dV/dQ sensitivity" or "Report as a violation if a bus becomes disconnected." This has been fixed.
  • General: Updated autoload function. Now the files are renamed with an underscore '_' character before being loaded. This allows us to check for files that need to be deleted before loading a new file.

August 23, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: Handled strange input data for WTGT_A when Ht=0. Modified to automatically assume this represents a single-mass model and internally H=Ht+Hg. Previous expectation was that the user would set Ht and then make Hg=0. This handles situation when the user does the opposite and sets Ht=0 while giving a value for Hg.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed bug when REPC_B was assigned to a generator and then not connected to any generators. This was causing inconsistent results. The expectation is that the REPC_B model must connect its output to itself.
  • User Interface Dialogs: When editing the MVABase of the winding of a three-winding transformer on the Three-Winding Transformer Information dialog it was not taking any edits of the MVABases. You were only able to edit those values on the case information displays and NOT on the dialog. That has been fixed.

August 19, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: Modified how the System-Wide settings of the RAW version 34 file are read so that we properly read files even when particular parameters are omitted in that format. Previously we were failing to read the file when values are omitted. The values are all entered as "Key=Value" strings, so we can just parse these and lookup the keys that we fine.
  • Transient Stability: Renamed governor model GGOV1DU to GGOV1D.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed access violation that could result if a Model Filter Condition was deleted from the Model Filter dialog if it was opened from the Model Filter Condition case information display.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Improved curves for generators and areas. These include the Incremental Cost Curves, Input-Output, and Reactive Capability curves for generators. This includes the All Gen Incremental Cost Curves and the Supply Curve for areas.

August 13, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • General: Added ability to automatically load a PWB, AUX, RAW, or EPC file whenever a new file appears in a directory. The file will immediately be opened and then the file will be deleted!
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: Modified the Save RAW with Options dialog to allow Version 34 RAW files to be opened and saved.
    • File Formats: When reading an EPC file load record a climate zone of " " (double quote, space, double quote) was being read and a climate zone created without stripping of the double quotes resulting in a very strangely named LoadModelGroup in Simulator. Then on a subsequent export of the load record to an EPC it would encase that entire string inside double quotes resulting in "" "". This then appeared to be two strings on the next import of the EPC file messing up entries after the climate zone in the EPC file. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: When testing to see if the Intermountain Power Project (IPP) DC Line should be automatically included in the stability model, modified so this model is not included if the actual device is out of service in the initial case. This was causing access violation.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed bugs with initializing a DC line that is out of service in a transient stability simulation.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed error when initially energizing a bus with a ZIP load by closing in branches to energize the bus during a transient stability run.

August 8, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • User Interface Dialogs: Modified the dialog that appears offering the user the ability to add "Case Comments" when choosing options to Save Case, Save Case As, Save Case with Comments, or Save Case As with Comments. Previously once you got to that dialog there was no way to "Abort the Save". Hitting the X in the upper right would just skip adding the comment but you would still save the case. There are now separate buttons to Add a comment, Skip adding comment, and Abort Save all together. Also removed the X in the upper-right of this dialog to force the user to choose one of the buttons making it very clear what is desired.

August 6, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Case Information Displays: Fixed error in calculating the amps of a load when the load is disconnected.
  • Transient Stability: When an IEEEG1 or CRCMGV were configured with the low pressure generator online AND the high pressure generator off-line, this resulted in an access violation. The governor model is assigned to the high-pressure generator which is off-line in this situation and was causing bad behavior. For now this has been fixed by ignoring the governor and thus the low pressure genenerator will be simulated without a governor.

August 2, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Added new fields for a generator called RcompMVABase and XcompMVABase which show the R and X compensation values on the machine MVABase instead of the system MVABase.
  • File Formats: Added bad data handling when reading an EPC file with a generator with cont_mode = 4 if the Vcsched is set to an unreasonable value. (We were seeing cases where value was set to 24.000 as user entered value in kV mistakenly). When Vcsched is specified outside the range 0.85 - 1.15 we will instead assuming cont_mode = 0, the regulated bus is the terminal bus, and the VoltSet is the present terminal voltage.
  • Transient Stability: Modified REEC_D to freeze the output of the summation block before the Iqmax/Iqmin limitation. Previously it was freezing the output after the Iqmax/Iqmin limitation.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When using a Linearized Lossless DC Calculation method for contingency analysis, the feature which store the "LimitScale" for each contingency violation was not storing the limit scale with the correct units. This is the field "LimitViol\Scaled Results\Limit Scale". This would cause the Scaled Limit results to display incorrectly (the fields for LimitViol\Scaled Results\Limit\* and LimitViol\Scaled Results\Percent\*)
    • File Formats: Added ability to read the cont_mode = 4 from a generator in an EPC file. This then uses a field "Vcsched" field. When reading cont_mode = 4, the generator is set to as follows
      VoltSet = Vcsched
      UseLineDrop = YES
      Rcomp = RcompEPC * SBase/MVABase
      Xcomp = XcompEPC * SBase/MVABase
    • Transient Stability: Fixed bug when using a file Data Source on the Model Analysis Form when no plots have been defined. Even though the plots is not being used as the source an error would occur. Now a file can be specified without needing plots defined as well.

July 24, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: With the PV options the output file and State Archiving and Plot Storage Directory Location fields can now be set to a blank through an auxiliary file.
  • Transient Stability: Modified Critical Clearing Time tool.
    The step size was not being halved when moving from a solved time towards an unsolved time.
    The value reported is now the last solved time instead of the last new time.

July 23, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): An access violation could result when loading an auxiliary file with a transient contingency element that had no action defined. This has been fixed.
  • File Formats: When loading an OTGD file with linefault entries and these lines could not be found in the case, it was possible that incorrect spurious transient contingency elements could be added to a transient contingency. This has been fixed.
  • File Formats: Fixed error reading the Impedance Correction Tables from a RAW version 34 file.
  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: In rare situations it is possible for the PV curve tool to solve to an invalid solution and yet continue reporting as solved. This has been fixed.
  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: When specifying the State Archiving and Plot Storage Directory Location option with PV Curve Options, the correct directory would not always be used if the final backslash, \, on the directory was not specified. This should NOT have to be specified and should be handled correctly by Simulator if it is missing. This has been fixed.
  • Transient Stability: Transient Stability Event Description String was not showing the type of the relay model that was causing load shedding. This affected load shedding events (triggered by load relays like LSDT 2, LSDT9, etc).

July 17, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: fixed error with cleaning up contingency information after deleting a object that was part of the contingency definition AND after you had run the linearized contingency analysis (or SCOPF) on the system.
  • File Formats: When reading an EPC file and the breaker data records, we now properly read the ty=1 to indicate that the device must be a breaker. We also read the 8 MVA limits, breaker delay, and datamaintainer for these records.
  • Transient Stability: Added small interfaces changes for the critical clearing time tool. It will now pop a dialog if there are no active transient limit monitors and abort the cct run. It also shows a warning if there are logging transient stability limit monitors since the cct will treat a logging monitor and an abort monitor the same.

July 12, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Case Information Displays: Fixed error that could occur when using the toggle drop-down button on a case information display if the list of choices was extremely long.
  • Oneline Diagrams: When a oneline diagram was placed in full-screen mode it was possible for the oneline to move to the back of another dialog. This would not normally happen but was possible and has been fixed.
  • Transient Stability: There was a bug in ST6B was that it was not checking to see if the generator had a UEL and was using the default value of 0 to compare the output of the Vref- Vc - VOEL in the high gate. During a disturbance that summation becomes negative and thus the output of the gate was 0 (Default value or UEL). I fixed that now it will bypass the gate f there is no UEL in the generator. A similar bug was also present in ST7B for the high and low gate when VOEL = 3 and VUEL = 3.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed access violation error that would occur when opening the dialog by Inserting an injection group from the model explorer table

July 9, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Added a new Iteratively Found string of YES_RESERVE_LIMITS to indicate when reserve limits are hit during the process when a single limiter is iterated when using one of the iterated methods before the contingency is actually solved. Extra limiters will also be added to indicate whether the source or sink has hit reserve limits.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Fixed a few bugs with properly reporting when reserve limits are hit when using the iterated ATC methods.
    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: The Max MW Limitation option for transfer result reporting with the ATC tool will now be ignored completely when using one of the iterated methods. Previously, it was only applied for the very first linear step calculation when all limiters are being iterated on together. Iterating on limiters can often result in different transfer limits than when using the purely linear calculations so limiting the results when iterating could cause lower limits to be missed.
    • Case Information Displays: When looking at the unit types, the ' more... ' option was being displayed in the toggle drop down menu. However, selecting 'more' would simply toggle to next. This has been changed so that instead of toggling to the next value, a dialog is shown, allowing the user to choose from all possible values.
    • Transient Stability: Now the transient limit violations will be saved in the contingency aux file when the results are stored into hard drive.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed some incorrect user-interactions on the the Injection Group dialog that could occur when using copy/past to insert participation points in this dialog.

June 27, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Added a field [sgNERCCIP14AggWeight] to Substations, which is based on the criteria in NERC CIP-14-1
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When loading an InterfaceElement from an auxiliary file where the element is a branch that is part of a multi-section line and the branch is identified as the multi-section line and section number, it was possible that the Near Bus and To Bus of the monitored line would be reversed. This has been fixed.
    • QV Curve Tool: With certain case topologies, it was possible for the fake generator used when tracing a QV curve to regulate a different bus than the terminal bus. This would occur if the fake generator is attached to a bus that is attached to other buses through very low impedance branches, i.e. ZBRs. As a standard part of how generator remote regulation works in Simulator, a single bus within a ZBR grouping is selected to be regulated in the event that multiple generators are regulating buses within the same ZBR grouping. This prevents the generator voltage controls from conflicting. If the fake generator terminal bus is not selected as the regulated bus, it is possible that the voltage at the terminal is not exactly the setpoint voltage that is set at each step in the curve tracing. If the difference between these voltages is too large, Simulator will stop tracing the curve without reaching the bottom of the curve. This problem has been fixed by ensuring that the fake generator terminal bus is selected as the primary bus for the ZBR grouping, which means that it will be selected as the regulated bus.
    • Transient Stability: Modified the result storage for transient load records so that they return only the LOAD portion of the model under the field MW. Previously they were returning the Load with the distributed generation subtracted from it when used in combination with the distribution equivalent.

June 24, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Modified the "TypeFlag" of the DER_A model.
  • Transient Stability: Added new WTGWGO_A Pref Controller which models supplemental control that reduces Pref immediately following a voltage dip (presumably a fault) and then after the voltage recovers it ramps it back up in two pre-recorded ramps with a pause at a level in between the two ramps.

June 14, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When exporting an AUX file in Change Mode, data blocks are only written out if they contain data.
  • Transient Stability: Added the new rewnewable energy electrical control model REEC_D which appears in PowerWorld's list of exciters.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When using the SendToExcel script command, not explicitly specifying the directory path, and the current directory was set to a root directory, an error could occur indicating that the file could not be accessed. This has been fixed.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): Fixed an access violation when saving OPF data on a topology expanded case.
    • Transient Stability: fixed DER_A and DGDER_A model which were not enforcing the rate limits dPmin and dPmax.

June 13, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: When using the auto insert contingencies tool through the GUI dialog and choosing a nominal voltage range rather than using all voltages, the option for using the Higher or Lower end of a branch was flipped resulting in the wrong end being used when generating contingencies for transmission lines, two-winding transformers, and line shunts. This has been fixed. Three-winding transformers were being checked correctly.
  • Contingency Analysis: When using the auto insert script command and choosing a nominal voltage rather than using all voltages the opposite was true. The option for Higher or Lower end of branch was being used correctly for transmission lines, two-winding transformers, and line shunts, but it was not being used correctly for three-winding transformers. This has been fixed.
  • Contingency Analysis: Fixed bug auto inserting contingencies when using the option to "Only Include Elements within X Length (sum of branches in series path)". The calculation was including buses that were outside of the specified length.
  • File Formats: Added code to return error message to SimAuto when opening an hdbexport case that fails to load.
  • Sensitivity Calculations: Fixed bus that could occur when calculating the sensitivity of a bus voltage to a transfer of power.

June 11, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: When running a very large number of contingencies and using distributed computing, there could be a lag of many minutes when starting the run before the remote processes start. This was due to checking the names of the post contingency auxiliary files for each contingency to determine if they had special formatting. Usually most of these file names are blank and this checking does not need to occur. Now only do the file name check if the file name is not blank. This will speed up the start of the distributed contingency process.
  • GIC: Various new EPRI GIC options on the GIC dialog where not updating appropriate. This is now fixed.
  • Oneline Diagrams: A recent few feature allows hitting the "R" key to rotate the selection. This feature was not properly reseting the region that can be "poked" to select the object.
  • Transient Stability: When (not storing any result to either Hard Drive or RAM) AND also there were active Limit Monitors defined, the options for automatically saving Plot Images after a transient contingency were not working.

June 3, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Modified the REGC_B model to include a Imax current limit and DQFlag. This impacts the network interface equation for higher currents for the REGC_B model and for the DER_A model (and thus DGDER_A as well).
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When a three-winding transformer is deleted, update the bus that is the star bus to indicate that it is no longer a star bus. This was preventing the bus that had previously been the star bus from being written to a RAW file.

May 29, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added script command "VerifyDistributedComputersAvailable" which allows distributed computer status to be verified via script action.
  • File Formats: added the ability to read from a DYD file the "_cmp_der_a" model and then reference it from a cmpldwg or cmpldw2 dynamic model assigned to a load. It creates in Simualtor a DGDER_A model assigned to the corresponding load record.
  • General: Added new option with Message Log options to "Show Container Object Create". A container object is an object like a Contingency that contains other objects, i.e. ContingencyElements. Contingency elements can be created using the ContingencyElement auxiliary data section. If an element is created for a contingency that does not exist, a Contingency object is created. When using the option to "Show Container Object Create", warning messages will appear in the log indicating that the container object, i.e. Contingency, has been created. This is a perfectly valid way to create contingencies and does not necessarily warrant a message. The default will be to not show these messages, but previously without the option the messages were always shown. Other objects behave in a similar manner and the message log option will apply to all of these.
  • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): Made a change that should help prevent numerical stability problems with full topology cases with generators on AVR that are connected to breakers that have not been consolidated.
  • Transient Stability: When counting the number of consecutive algebraic network solutions using the option "Abort after number of failed solution", Simulator will no longer increment the counter for failed solutions while a fault has been applied in the system.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Cleaning up the GIC dialog some
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed access violations that could result when closing Simulator or opening another case after using the ExpandBusTopology script command.
    • User Interface Dialogs: When setting a spin edit showing a number, Simulator ensures that the spin edit shows at minimum 2 significant digits. This was not working properly on the Contour Dialog for the Maximum, Break High, Nominal, Break Low, and Minimum values. This has been fixed.

May 15, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When writing files from Auxiliary Script commands, we will now keep retrying to write them pause for a moment if the file being written to is in use by another program and thus locked, and then attempt to write the file again. This will be attempted 100 times with a 0.1 second delay between each attempt.
  • File Formats: added the ability to read the clzone from the EPC file and create LoadModelGroup objects from this designation.
  • File Formats: When reading an EPC file with a generator set to cont_mode = 2 (boundary power factor control in Simulator's options), but the power factor is zero (pf=0), previously we were just setting the power factor to 0.01 instead resulting in a very large Mvar range. It is not clear what we should do with this bad input data, so we are modifying to instead just read this as cont_mode=1 (fix Mvar or AVR = 0).
  • Oneline Diagrams: A new dialog will prompt the user when pasting objects to a oneline diagram (if they have chosen to copy objects and records). The prompt will ask the user if they would like to create new objects or link to existing objects, which is the previous behavior. Creating new objects will create new objects, including buses, which was not done before. Previously the bus oneline object would still link to the existing bus in the model ("link to existing"). With the new option, a new bus will be created and the oneline object will be linked to the new bus.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When using a lookup table with a model expression, the option to EvalInRef was being ignored. This has been fixed.
    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed an access violation that could result when loading an auxiliary file with a ContingencyElement or RemedialActionElement that does not specify an Object or an Action.
    • Power Flow Solution: It was possible to specify Island-Based AGC dispatching against an injection group that didn't exist. During the power flow this would use island slack control instead, but it wasn't obvious this was being done.
      (1) When an injection group does not exist and the power flow is solved, a message will appear in the log indicating this and the island-based AGC method will be permanently switched to Use Participation Factors of Individual Generators.
      (2) When changing to the Island-Based AGC tab of the Power Flow Solution page of the Simulator Options dialog, a message will appear indicating that an invalid injection group was selected and that the options need to be corrected.
      (3) An access violation could occur at the end of an iterated ATC run when ramping between injection groups because the base case power flow options are set to use island-based AGC with an invalid injection group. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed error in WindInertia logic for the WNDTGE model

May 6, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): On the Display/Column options dialog, when clicking the Save Custom Settings button, the AUX file created did not include the Advanced Sort settings. This has been fixed.
  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When using InjectionGroupCreate command, the name of the injection groups created where always force to all uppercase characters. This has been removed so uppercase is not done.
  • File Formats: When assigning Load Distributed Generation models to a LoadModelGroup and then saving to the PWB file format, PowerWorld was not properly loading that PWB file and maintaining the Load Distributed Generation models. This has been fixed.
  • Power Flow Solution: It was possible to have excessive power flow iterations if the island slack bus was operating outside of its limits by an amount less than the island AGC tolerance. This has been fixed.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed a bug with the Filter Logic Visualization that was drawing the conditions in the wrong order and crossing the inputs. In certain cases it was drawing the filter incorrectly because of this same issue.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed an access violation that could occur after opening a Model Condition dialog from the Model Condition Conditions case information display.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed bug with Set Selected Field for Network Cut tool that would not set the selected field for branches or dc transmission lines.

April 24, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Made a fix so that OPENNETEMS file types can be loaded using the OpenCase script command.
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: A fix was made in the March 28, 2019 patch if a case has transient stability line relay models assigned to the entire system. An access violation could occur on loading the PWB file. The fix made to the March 28, 2019 patch resulted in not being able to open a file saved in the March 28 patch in previous patches. The fix in this current patch will allow files saved in this patch and later to be opened in all previous patches. Patches between March 28 and the current patch will have an error on load if they contain line relay models assigned to the entire system and they are opened in patches prior to March 28.
    • Power Flow Solution: It was possible for the power flow to fail if a bus contained multiple generators that did not all have the same regulated bus specified. This failure could occur even if generators with conflicting regulated buses were not set to be on AVR control. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: When using the Open Injection Group transient contingency action to open a certain amount of load, you may now call open on the injection group repeatedly and have it continue opening additional loads.

April 22, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Added new fields to Case Information object: Max Branch %, Max Branch % Branch, Max Voltage, Max Voltage Bus, Min Voltage, Min Voltage Bus, Max Mvar Mismatch, Max Mvar Mismatch Bus, Max MW Mismatch, and Max MW Mismatch Bus.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug that would not show Injection Group events in the Result from RAM Events table.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug that would not correctly update the Events table based on the Object Types selected to show.

April 19, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Added support for Calculated Fields with Case Information object. This will allow calculations on all objects in a case. Buses, Generators, Loads, Switched Shunts, and Branch calculated fields are available for the Case Information object.
  • Case Information Displays: Added support for secondary filtering for Case Information object using Bus, Generator, Load, Switched Shunt, or Branch advanced filters.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added fields with contingency elements to show the Nom kV of the buses associated with the element without looking into injection groups and interfaces and Nom kV (recurse) that will show the voltages including looking into injection groups and interfaces.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Added hotkey 'R' to Oneline diagrams to toggle the orientation of selected buses, gens, loads, and shunts.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed access violation that could result when using the Save button on the contingency analysis dialog to save all contingency related information to an auxiliary file. This access violation would result if there were any injection groups containing unlinked participation points.
    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed bug that could result in two contingencies with the same name being created when using the Clone Contingencies option. If cloning a contingency and choosing to Rename the auto-generated contingency name, two contingencies resulted with the same name as the chosen Rename.
    • Contingency Analysis: When converting steady state contingencies to transient contingencies, the nominal voltage levels for generator, load, and switched shunt open actions had been restricted to 500, 230, and 115 kV in order for the action to be included. Now there is no restriction on nominal voltage level and all generator, load, and switched shunt open actions will be converted to transient contingency actions.
    • File Formats: Fixed a bug reading unfiltered hdbexport CSV files.
    • File Formats: If a contingency is found that has the same name as an existing contingency when loading contingencies from a PWB file, the existing contingency will be deleted and only the last contingency with the same name will be retained. This prevents trouble that was caused by cloning contingencies which resulted in duplicate contingency names.

April 11, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When saving Advanced Filters to an auxiliary using SUBDATA to define the conditions, using the option to Use Defined Names in Variable Name Locations, and the fields used in the conditions had specified names, the variable names were not being written correctly. The names should have been written instead of the location number associated with the field. This has been fixed.
  • Contingency Analysis: In contingency What Actually Occurred information the name of the Remedial Action for any element that originated from a Remedial Action is now available.
  • Power Flow Solution: It was possible for extra power flow iterations to occur if using island control, enforcing generator MW limits, and the slack generator for an island was operating outside of its limits by an amount less than the AGC tolerance. The extra iterations would occur if the slack generator was the only generator operating outside its limits. In this situation each iteration was trying to set the slack generator back to its limit without any changes being made to other generators to account for this change. This has been fixed.
  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Fixed Invalid Pointer Operation error that could occur if closing Simulator while a QV plot is open.
  • Simulator Automation Server (SimAuto): Fixed access violation that would occur calling GetSpecificFieldList when no case was loaded.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed some errors with how distribution equivalent is initialized when there is a mixture of Load and Distributed Generation on a load record.
  • Transient Stability: When using the CMPLDW Load Characteristic model along with a Distributed Generation model, if the amount of load did not meet the global filters to ignore load models then the Distribution Equivalent model embedded inside the CMPLDW was ignored and the distributed generation was placed at the transmission system bus. This situation has been modified so that we maintain the embedded distribution equivalent model in CMPLDW, and then place the distributed generation at the end if the feeder along with the system default load model.

April 8, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When creating a new Case Comment through script or aux file, a blank User and Time can be specified. This will default to the current user and time.
  • Case Information Displays: Added hint for status when the Lockout field is set to YES. Also modified so that status can not be changed in the user interface when Lockout is set, but can be changed via Auxiliary file or copy/paste.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Added scrollbars to the Memo that can be entered on object dialogs.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When a contingency created a new island, the island contained only the slack generator, and the slack was operating outside of its limits, it was possible that the contingency result of RESERVE LIMITS would not be reported. This has been fixed.

March 28, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: A bus with number 0 could be created when loading or appending an EPC file if the file is incorrectly formatted. When encountering a bus with a number less than 1 when loading an EPC, a warning message will be sent to the message log and the bus will not be created.
  • File Formats: If a bus had incorrectly been created with number 0 and line relay models existed in the case that were assigned to the system rather than individual lines, and the case was saved to a PWB, loading the case from the PWB could result in access violations. This has been fixed.

March 27, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Added a new field "Lockout" to a Branch in Simulator. When this is YES you can not open or close the branch. This is intended for operator training uses of the software.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: For Contingency Elements, unlinked Model Criteria will be retained when setting the Model Criterial from an auxiliary file. If setting the Model Criteria by directly editing the field in a case information display, a prompt will ask if unlinked criteria should be retained.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: For Remedial Actions and Remedial Action Elements, unlinked Arming Criteria will be retained when setting the Arming Criteria from an auxiliary file. If setting the Arming Criteria by directly editing the field in a case information display, a prompt will ask if unlinked criteria should be retained.
  • Transient Stability: When reading a DYR file and finding several USRMDL govenor models that are identical to an existing governor model except for the addition of a deadband and Trate, modified to simply read this governor as the existing governor model ignoring the deadband. In Version 21, we will read and translate to new governors that include the deadband and Trate, but for now simply convert to a governor without a deadband. This includes the following
    IEEEG1CDU --> IEEEG1
    DEGOV1DU --> DEGOV1
    GAST2ADU --> GAST2A
    GASTDU --> GAST
    HYGOV2DU --> HYGOV2
    IEEEG3DU --> IEEEG3
    PIDGOVDU --> PIDGOV
    TGOV1DU --> TGOV1
    TGOV3DU --> TGOV3
    WESGOVDU --> WESGOV
  • Transient Stability: Added the check for the Xc value on svsmo1,2 and 3 to give a warning during validation if the value on the transient model is different from the power flow.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed an access violation that resulted when deleting a Model Condition or Model Filter that was being used by a Transient Contingency Element.
    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed possible access violations that could occur after deleting a Model Condition or Model Filter being used as Arming Criteria for a Remedial Action Element.
    • Contingency Analysis: Blank entries are now allowed in auxiliary files or through case information displays to remove Model Criteria specified for Contingency Elements or Transient Contingency Elements or remove Arming Criteria specified for Remedial Actions or Remedial Action Elements.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed access violation that would occur when auto inserting a switched shunt to a substation symbol drawn as an ellipse. When looking for attached switched shunts the wrong variable was being accessed. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed potential error with creating plots when you are running multiple contingencies and have stored different sets of data to hard-drive files, or if some contingencies have results in hard-drive while others have results in RAM.

March 18, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: When reading a DYR file and finding a HYGOV4 as a USRMDL, modified to translate this to the existing HYGOV4 model.
  • Transient Stability: When reading a DYR file and finding a USAC6AU as a USRMDL exciter, modified to translate to the existing ESAC6A. This model is idential to the ESAC6A, except for the implementation of the non-windup limit on the Lead-Lag block of the (1+sTc)/(1+sTb). Simulator Version 21 will include a new AC6A model that implements the lead-lag block non-windup limit using the method described in the IEEE 421.5 standard, but for now in Version 20 we will just translate this model to the existings ESAC6A.
  • Transient Stability: When reading a DYR file and finding several USRMDL govenor models that are identical to an existing governor model except for the addition of a deadband, modified to simply read this governor as the existing governor model ignoring the deadband. In Version 21, we will read and translate to new governors, but for now simply convert to a governor without a deadband. This includes the following
    GASTWDDU --> GASTWD
    HYGOVDU --> HYGOV
    IEESGODU --> IEESGO
    IEEEG1SDU --> IEEEG1
    WPIDHYDU --> WPIDHY
  • Bug Fixes

    • General: Some keyboards have My Favorites buttons that can be assigned to perform various tasks. These buttons are not used within Simulator, but there was a bug that would cause all buttons on the ribbon menu that were not assigned to shortcuts to be clicked. This has been fixed.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Added a bug fix. An access violation would occur when clicking the convert coordinates on the Shapefile Import Dialog. This was happening when the button was clicked without reading a shape file. The button click was causing the dialog to refresh some fields that did not exist.

March 12, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: Modified reading the RAW file bus records so the ONLY required entries now are number and name. If omitted the NomVolt, IDE, Area, Zone, and Owner will now all default to 1. For version 24 - 30, G and B will be 0.0.
  • Transient Stability: Modified GP3 relay to only work with generators which have synchronous machine models
  • Transient Stability: Added support for governor model BBGOV1
  • Transient Stability: Added support for governor model TURCZT
  • Transient Stability: Added support for CELIN Exciter
  • Transient Stability: Modified the over and under frequency relay in GP3 to use rotor speed isntead as per NERC specification document on GP3.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When using the CTGConvertAllToDeviceCTG script command or using the option in the GUI to Convert to Device Contingencies, three debug files were being written. These files will no longer be written.
    • Oneline Diagrams: When copying a display object of a generator on a oneline, and choosing to Copy "Object and Record", an access violation would occur. This has been field.
    • Transient Stability: For generator machine models that are used to model an induction motor, if the saturation parameters E1 and E2 were both entered as zero and error would occur. This has been fixed so that in this situation we simply assume no saturation.
    • Transient Stability: When a ModBase was specified for svsmo3 that was not equal to the SystemBase, then the voltage compensation was not operating properly. The impedances Xc0, Xc1, etc are given on the MVABase of the parameter ModBase but this was not being handled properly. The feedback of the current compensations was not scaling values properly to account for the Xc0 terms being given on the ModBase. This has been fixed.

March 5, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Sensitivity Calculations: Fixed a bug that would cause no lines to be monitored when only monitoring lines and not including interfaces with LODF Matrix calculations

February 28, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Contingency Analysis Tool: When monitoring custom monitors with contingency analysis and using a percentage change, if the original value is 0 do not report anything.
  • Security Constrained OPF (SCOPF) Tool: Added fields (i) Violated Primary-Element Label, and (ii) Violated Secondary-Element Label for SCOPF.
    These show the label of the line or interface that is violated.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed an access violation that could occur when closing a case or deleting advanced filters if a Remedial Action Element specified an Inclusion Filter.

February 27, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added a way to modify the REGC_A and REGC_B MW Set Point (Exciter Pref input) from the contingency element when there is only an Exciter REEC_A among similar variations of the REEC model in the generator.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When using Custom Monitors with contingency analysis and reporting based on a % Change from Initial Value, if the initial value was 0 custom monitors could be reported when they should not be reported. This has been fixed.
    • File Formats: Fixed a bug when loading a PWB file that could cause an injection group that contains other injection groups to end up with missing participation points.
    • File Formats: When appending a case from a PWB file it was possible that the generator list was not sorted correctly resulting in new generators being added but not able to be found by other objects in the file.
    • Power Flow Solution: Fixed a bug that could determine an incorrect regulated bus for generators.
    • Transient Stability: fixed error in treatment of the non-linear gain block on the WSIEG1 model.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed an error in initialization on the UEL2.

February 26, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When loading or saving a file through a script command, a special PROMPT syntax can be used to prompt the user for the file through a dialog. An additional parameter can be included with this syntax to specify the initial directory in which the dialog will open. The format of the this command is now

    < PROMPT 'Caption' 'FileTypes' 'InitialDirectory'>
  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When using the special PROMPT syntax to specify a filename in a script command, clicking Cancel on the file selection dialog will cancel the command and skip any remaining commands in the auxiliary file.
  • File Formats: Added the ability to read the CCOMP4U1 model USRMDL model from a DYR file.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed error when creating a contingency interface by right-clicking on contingency violations.
    • File Formats: Reading and writing of the CCOMP4 model from and to a DYD file was not handling the parameter order for Vmax Vmin Tf correctly. This has been fixed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: When in Difference Cast Tool mode of "Difference", the oneline flow arrows on generators object were now displaying correctly. This has been fiexed.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed a bug with the display of the About dialog when licensed only for the base Simulator package. The About dialog could be displayed incorrectly.

February 22, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added the ability to read and write for GE PSLF for up to 4 generators for the TS model CCOMP4.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When using the Move script command to change the terminals of a branch or moving the terminals through a oneline diagram, do angle smoothing on the moved branch when the power flow is solved.
    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When specifying the object for a Model Condition from an auxiliary file and the object cannot be found, a message will be added to the log.
    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: When using the ATC Multiple Scenarios to change zone load, only loads that are online will be scaled.
    • File Formats: Some Model Conditions for transformers had the Filter Object Type specified as Transformer instead of Branch. This had been fixed several years ago when loading aux files by converting the type from Transformer to Branch, but some PWB files were found that still had this problem. Now when loading a PWB file the same conversion will be done.
    • Power Flow Solution: In a rare situation, a power flow solution could fail after
      1. Solve the power flow solution
      2. Go to Edit Mode
      3. Insert a new generator at a bus that is remotely regulated by other generators
      4. Configure configure the new generator to participate in voltage regulation of its terminal bus with the other generators.
      This was not triggering PowerWorld to rebuild solution structures appropriately. If you saved the case and reopened it was fine, but immediately after doing these things the power flow solution would fail.

February 21, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Modified the new field NearBus on an InterfaceElement so that it continues to search for the appropriate terminal bus until it finds a bus that matches the terminal bus. Previously it would abort after finding a bus in the case if that bus was NOT a terminal.

February 19, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When reading WECC RAS AUX formats written by old versions of PSLF, some incorrect syntax has been appearing in the file with the objecttype SECDD and TRAN appearing incorrectly. This patch changes the parsing so that if the string SECDD or TRAN appears in a location where BRANCH would be expected, we reinterpret the syntax as showing BRANCH instead. These AUX files really should still be fixed by the user, but PowerWorld will read them regardless. When writing back out an AUX file from Simulator the correct syntax using BRANCH will be used.
    For the ModelCondition object this impacts reading the Object and FilterObjectType fields
    For the ContingencyElement and RemedialActionElement this impacts reading of the Object and ObjectAction fields, as well as reading the CTGElement SUBDATA sections.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: When using the option to Join Active Contingencies and creating a large number of contingencies the creation of the contingencies could be very slow. Made some changes to speed up the creation of the contingencies but showing them in the GUI is still slow.
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: Fixed potential error when loading a PWB file if the star bus of a three-winding transformer belonged to a substation, but the primary bus did NOT belong to a substation. This could occur after loading such a case from another format such as an EPC file.

February 18, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Modified to make an Interface Name and Number fields which can be entered in the case information display and via an AUX file.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added an option with contingency voltage screening called "Store Voltage Violations" that will allow limit violations to be stored from the voltage screening. The default is to not store limit violations during the voltage screening because the estimate of voltages at this point might not be very realistic because they are determined without a full power flow solution.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added an option with contingency voltage screening called "Max Iterations" that will allow the maximum number of inner power flow loop iterations to be specified. The default is 2, which was the hardcoded value prior to this option being added.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): A special trick for changing a primary key field is to list the field twice. Simulator then used the first instance to lookup the object and the second instance to edit the field.
      setData(InjectionGroup, [Name, Name], ["Old Name", "New Name"]);
      Another way to do this would be to use a device filter, but that was not working.
      setData(InjectionGroup, [Name], ["New Name"], "InjectionGroup 'Old Name' ");
      This patch fixed a bug so that using the Device Filter working work for changing a primary key field.
    • GIC: A few GIC changes, including correcting bug associated with showing the GIC summary results.

February 14, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: Greatly sped up the time for reading a UCTE file in.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When running contingency analysis from the contingency analysis dialog and only some contingencies were set to not be skipped, a time lag before contingencies actually started processing might be noticed. This has been fixed.
    • Power Flow Solution: The process for creating islands when system topology changes has been sped up slightly.

February 13, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added a new field on an InterfaceElement object called “NearBus”. This field will be processed to specify the near end for an element that references a Branch, MSLine, or DCLine. Normally using an AUX file by specifying bus numbers or bus name_kV strings, the NearBus is part of the Element field as the first bus listed is the NearBus. When creating an AUX file using labels however, then the Element Syntax is only "Branch 'My label'" which does not indicate a NearBus. The assumption when using labels is that the NearBus is always the FromBus as specified in the network model for the Branch, MSLine, or DCLine. To add more flexibility, a new optional field NearBus has been added. When shown in Simulator this field will show the number, Name_kV, or the primary label of the NearBus, but when data is entered in this field it is processed as follows.

    The NearBus field will accept a comma-delimited list of strings using the single quote character as a string enclosing character if commas are inside an individual string. Each of these strings can be either a bus label, number or name_kv. In addition the syntax can be a string representing the name of a bus filter, or a special condition string such as “Name contains 'Mystring'” or “NomKV = 345”. When using a filter string, the NearBus will be set only if exactly one terminal of the branch meets the filter specified with the NearBus set to the terminal bus that meets the filter. When entering in a list of string to the NearBus we will first process all strings looking for bus labels, then all strings looking for bus numbers, then all string looking for Name_kV, and finally all strings looking for filter strings.
  • Case Information Displays: Made the field Selected available for the ModelFilter object.
  • File Formats: When reading the UCTE file, set all generator to AGC = YES.
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When loading a RAW file (or any text-based file), if the file was written in UNIX so that it did not contain the windows standard carriage return, line feed pair (#13#10) to designate the end of a line but instead contained only the #13 or the #10 by itself, Simulator would automatically handle reading that file appropriately. Simulator also had code to detect NULL characters (#0) in the file and ignore these. Under rare circumstances a bug existed where these two features could conflict and the RAW file would not load. This has been fixed.
    • File Formats: When defining labels for Line Shunts they were not being stored to a PWB file. This has been fixed so they are now stored in a PWB file.
    • Sensitivity Calculations: Fixed a bug when using the LODF Matrix Calculations for Interfaces and the option to "Do not monitor lines that are open" was checked. The LODF values may not have been calculated correctly for interfaces.
    • Sensitivity Calculations: When using the LODF calculation The option to "Do not monitor lines that are open" previously had been excluding lines only if their Status was open. Now it will exclude lines if they are not oneline. Interfaces will be excluded if all of the monitored branches in the interface are not online. (A branch can have a status of Closed, but still not be online if it is in a dead island).

February 6, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: Modified the reading of hdbexport CSV files so that when the pointer on the LNLIM record P__LN points to the associated LN record exists we ignore the backwards pointer from the LN record to the LNLIM record (P__LNLIM). Users have educated us that the pointer from the LNLIM record to the LN record should have priority. Same was done for the XFLIM-->XF and ZBLIM-->XF relationships.
  • File Formats: The feature on the Simulator options dialog under the File Management\hdbexport Files that allows you to "Save Known Field in HDB Pattern File" has been modified. Previously it would write out all fields that the PowerWorld Simulator file parser understands. Now some non-preferred pointer relationships will not be written out. Several years ago in the August 20, 2015 patch of Simulator 18, PowerWorld changed the parser to give preference for for pointer relationships between records as follows
    LNLIM -> LN
    XFLIM -> XF
    ZBLIM -> ZBR
    LNSEG -> INTRFC
    XFSEG -> INTRFC
    ZBRSEG -> INTRFC
    TABVAL -> TABPT -> TAB
    Prior to August 2015, we looked in the opposite direction. This patch removes the non-preferred pointer relationships in the opposite direction when writing out a sample Pattern file from PowerWorld. It was possible when these non-preferred pointer relationships existed that they coudl assign limits to LN, XF, or ZBR records when no limit should have been assigned.
  • Transient Stability: When running the TSSaveResults(), if results for contingencies whose Contingency Name contains characters not allowed in a Windows filename, the script command call was failing. This is handled appropriately now by replacing illegal characters with an _ character. This follows the same convention used when storing TSR files in tranisent stability.

February 5, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: For the UCTE format, changed how the ##R record is read for phase-shifting transformers. The UCTE format documentation implies that the tap ratio and phase shift are applied on "node 2" or the TO BUS side of the transformer when in fact they apply to the from (Node 1) side. Customers have verified this interpretation in other software tools so we have switched the sign on the phase angle read and taken reciprocal of the tap ratio (for SYMM and ASYM transformers)
  • File Formats: Fixed an access violation that occurred when loading a UCTE file using the 64-bit version of Simulator.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed an error when initializing the value of Qext (exciter reference) for the REEC_A, REEC_B, and REEC_C models, there was an error when Qflag = 0 AND the generator machine MVABase was different than the exciter MVABase.
  • Transient Stability: Modified the EWTGFC, WT4E, PV1E so that when checking initial limit violations they properly look at Iqhl values also.

February 4, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added ability to save transient results shown in the Results from RAM case information displays directly to the Comtrade formats.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Removed checks adding in previous patch to the PSS2B and PSS2C stability models which were added in error.

January 31, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: Modified reading of OpenNet CSV case files so that if the second record column is 0 then we always ignore the record.
  • File Formats: Updated OSI parser to look at generator DBUS type to set the slack bus.
  • Transient Stability: Added some checks on the max/min limits at the input to the PSS2B and PSS2C stability models.

January 28, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Oneline Diagrams: Added reading and creating multi-section line objects to the diagram from PSLF Draw file.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed the orientation of the arrow for line flow objects when reading a PSLF Draw file.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed a bug where PU and kV bus voltage field locations were switched when reading a PSLF Draw file.
  • Power Flow Solution: Fixed a bug where deleting a bus in a system could result in an access violation on the next solve.

January 24, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Power Flow Solution: When loading a case as an AUX file and then immediately solving the case using automatic generation control, it was possible to see the slack bus generator move, the system response, and then everything move back to where they started. This was unique to an AUX file when solving with AGC immediately. If loading an AUX file and solving the power flow with AGC off initially and then solving with AGC this did not occur.
  • Transient Stability: When using the plotting tool to "Save Selected Plot Data to a Comtrade" format, PlayIn data shown on the plot should not be stored and should be ignored. It was however not being ignored and causing an access violation. This has been fixed so it is properly ignored. PlayIn data is not on the same time-points as other data, so it is not properly saved to a Comtrade format.

January 23, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When loading Branch, MSLine, or DCLine InterfaceElement objects on top of an already existing InterfaceElement, if the Near Bus and Far Bus in the AUX file are the opposite of what is stored in the existing case, then Simulator will still find that existing InterfaceElement. The problem was that the field "MeterFar" and "Weighting" of that InterfaceElement are specified with the near/far designation as a reference. When loading the AUX file however, the Element field direction was not flipped and thus the resulting AUX file would be read incorrectly. As an example if the existing case had the following data definition for an InterfaceElement
    Interface Element MeterFar Weight
    "MyInterface" BRANCH 12 34 1" "NO" +1.0
    That is equivalent to the following
    "MyInterface" BRANCH 34 12 1" "YES" -1.0
    However if you loaded the second AUX snippet on top of the case as described in the first then you would end up with only the MeterFar and Weight being flipped and you'd have the following which is incorrect
    "MyInterface" BRANCH 12 34 1" "YES" -1.0
    This has been fixed.
  • Case Information Displays: Fixed bug in which Column Plots were not working to show values in Base and Difference mode for the Difference Case Tool. Previously values were always shown as the Present values regardless.

January 22, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: When reading in a RAW file, the shunt-connected FACTs devices are now translated to a SwitchedShunt with "ShuntMode=SVC" and "SVC=SVSMO3". In addition when writing back out to a RAW file these SwitchedShunt objects are written to the FACTS device section as well. Previously these FACTs models were read in as "ShuntMode=Continuous"
  • Transient Stability: When reading a DYR file, the USRMDL REPCTAU1 is now mapped to REPCTA1
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When loading a Condition object (subdata of a Filter) from an AUX file, the Integer values were only being read properly up to 7 digits. If an integer of 8 digits was used the condition may not be read properly. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Recently GGOV1DU model was added. This was being saved to a PWB file, however when loading the PWB file the model was not read. This has been fixed.

January 21, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Modified the AC7C exciter model to add a switch spdmult
    spdmult = 0 means that the output is not multiplied by speed (as in the IEEE 421.5 spec)
    Spdmult <> 0 mean that the output is multiplied by speed
  • Transient Stability: Modified the AC7C exciter model to add a switch SW3.
    SW3 = 0 then feedback of Efd through the KR block is used (as in the IEEE 421.5 spec)
    SW3 <> 0 then feedback of Ve through the KR block is used
  • Bug Fixes

    • Power Flow Solution: Fixed a very specific situation that would results in an unsolved power flow solution
      1. A Switched Shunt with (ControlMode=SVC) and (SVCType=svsmo3/svsmo1) was configured to bus other than its terminal bus
      2. At same bus an OPEN generator existed which was configured to regulate the terminal bus.

January 16, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added "ClearSmallIslands" script command to identify the largest island, and de-energize all others.
  • Bug Fixes

    • General: When using the feature to Save an External system on the equivalencing dialog it was possible to save a PWB file which had InjectionGroup participation points that referred to portions of the system no in the external system. There was then an access violation bug when loading back in this PWB file if the user tried to look a the injection group table. This has been fixed.
    • Sensitivity Calculations: When performing the multiple-element TLR calculation for Contingency-Overloaded Lines, we were not including a line if it was loaded to exactly to its limit in the contingency but only if it was great than the limit. It will now also include branches that are exactly at their limit.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed the UEL2 model. It was coded as the UEL2C model.
    • Transient Stability: When writing out the monitored branch for the REPC_A stability model to a DYD file, the quotation marks around the branch circuit id was omitted. This did not effect how PowerWorld read the DYD file, but we have added it to be consistent.

January 10, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • Transient Stability: Fixed access violation that could result when using Transient Limit Monitors for Branch objects and then trying to view the Transient Limit Monitor Violations table.

January 9, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Added two new Iteratively Found values when using the (IL) then Full CTG Solution method and iterating on an individual limiter: FULL_CTG_SELLER_LOST and FULL_CTG_BUYER_LOST. These indicate that either the Seller or Buyer has been completely disconnected when the contingency is implemented. The transfer limit that is reported is the total amount that could be ramped before the contingency caused the loss of either the Seller or Buyer.
  • File Formats: When loading a RAW file, the Mvar ouptut is estimated for FACTS which are converted into Continuous Switched Shunt objects in Simulator. This is because the RAW file does not specify the present operating point. To estimate this, the Mvar mismatch at the terminal of the FACTS is used. This has been modified so it sums up the Mvar at buses connected by low impedance branches to the FACTs terminal as well. Mvar are then shared by all FACTS that are connected to the same group of buses connected by low impedance branches.
  • Bug Fixes

    • General: The Select Network Cut tool was not working for branch objects. This has been fixed.
    • Sensitivity Calculations: When performing an LODF calculation on a branch with an extremely low impedance, it was possible in some situations for the LODF calculation to be performed perfectly and results calculate, but at the same time a dialog would appear indicating that the branch will create an island when taken out of service. This dialog was being shown in error and has been fixed.

January 7, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added new script command: InterfaceCreate( NewName, DeleteExisting, FilterType, FilterName)
    NewName = the name of the interface to be created
    DeleteExisting = delete the existing interface if an interface with "new interface name" already exists
    FilterType = BRANCH or INTERFACE
    FilterName = name of branch or interface filter. The branches or interfaces meeting this filter will be added as elements to the new interface.

January 3, 2019

Features and Improvements

  • General: Added item to "Other Tools" menu to allow the user to clear islands prior to solving. This feature will open all generators in the case which do not belong to the island which has the largest number of buses.

January 2, 2019

Bug Fixes

  • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed bus on Fixed bug on Line Shunt Dialog that could result in multiple line shunts getting inserted on a Save/OK sequence.

December 28, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: When writing out a GCAP file, now write all the capability curve points instead of only the first 10. Newer versions of this file support up to 20 points now. Messages are written the message log indicating if more than 10 points are being written however.
  • Transient Stability: Added GGOV1DU governor model which is identical to GGOV1 but has up and down deadband limits on the input frequency signal.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed bug when writing out RAS and Contigency Definitions to an AUX file in the situation that ModelConditions existed, but there were not any ModelConditionCondition objects. An access violation would occur.
    • Transient Stability: The parameter Vemin was not being properly enforced as a lower limit on the DC4B and DC4C exciter models. This has been fixed.

December 17, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • GIC: Implemented giving precedence to user entered earth region.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Case Information Displays: Fixed the SendToExcel call to modify the Excel cell to allow the LineCircuit ID to be a string in the Excel Spreadsheet as it does when sending the data from the right click menu. What was happening was that Excel was auto-determining what the data of the cell was, and for example an id of "01" was determined by Excel to be a number then it was eliminating the leading zero while copying the data instead of writing "01" as it should be.
    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed access violation deleting RAS records in case information displays
    • GIC: Modified so a substation's GICGeographicRegionName can be set to blank to unassign it.
    • Transient Stability: It was possible for the fonts in transient stability case information displays to show incorrect formatting for the model parameters. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed error in PSS7C stabilizer

December 12, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Difference Case Tool: On the Present Topological Differences from Base Case form, there was a mix-up with the default columns for both objects for switched shunts. They were defaulting to the both branch table defaults and editing them would edit the Both branch table default.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed bug when closing back in an LD1PAC model after it has been opened.

December 11, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Fault Analysis: Added a log message for FaultAna when the user selects a pre-fault profile of Solved Power Flow, but the power flow solution fails before applying the fault. An abort message is added to the log, and the attempted fault calculation is cleared.
  • File Formats: Modified how comments at the end of RAW file records are parsed to more loosely assign labels if the comments contains label inside brackets
  • File Formats: When reading the OpenNet EMS csv file,s, added code to read transformer tap settings off of XFORMER records.
  • File Formats: When loading a *.seq file, the connection codes 4 and 14 represent a configuration where there is no series path in the zero-sequence network and there is no ground path in the zero-sequence network. PowerWorld was reading this in and setting the winding configuration to Wye-Wye which is a valid assumption, however it is equally valid to set the winding configuration to Delta-Delta. Both of the configuration result in no series path and no ground path. Customer were expecting this to be Delta-Delta and reported that other software reads this code in as Delta-Delta. This patch is modifying reading the *.seq file so that the codes of 4 and 14 are read in as a configuration of Delta-Delta.
  • Transient Stability: Add new default parameters for PSS4B and PSS4C (previously they were mostly zeros).
  • Transient Stability: Added additional data validation checks for PSS4B and PSS4C
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: Fixing errors in reading the RAT files added in previous update.
    • General: When merging the sections of a multi-section line, if either the first or last section from/to designations did not match the overall multi-section line from/to designation, and error could occur. The from bus of the first section needed to match the from bus of the overall multi-section line, and the to bus of the last section need to match the to bus of the overall multi-section line. This has been fixed.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Changing oneline object deletion confirmation so that appropriate buttons are defaulted.

December 4, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: Committing changes to the relay data import tool. The tool has been significantly updated to read relay data for multiple relays from an ASPEN RAT file.
  • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): Sped up routine related to calculating island information. This speed up will be especially noticeable in full topology cases when validating the case, solving the power flow, and deconsolidation because during these process information about the state of the islands is stored for the power flow solution.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Optimal Power Flow (OPF): When allowing loads to be controls as part of the OPF, loads will not be a control if their voltage is below the Minimum Per Unit Voltage for Constant Power Loads threshold and the nominal constant power load is non-zero or their voltage is below the Minimum Per Unit Voltage for Constant Current Loads threshold and their nominal constant current load is non-zero.
    • Power Flow Solution: It was possible for angle smoothing to fail after closing in a line if the closure was connecting previously dead buses. An error would be in the log indicating that angle smoothing failed. This situation is now handled and angle smoothing should not fail.
    • Power Flow Solution: It is possible that a connected bus ends up with a zero voltage. This could cause access violations and/or zero determinant errors. If buses like this are encountered, the zero voltage will be set to a very small voltage instead when filling the Jacobian. This will eliminate fatal errors that are not useful to the user, but the zero voltages should still stand out as being a problem with the case that the user should try to fix.
    • Transient Stability: Modified svsmo3 so it will not immediately respond to small changes in voltage change when the shunt is at a limit and the voltage changes a small amount.
    • Transient Stability: When initializing the distribution equivalent model in transient stability, various models base the MVABase of the feeder and transformer on a value proportional to the Load MW. This caused a problem when a small load (say 5 MW) was coupled with a large Distributed Generation MW (say 50 MW). The feeder/transformer would then have impedances based on a 5 MW value which is inappropriate and would result in solution problems because the feeder/transformer impedances were much too large. This has been fixed by basing the MVABase on the maximum value of either Abs(LoadMW) or Abs(DistMW) instead.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed a bug in the Shortcut Definition Dialog. After creating a new short-cut the edit box for the oneline file location and other edit boxes was not properly re-activated.

November 20, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Added new field for a Bus "IsAreaSlack". This field returns YES if a bus has been designated as an area slack bus and NO otherwise.

November 19, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed access violation that could result using any of the new TSSaveBPA, TSSaveGE, TSSavePTI, or TSWriteModels script commands.

November 16, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: Modified the reading of the OTG Contingency Format. Recent versions of this format have changed the file syntax. PowerWorld Simulator will automatically figure out which format the file is and read it appropriately.
  • Transient Stability: Added a new generator relay model called GP3 which was developed in the NERC SAMS committee.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Help: Modified so that the help documentation more reliably opens using whatever the default browser is in Windows. Previously it would sometimes open with Internet Explorer instead of the user's default browser.
    • Help: Fixed the Help buttons on the Switched Shunt dialogs in Edit and Run mode so that they open the appropriate help topics.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug where a definite time-delay on a relay was specified as 3000 seconds. This was causing a problem inside simulator that caused the relay to behave like the time delay was 0 seconds (actually a negative number of seconds). This has been modified so that time delays larger than 2000 seconds will be treated internally as 2000 seconds
    • User Interface Dialogs: The PTDF dialog had a checkbox "Use Area/Zone Filters" that needed to be checked if Area/Zone/Owner filters were to be applied. This checkbox step is unnecessary and has been removed. Now if Area/Zone/Owner filters are specified they will be applied to the case information displays on this dialog without requiring any extra options.

November 15, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): added new script command TSClearAllModels; which will delete all transient stability dynamic models from the case.
  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added new script commands which will save transient stability dynamic models to 4 file formats. This commands have a parameter to specify the filename and then a second optional parameter called "DiffCaseModfiedOnly". When omitted, the second parameter is assumed to be NO. Set to YES and it will only save models that are either new or models which have had a parameter modified as compared to the difference case tool base case.
    TSSaveBPA("FileName", DiffCaseModifiedOnly);
    TSSaveGE("FileName", DiffCaseModifiedOnly);
    TSSavePTI("FileName", DiffCaseModifiedOnly);
    TSWriteModels("FileName", DiffCaseModifiedOnly);
  • Transient Stability: When loading in WECC SWT files, NOTE: The case will be started off with 1.0 second of no disturbance. ALL time values you input will have 60 cycles added to them.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed some issues when using script commands to auto insert objects on onelines through an AXD file that would not insert the objects on the correct oneline.
    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When using the option to save a consolidated case and saving to an auxiliary file, the case was not being saved correctly. This has been fixed.
    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): The subdata section for multi-terminal DC line converters was not being written correctly to aux files. This caused an error on loading resulting in the converters not being created. The Alpha and Gamma angle limits were being written incorrectly in the middle of the list of fields. These fields are now written at the end of the list of fields and read correctly. This correction means that only patches starting with this one will be able to read and write these sections correctly. Any previous patches and any aux files created prior to this patch will not create the converters.
    • File Formats: When loading a RAW file which had load, generator, etc. objects which refered to a bus that did not exist in the case. Previously this was creating strange errors. It will now more gracefully exit the load of the RAW file and report why.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): When consolidating a case it is possible that three-winding transformers might end up as parallel with multiple transformers connected to the same primary, secondary, and tertiary buses. These three buses plus the Circuit are the key fields for a three-winding transformer, so even though these transformers have different star buses they are considered to be the same transformers when loading from an aux file. If the consolidated case is saved to an aux file with parallel three-winding transformers, only one of the parallel transformers would be loaded when loading the aux and any others would be lost. This problem has been fixed by assigning unique Circuit IDs for any three-winding transformers that become parallel because of consolidation.
    • Transient Stability: Modifed output to DYR file so that we write a REPCTA1 to a dyr file only if the Pref controller is WTTQA1, and otherwise we write the REPCA1 model.

November 7, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • GIC: Added GIC field to show minimum ohms/phase on line for calculation of induced voltage.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed parameter validation for the non-linear gain parameters for the WESHYDD model
    • User Interface Dialogs: The input/output for showing the regulated bus number of the transformer control options dialog was not working properly. The regulated bus number could be changed on the case information displays but it was not being properly saved when edited on the dialog.

November 6, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • General: Added some better cleanup of installation files. Installations now always remove cached MSI file.
  • Transient Stability: On the Result from RAM section of the Transient Stability Dialog, modified the "Clear Min/Max Values, Summary, Evenst, and/or Solution Details from RAM" button so that the dialog which appears gives you the option to either clear results for the Active Contingency, or for ALL Contingencies.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed an access violation that could result when using the difference case tool to compare transient stability models and the models included references to extra objects such as remote buses to regulate.

November 2, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When referring to a branch from an object in an AUX file, PowerWorld supports the syntax "Branch 123 234 '1' 1" which contains 4 keys instead of 3. This then refers to a multi-section line from bus 123 to 234 with a circuit ID '1' and then returns Section #1 of that multi-section line. PSS/E RAW file require that circuit IDs of branch in multi-section lines have a circuit ID that starts with an & however. As a result folks may have a file with the syntax above but they actually want it to be circuit ID '&1' because of the RAW file convention. We have modified Simulator now so that when searching for a branch which uses the 4 key syntax, then if we do NOT find a ranch, then we try searching for the branch with an & appended to the start of the circuit ID instead.
  • Contingency Analysis: When a ModelCondition exists which has no Object specified (field is blank) AND it contains ModelConditionCondition objects which have "ObjectFieldEvalRef=YES", running the contingency analysis would result in an access violation. This has been fixed.

November 1, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added script commands DiffFlowWriteNewEPC and DiffFlowWriteBothEPC which have identical parameters as DiffFlowWriteRemovedEPC, but they write out any determined by the Difference Case Tool to either be NEW objects or objects in BOTH the base case and present case.
  • Difference Case Tool: Added ability to use the Difference Case tool to save ONLY the changes in transient stability models to either an AUX, DYD, DYR, or SWI file.
  • File Formats: Updated reading in of the WECC Switch File Format. Now accepts * and # at the beginning of a line as comments. If TITLE record is not found inside *.swt file, then the file name is used as the Transient Contingency Name. Change start time of contingencies to -1 second, so that it is consistent with the Switch File Format to have a 60 seconds of flat start.
  • Transient Stability: While loading in a DYR file, GGOV1DU governor user-model is converted to GGOV1, and the last two parameters are ignored.
  • Transient Stability: When in Difference Case Mode of either "Change" or "Diff", then all string grids showing transient stability models will only show stability models which have a modified parameter (Modified = YES or blank).
  • Bug Fixes

    • Distributed Computation: Loading an auxiliary file with distributed computation authentication settings will now properly clear authentication information. Previously, it was impossible to clear authentication information via an auxiliary file.
    • File Formats: Fixed bug in 64 bit, while loading in Areva HDBExport (*.csv)
    • General: Fixed a bug where swapping bus numbers could allow a situation where duplicate bus numbers were introduced to the case.

October 30, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Difference Case Tool: Added features to the Present Topological Differences tool to write out EPC files for Both and New objects lists. Previously you could only do this for the Removed objects.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed bug in Multiple Contingencies Table -- Toggling time step units was not updating correctly.

October 29, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: Modified writing out line shunts for EPC format so that line shunts that are part of an MS line determine which end of the MS line terminal the shunt is closest to, and fixes the shunt ID to correspond to the correct end of the MS line when writing it to the EPC format.
  • General: A bug existed that in a very rare situation could result in duplicate buses to exist with the same bus number. When this occurs, upon loading the PWB file, PowerWorld will now pop up a dialog asking the user if they would like to delete the duplicate buses or abort reading the PWB file.
  • GIC: Fixed bug associated with loading old AER non-uniform electric field files.

October 26, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: When setting up a contingency analysis run for processing, PowerWorld performs an initial power flow solution to make sure the initial case is solved. Under most power flow solutions, there is also an initial pre-processing step that looks to do things like get a good initial guess for voltages and newly energized buses. This pre-processing step was missing in that initial contingency analyisi power flow solution on the base case. As a result under some circumstances if you had not solved the power flow BEFORE running contingency analysis, the initial contingency power flow may not solve when a normal Single Solution would have solved fine. This has been fixed.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug with Distributed Transient that resulted in the automatically created plot image file not being returned.

October 25, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: When loading an Areva hdbexport file, the Bus.MMINJMW and Bus.MMINJMR are assigned to PowerWorld's bus records as the BShunt and GShunt impedance values. This was conflicting with PowerWorld's expected structure for a three-winding transformer however when there was a BShunt/GShunt assigned to the star bus of a three-winding transformer. All would be fine inside Simulator, however when you then saved to an AUX file, and then tried to read that AUX file back in it could cause trouble. The 3WXFormer records would not permit the creation of three-winding transformers if the star bus was an existing bus which had any devices attached. The BShunt and GShunt were enough of a device for us to not permit this. We have fixed this by now so that we allow you to create the three-winding record but then take the BShunt and GShunt and move that impedance out to the terminals of the three-winding transformer
  • General: Changing installations so that files are associated with 64 bit.
  • GIC: Added new script command GICLoad3DEField. The format of the command is
    GICLoad3DEfield(TYPE, CorseFile, FineFileLoc, FileFileEast, FineFileNorth);
    The type can be either B3D or CSV. When B3D is used, only the coarse file is supported.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed a bug where Injection Group participation points without labels were not properly identified in subdata when Labels were selected as identification
    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: At the start of an ATC run that involves using one of the iterated methods, the Seller and Buyer are checked to see if they are valid. This check is also done before using the option to Increase Transfer. During this check when MW limits are enforced and either the Seller or Buyer is at limits assuming that the transfer will be positive from the Seller to the Buyer, the analysis was not allowed to continue. At this point in the process it is not known if the transfer studied with the iterated method should actually be negative from the Seller to the Buyer. Now reserve limits are not checked in this initial validity check for the Seller and Buyer.
    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: When using one of the ATC Solution Methods to iterate on the limiters and the full transfer amount cannot be achieved in the step where all limiters are iterated on, a POWERFLOW_DIVERGENCE limiter is created. This limiter was being shown with a Transfer Limit of 0 instead of the transfer amount that could be achieved before the power flow failure. This has been fixed to show the transfer amount that can be achieved.
    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Also when using one of the iterated methods, the Transfer Limit values for limiters that are not iterated on individually should reflect the amount of transfer that can be achieved in the step where all limiters are iterated on. If the full transfer amount could not be achieved in this step (i.e. the POWERFLOW_DIVERGENCE limiter was created), the Transfer Limit values were not being updated to reflect the amount of actual transfer that has been studied. This has been fixed.
    • Contingency Analysis: When opening the Contingency Dialog, the checkboxes for "Include Remedial Actions" and "Allow Screening" were always begin ignored. Thus if you changed them we would not save the changes. Changing the setting in the case information displays worked appropriately and they would remain the way set in case info displays. This has been fixed.
    • Difference Case Tool: When saving an AUX file while in either Change, Base, or Difference mode in the "Difference Case Tool", then saving the SUBDATA sections does not make any sense because the SUBDATA sections do not support the Difference Case tool features. This was confusing however, as Simulator would still write the section. Now, Simulator will not write the SUBDATA sections if when in any mode other than "Present".
    • File Formats: added ability to read the remotely regulated bus from a FACTS DEVICE when reading a RAW file. Will also write this out to a RAW file as well.
    • GIC: Fixed reading AER course grid for GIC.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug related to storing the extreme values associated with a TSLimitViolation. The extreme value should represent the lowest (or highest) value at any point during the simulation after the violation has first passed the LimitValue. A bug existed such that this updating of the extreme value stopped after the trace passed the LimitValue back to the "good side" (and thus recorded the "no longer" point). This has been fixed so that the extreme value continues to be updated as was always intended.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug in which when writing a dyd file netting the lodrep was not written in a new line.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug when writing the gencls playback to a DYD file. When the filename of the playback was blank we write a blank and ge was reading the next parameter as the file thus now a quote "" will be written.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Switched Shunts can have up to 10 blocks of Mvar. The dialog box for showing switched shunts however was only showing the first 8 blocks. This has been fixed.
    • User Interface Dialogs: The switched shunt dialog box only showed the Mvars Per Step out to 1 decimal place. The values will now always show 6 significant digits instead with trailing zeros removed.

October 17, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Distributed Computation: Disabled the automatic loading of AUX files for cases sent to remote instances in a Distributed run. This was inappropriate and could result in strange software behavior.
  • Optimal Power Flow (OPF): Removed meaningless message on a greyed-out Interface Constraint which contained contingent elements when using Simulator which is not licensed for SCOPF. The interface constraint was properly enforced in the OPF, but a confusion hover-hint indicating that "Interfaces with contingent elements can only be enforced with the SCOPF version of PowerWorld Simulator" was shown. This is not true however. You may enforce contingent interfaces when using the OPF even when not licensed for the SCOPF.
  • Transient Stability: Transient Stability Simulations that had an end time greater than 35 minutes could under some situations stop because they simulation thought it had reached the end time. This was has been fixed.

October 10, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Oneline Diagrams: Added the ability to read in PSLF *.drw oneline diagram files.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Fault Analysis: Fixed R, X, R2, X2 so that they can be set correctly for the selected transformer configuration, and added a note about which side of the transformer each value corresponds to.

October 9, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Oneline Diagrams: Added option on the right-click menu for bus display objects to "Open Connected AC Branches" if a bus has Status = Connected. If the bus has Status = Disconnected the option will be "Close Connected AC Branches." When closing branches only branches where the other terminal bus is connected will be closed. If there are any dc lines connected to the bus, their status will remain the same regardless of which option is being used.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When using a linearized calculation method with contingency analysis and choosing to allow amp limits, change violations for lines were not being calculated correctly. The Reference Value, Change Value, and Change Percent were also not being reported correctly for the violation. This has been fixed.
    • Contingency Analysis: When using a linearized calculation method with contingency analysis, the reference state line flow is calculated using the option for "Model reactive power for DC methods by..." so that there is consistency when comparing the reference state to the post-contingency state flow.
    • Contingency Analysis: When using a linearized calculation method with contingency analysis, the Limit Group options for "Limiting End of Line" to use is now enforced. Previously, the higher end flow was always used. The flows can be different at both ends of the line depending on the option for modeling reactive power and allowing amp limits.
    • Difference Case Tool: When using the Difference Case tool and the difference between a line in the Present case compared to the Base Case was that the From and To Buses changed order, the highlighting and other indicators of the change in the lines was not always correct. The highlighting might indicate a new line when this situation should be treated as the same line. The difference between the From and To buses was also not presented correctly. This has been fixed.

October 2, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: Modified to write out the line length field to a RAW file out to 2 decimal places instead of 1.
  • Model Explorer: Modified how the model explorer is rendered on the screen so that when animating it does not flicker.
  • Bug Fixes

    • GIC: Fixed bug in accessing the "height of hot spot" field. The field was not accessible in the AUX file. This has been fixed.
    • Power Flow Solution: When including generator or load contingencies as part of an interface and a monitored line was open, the correct flows were not being reported. This has been fixed.

September 27, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Contingency Analysis Tool: On the contingency analysis dialog, using the Other > Restore Reference option will put a message in the Status box on the dialog, "Reference State Restored", that better indicates the system state currently in memory.
  • Difference Case Tool: Modified the Present Topological Differences From Base Case dialog so that there is a new check box called
    "For summary table statistics, show counts using Area/Zone/Owner/DataMaintainer filtering"
    This box is not checked when the dialog is first opened, but if you check this box, then the summary statistical counts will be based on objects that meet the Area/Zone/Owner/DataMaintainer filtering in the case
  • Difference Case Tool: Added many new fields related to Transient Stability input to the Difference Case tool. This includes the following fields for respective objects
    Gen: TSMachine, TSExciter, TSGovernor, TSStabilizer, TSOther
    Load: TSDistEquivMVABase, TSDistGenMVABase, TSDistEquiv, TSDistGen, TSDistEquivMVABaseUsed, TSDistGenMVABaseUsed, TSDistEquivUsed, TSAlgebraic, TSDynamic, TSRelay
    Shunt: TSModelName
    Branch: TSRelayName
    Bus: TSDistEquivMVABase, TSDistGenMVABase, TSDistEquiv, TSDistGen
    Area: TSDistEquivMVABase, TSDistGenMVABase, TSDistEquiv, TSDistGen
    Zone: TSDistEquivMVABase, TSDistGenMVABase, TSDistEquiv, TSDistGen
    Owner: TSDistEquivMVABase, TSDistGenMVABase, TSDistEquiv, TSDistGen
  • File Formats: When reading the RAS file for the Areva EMS system, added the ability to read a MWS field from the IPIN record to indicate that the MW field should be used but evaluated in the reference state for contingency analysis.
  • Transient Stability: Added a new option to Clear Time Values from RAM for ALL the contingencies. Now there is a drop down menu in the Clear Time Values from RAM button with two options:
    -Clear Time Values from RAM for Active Contingency
    -Clear Time Values from RAM for ALL Contingencies
  • Bug Fixes

    • Oneline Diagrams: After loading a display auxiliary file, some functionality like refreshing anchors and linking display objects to data objects was disabled when changing fields through the display explorer. This has been fixed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: When defining a Dynamic Format for the Active Oneline that uses a filter condition instead of an advanced filter for the Filter Criteria, an access violation could occur when trying to save a PWD file containing the dynamic format. This has been fixed.

September 25, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added UEL2C Model.
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When reading in a RAW file, shunt FACTS devices are converted to continuous switched shunts when appropriate. This has been done since 2006. When writing this devices back out to a RAW file however, any changes made to the devices after loading the RAW file were not being written back out to the RAW file appropriately. This has been fixed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: When loading a Contour from a display auxiliary file, contours for lines and transformers were not loading. This has been fixed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: When loading a View from a display auxiliary file and the View includes the application of a contour, line/transformer contours were not loading correctly. This has been fixed.

September 21, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Contingency Analysis Tool: When auto inserting contingencies and using the Open Breakers action, a new option has been added called "Prevent Identical Breaker Actions". Based on the current topology, this will determine the breakers that will operate for a given contingency. If another contingency is found that will cause the same breakers to operate, the actions from both contingencies will be merged so that only a single contingency is inserted.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: On the local menu of the Contingencies case information display there is a new option under Insert Special called "Merge Contingencies That Result in Identical Breaker Actions." This will examine existing contingencies that contain either an Open With Breakers or Close With Breakers actions and determine the breakers that will actually operate. If another contingency with Open With Breakers or Close With Breakers actions exists that would cause the same breakers to operate, both contingencies will be merged into a single contingency.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Added the ability to open PSLF DRW files as oneline diagrams in Simulator.
  • Transient Stability: When looking at the zone plot for a DistRelay, hover hints showning the reach percentages were not being calculated to display on the plot correctly.

September 18, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added OEL5C model.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Power Flow Solution: Distributed generation was not being included when accounting for the amount of generation needed when estimating generation for area or island control. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: It was possible to try to run transient stability when having solved the power flow using the DC approximation. This doesn't make sense, but it would allow it and then fail to run. Now it will add a validation error and abort immediately and report the following message in the validation tab: 'Power Flow Solution is set to DC Power Flow. Change to a different power flow solution to continue.'

September 14, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: When reading the *.otg file format for contingencies, added ability to look for the keyword DEFAULT at the top of the file. If this is found then all lines are skipped until the keyword END is found. This is an indication of options in other software tools which PowerWorld does not parse, but adding this code at least properly skips this information and reads the remainder of the file.
  • Transient Stability: Added OEL3C over excitation model.

September 10, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: Updated the options dialog when saving an EPC file with options to better explain how the generator base load flag is being written.
  • GIC: Clarified GIC miles vs. km field values, particularly with aux files.
  • Transient Stability: Added OEL2C OEL model and required support to get VFE from exciters.
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: Improved bus record formatting to better match EPC and RAW formats
      Previously buses with switches shunts on voltage control were being saved out as type 2 (i.e. PV bus), but that was not what was expected by GE and PTI. Users were getting a validation error when loading a EPC or RAW into PSLF or PSSE, but the case eventually solved okay in their software.
      Now, such buses are saved as type 1. (i.e. PQ bus)
    • Transient Stability: Modified ST10C and AC10C exciter models to ensure non-windup limits are enforced.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug in which some values in Transient Stability (for example Gen MW) were reported in p.u. when using SimAuto or scripts commands. Now it will report the values in the correct units.

August 30, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: When reading the OTG file format for contingencies, the header row for each contingency was expected to contain 2 strings. The second string however is only read as the "memo", so if it's missing we can just assume it's blank. The parser has been modified so that if it's missing we still read the file, where as previously it would cause the reading to fail.
  • File Formats: Modified reading of the OTG contingency text file format so that the header row for a Contingency can contain a second string such as "#B2_26" which will be ignored and then the third string kept and read as the contingency description. Previously anything after the first # character was completely ignored.
  • General: Added "Memory" field to Distributed Computer object, so the amount of physical memory installed on the specified machine can be displayed along with the number of cores.
  • Transient Stability: Modifications in DER_A model and DGDER_A model to modify the feedback of Pord to the power and reactive power control blocks. This must be the feedback for this model because the fractional tripping means that the terminal power is not an appropriate feedback.
  • Transient Stability: Also modified how the rrpwr rate limit on the Ip power block works. It will not rate limit based on the absolute value. Thus if Ip>=0 then it will be a rate limit in the positive direction and if Ip<=0 then it will be a rate limit in the negative direction. This way it will always permit the device to quickly move toward zero power, but then limit how quickly it moves away from zero. This is needed in case the DER_A is used to represent a storage device.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Case Information Displays: Area/Zone/Owner filtering was not working properly for Interface or Substation objects. This was broken when we added the ability to use DataMaintainer filtering in the case information displays and AUX files in June 2018.

August 29, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added new OEL1B overexcitation limiter model.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed field descriptions for the contingency options for specifying the maximum number of contingencies to select based on branch, interface, bus, and buspair rankings.
    • Contingency Analysis: When using Screening options with contingency analysis, contingencies were being selected for running full AC analysis based on rank values of 0. For example, if a case has no interfaces, the interface rank would be 0 for all contingencies. Contingencies were still being selected based on the "maximum number to select" option for interfaces. The same problem existed for the other screening categories. This has been fixed and any contingency with a rank of zero for the category being processed will not be included.
    • Transient Stability: When reading a DYD record for a branch, PowerWorld was expecting at least 10 fields in the beginning of the record to define the branch. If these fields were missing an an error would occur. This has been fixed and the record is just ignored in this situation.

August 27, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Contingency Analysis: When choosing the option to Save As > Auxiliary File (all contingency related/only selected records) for contingency records, all ContingencyElement records for all contingencies were being saved even if they didn't belong to selected contingencies. This has been fixed.
  • Contingency Analysis: Fixed access violations caused by the deletion of Model Filters or Model Conditions that are used for Arming Criteria for Remedial Actions or Remedial Action Elements.
  • Contingency Analysis: When using the Save button on the contingency analysis dialog to save all of the contingency related information, Remedial Actions were being saved without the Arming Criteria and Arming Criteria Status fields. These are now included.
  • Contingency Analysis: Bug fix for option in Contingency Analysis option to do OPF solution. User interface now toggles the option used during calculation. File format now saves this option, and loads it back in.
  • Contingency Analysis: The dialog for Remedial Actions was not properly setting the Arming Criteria and Arming Status if they had been created from an auxiliary file. The dialog would not show the correct information when opening the dialog and would not save the correct information when closing the dialog. Both of these issues have been fixed.
  • GIC: When reading *.GIC format, modified code so transformer VECGRP is assumed to be in the PSSE format in which the highest voltage bus is not necessarily first. This approach does not conform to IEEE Std. C57.12/70-2011, but matches what is seen in files we have received.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed error that was causing an access violation putting new markers in a marker layer.

August 21, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: ATC Local Menu Options > Transfer Limiter Records > Create Contingent Interface For Selection
    Added support for generator open and load open contingencies
  • User Interface Dialogs: Added the bus label as an informational field on the Renumber Buses dialog.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug with TS Limit Monitoring causing an access violation when the object was all,Meets Filter or Area/Zone Filter
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug with the order of parameters of the REGC_A model when is read from a dyr file that have the model as an 'USRMDL' model.

August 16, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Fault Analysis: Added faulted bus nominal voltage to the multiple fault results table
  • File Formats: When reading a RAW file, PowerWorld parses the comments at the end of object records to create a label for the object. We look for the a string inside brackets [], while skipping over spaces, forward slashes and astericks. This has been modified to also skip over comma characters when looking for the special brackets.
  • Transient Stability: Added PSS7C Stabilizer.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Modified the Generator Information dialog so that if the check-box "Use Capability Curve" is checked then the Min Mvar and Max Mvar edit boxes can not be edited. This is the same treatment as those fields on the case information displays which do not allow editing of those fields if they are calculated from the capability curves.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed a bug that would make the Merit Order injection group contingency action behave like Merit Order Open when attempting to reduce the generator output in the injection group.
    • File Formats: Fixed a very obscure bug when loading in three-winding transformers from an EPC file if the Maximum or Minimum tap ratio (tmax or tmin) were equal to exactly 0 (zero). Obviously the user doesn't care much about this since 0.0 doesn't make much sense, but when it was zero AND when there was a fixed tap ratio specified on the primary that was not 1.000 (tapfp <> 1.0), then Simulator was reading the tmax and tmin and shifting them by (1 - tapfp). Thus you'd see minimum and maximum tap values go from 0.000 to something like 0.025 or -0.025.
    • File Formats: In both the EPC and RAW file formats, transformers records have a "type" integer indicating what type of control it is performing. These map to either Fixed, LTC, Mvar, or Phase shifting transformer in PowerWorld. PowerWorld also has a separate field called "AutoControl" which can be set to YES or NO to indicate if the transformer is actually performing any control. In the EPC and RAW file formats however, the user must specify that the transformer is "Fixed" in order to turn it off control. We have improved the reading of EPC and RAW files so that if a transformer is marked with the integer type indicating it is "Fixed", we will evaluate the following logic.
      1. ( (ABS(TapMax) > 2) OR (ABS(TapMin) > 2) )
      2. Transformer connect two buses with the same Nominal Voltage
      If both of those are true, the we will read this as a phase-shifting transformer and set our AutoControl flag to NO.

August 3, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Difference Case Tool: In the Present Topological Differences from Basecase tool, when writing out an AUX file that represents the difference between two cases and using a user-specified Auxiliary File Export Format Description Simulator would always use the built-in "Network" format for NEW objects. This has been modified so that the user-specified AUX Export is used, but when writing out NEW objects Simulator will automatically APPEND any required fields that are missing from the AUX File Export Format Description.
  • General: Modified the caption of the "Single Solution" button to say "Solve Power Flow" instead.
  • Oneline Diagrams: A case information display of the new Markers object was not being updated correctly all the time. This could be done manually by clicking refresh on the grid of markers, but it will now be updated correctly whenever the Marker grid window is opened.
  • Oneline Diagrams: On a case information display of the new Marker objects, the feature "pan to object on open onelines" was not working. This has been fixed.
  • Oneline Diagrams: New marker objects are now added to a 'Marker' layer by default.
  • Transient Stability: Added support for a new Load Distributed Generation model DGDER_A. This is the same model as the machine model DER_A, however it is instead applied to the Distributed Generation portion of the load record.
  • Transient Stability: Modified Simulator to read and write CMPLDWG records from and to a DYD file. These are read into Simulator and the final 15 parameters for the DGPV model are striped off and handled separately. The first 4 of these parameters are used to populate the DistMW and DistMvar parameters of the load record in Simulator, but only if the existing load record has zeros for both those values. Then the final 11 parameters are used to create (or modify) a Load Distributed Generation model (DGPV) at the particular load record. When writing out a DYD file, if a CMPLDW model is being written to the DYD, Simulator will check to see if there is an active DGPV Load Distributed Generation model being used by the load. If there is, then the model will be written as a CMPLDWG instead and the appropriate final 15 parameters will be written.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Power Flow Solution: Fix a power flow solution error with the output of a slack generator whose terminal bus was also the terminal of a multi-terminal DC line converter. 2-terminal DC lines did not cause trouble, only the multi-terminal.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Added the ability to change the injected L uH and and injected C mF on the D-FACTS dialog. It was not allowed and the only way to set this amount was on the Model Explorer. This is only allowed when using the "Use fixed Xinj" mode of operation.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed access violation encountered when trying to paste into a model expression lookup table.

July 27, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added PSS6C Stabilizer.
  • Bug Fixes

    • GIC: Fixed problems when loading the *.GIC files using in other software
    • Transient Stability: The new feature in Simulator 20 to calculate the Rate of Change of Frequency (ROCOF) was not working properly in a case that utilized composite load models (such as CMPLDW). These has been fixed.

July 26, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added PSS5C Stabilizer.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Oneline Diagrams: Custom oneline hints could not be loaded from an aux file because the field variable names could not be properly identified. Saving to an aux file was not using the new concise variable names for objects if the option to use concise names was chosen. Both of these issues have been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug in overcurrent transient stability models (TIOCRS, LOCTI, TIOCR1) that only occurred in the 64-bit version of Simulator.

July 20, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Contingency Analysis Tool: When reporting contingency analysis violations related to islands, if an island is split into pieces then whichever island has the original slack bus is considered the "old island" and all others are considered "new". The island reporting then only reports "new" islands. This however meant that if the original slack bus island had only a few buses and the other pieces have 1000s, then the piece with 1000s would still be reported as the "new" solved island. This has been modified so that if an island is split into 2 or more pieces, then whatever island piece has the largest amount of Load MW is not considered a "new island" while all others are considered "new".
  • Transient Stability: Added PSS4B Stabilizer.
  • Transient Stability: Added PSS4C Stabilizer.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): In the DiffFlowWriteCompleteModel script command we were not properly removing any quotes around the ExportFormat and KeyFields parameters, which could result in these fields not being interpreted correctly. The biggest issue was that the ExportFormat could not be found and the default objects would always be written. This has been fixed.
    • Contingency Analysis: Further bug fix related to the June 12 fix for contingency analysis related a contingency that resulted in nothing happening being run immediately after a contingency that had created additional islands that ended up with reserve limitation or unsolved.
    • Distributed Computation: When running distributed contingency analysis, post-contingency auxiliary files were not being used, either when specifying one for contingency analysis as a whole or when specifying with individual contingencies. This has been fixed.
    • File Formats: When reading an hdbexport CSV file, generators moved as part DC system translation were not having their regulated bus numbers modified appropriately. This has been changed now.
    • Transient Stability: Fix a bug in which the converted fields (such as bus kV converted from bus Vpu) in transient were not converted when saving the plots using the tool in the SHow/Select Selected Plot Data and also using the script commands.
    • Transient Stability: When no active governor exists for a generator, the transient contingency event that changes the Pref of the governor operates to change the per unit Mechanical Power of the generator instead. Similar behavior would be expected for the transient contingency event that changes the MW setpoint of the generator, but instead this did nothing. This has been changed so that when changing the MW Setpoint, this directly applies to changing the Mechanical power of the generator.
    • User Interface Dialogs: When changing the area/zone/owner/datamaintainer filter while on the Topological Differences from Base dialog, the checkbox for using the Data Maintainer filtering would not remain checked after closing the filter dialog. This has been fixed.

July 12, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added the wind control mode and wind control mode power factor for generators to the system state so that this can be changed during contingencies and then restored to what it was in the base case.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed an access violation in the DistRelay line model when FarBus is set to none in the parameters set by the user.
    • Transient Stability: When saving transient stability results to file using the TSGetResults script command or through the GUI option Show/Save Selected Plot Data, fields that are calculated from other fields, i.e. bus voltage in kV is calculated from bus voltage in pu, were not using appropriate multipliers for the field conversion. This resulted in the original values being written instead of the converted values, i.e. bus voltage in pu was written instead of bus voltage in kV. This has been fixed. This was only a problem if using the Result Storage option of Save Results to Hard Drive. If Store Results to RAM was used the values were correct.

July 10, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added ability to compare DateTime values to fields in Advanced Filter conditions
  • Transient Stability: Added PSS3C stabilizer
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: During contingency analysis if a new island is formed that does not have enough generation to cover the load in the island, the island will be treated as not viable if the option to "Prevent new island without enough controllable generation" is used. Using this option means that the island will be reported as a violation but no power flow solution will be attempted on the island. If remedial actions were implemented as part of the contingency solution, it was possible that this could impact the buses that are included in the new island that was formed but did not have enough generation. This would result in the island violation being reported with incorrect generation and/or load MW, but it would not actually affect the final solution of the contingency. This has been fixed.
    • Power Flow Solution: In a very specific situation it was possible for the tap balancing of parallel transformers to cause an oscillation in the solution. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a few bugs storing of TSContingencyElement object to an AUX file. This included storing the additional parameters associated with closing in a synchronous generators, for changing loads, and for ramping generators.

July 2, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Oneline Diagrams: Added a new GIS option to move bus and substation oneline display objects so that they match the latitude/longitude stored with the underlying bus and substation data object information.
  • Transient Stability: Added PSS2C stabilizer
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed error with the DER_A machine model. The parameter to ignore frequency tripping was not being properly used.
    • Transient Stability: When writing out the GENROU model to a DYD file, the parameter order was mixed up (was being written in the same order as PowerWorld list the parameters). This has been fixed.

June 27, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added new script command DiffFlowShowPresentAndBase(How); Use this to set the parameter "Show Present|Base in Difference and Change modes".
  • Difference Case Tool: Added new script command DiffFlowShowPresentAndBase(How); Use this to set the parameter "Show Present|Base in Difference and Change modes".
  • Transient Stability: Added the ST10C exciter
  • Bug Fixes

    • Scheduled Actions: Fixed a bug importing Set To and Change By scheduled actions.
    • Transient Stability: Previously when performing Distributed Transient Stability runs, Simulator was was writing a log message as soon as the runs had been "completed", but before it had processed all the final result information for display in Simulator (TSR files and such). For very large runs, it can take several minutes to process all these results. The log message indicating "Distributed Transient Stability Finished at" will now only be written after all the results have been procecessed in the main PowerWorld instance.

June 26, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Added ability with the PWPVResultListContainer object to see many of the custom fields for the Contingency object to which these results refer. This includes the Custom Integers, Floats, and Strings, and the Custom Memo.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Modified the Model Expression dialog so that the edit boxes that show the information about the variables show more concise text descriptions. They will now show information about what object each variable involves by showing either the primary, secondary, or label identifier depending on the user preference in the Simulator Options under Case Information. In addition they will show a hover hint that gives information on labels, primary, and secondary keys, along with the complete field description for the variable.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Scheduled Actions: Fixed a bug with the Unmapped Schedule import update in the last patch.
    • User Interface Dialogs: When typing "ExitProgram" script command into the script command window, Simulator would close as expected, however a couple access violations occurred during the closing. This has been fixed.

June 25, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Streamlined the operation of three script commands to improve performance speed -- MergeLineTerminals, MergeBuses, and Delete
  • Data View: Include the Show Data View option on the local menu of bus display objects. This had been included for other display objects but inadvertently missed for bus display objects.
  • Difference Case Tool: Added a new ObjectType called DiffChangeTolerance which allows you to specify the tolerance used during the Change mode to determine if a floating point number has changed enough to be considered different. The default for all fields is a change of more than 0.0001% (6 significant digits), although defaults for Bus Voltage and Angle as well as Bus/Substation Latitude/Longitude are included that require slightly more precision.
  • Scheduled Actions: We now allow Scheduled Actions with a Mapping Status of Unmapped to be loaded from a CROW file regardless of uniqueness. Note that these non-unique actions will only be accessible in the GUI after loading from a CROW file; they cannot be read in from an AUX file or PWB.
  • Transient Stability: Added the ST8C exciter
  • Transient Stability: Added the ST9C exciter
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): The Selected field could not be set correctly for Model Conditions. This has been fixed.
    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): If a script section in an auxiliary file had all of the script statements commented out, a dialog would pop up indicating that there was an error reading the aux file, but no message was given. This situation should not be treated as an error. This has been fixed.
    • Difference Case Tool: When changing the area/zone/owner/datamaintainer filter while on the Topological Differences from Base dialog, the checkbox for using the Data Maintainer filtering would not remain checked after closing the filter dialog. This has been fixed.

June 18, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Data View: As part of the May 8, 2018 patch, the Data View dialog was modified to show toggle fields with choices of YES and NO so that they show a check-box instead of a drop-down with a YES and NO choice. This feature was interacting badly when a Data View included a TAB or ROW break however so that if one was added the Data View would cause the program to enter an infinite loop updating and checking the checkbox. This has been fixed.

June 15, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Data View: added ability with Data Checks to show Aggregation Fields that show summations of a particular field instead of only counts. As an example, this would be useful for showing the summation of generator MaxMW within an Area that met a particular Data Check.
  • Transient Stability: Added the ST7C exciter
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When reading a RAW file, Simulator was not properly configuring the secondary winding of a three-winding transformer to be on control unless the tertiary winding was also on control. This has been fixed.
    • Power Flow Solution: A new feature added in made in February 15, 2018 to handle bad voltages around three-winding transformers when reading RAW files that have been exported from other software such as an EMS system. This change was working well, except when the radial winding connected to nothing had a phase shift angle (a rare situation). This bug fix properly handles the phase angle of this branch when updating the voltage at this winding.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed bugs in DISTRELAY model auto insert feature.
      1. Fixed bug where the shape parameter was not being used properly when creating DISTRELAY models. This has been fixed.
      2. Made sure DISTRELAY models will only be inserted on branches of BranchDeviceType=Line.

June 12, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Modified the way that Contingency Violations (ViolationCTG) for an island choose the bus used as the identifier for the island. Previously, we would always take the slack bus of the island to identify it. Now we will instead choose the bus from the island that is the first in the list of buses sorted alphabetically by the name of the bus. This will help make the choice of the bus more consistent because sometimes the slack bus would change for the same set of buses depending on the state of the system (generator hitting Mvar limit for instance).
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added a two new buttons to the Tools Ribbon tab under
    RAS + CTG Case Info>Contingency Reference>Set As Reference
    RAS + CTG Case Info>Contingency Reference>Restore Reference
  • Oneline Diagrams: Removing the dialog prompt that asks about opening a oneline that doesn't exist where the case that was opened exists.
  • Transient Stability: Added the ST4C exciter
  • Transient Stability: Added the ST5C exciter
  • Transient Stability: Added the ST6C exciter
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When using the Move script command, it is possible to change only the ID of a device. Simulator was always setting the ID to uppercase even if the user entered a lower case ID. IDs are treated as case insensitive, but the user should still be allowed to set the ID as lowercase. This has been fixed.
    • Case Information Displays: When using Data Maintainer filtering with the area/zone/owner filters, show the "filtered" keyword with the case information display caption.
    • Case Information Displays: Interfaces and Substation do not directly have Area, Zone, or Owner designations. Simulator has always applied Area/Zone/Owner filtering to interfaces and substations however by assuming that if they contained any bus or device that met the Area/Zone/Owner filtering then the interface/substation also met the Area/Zone/Owner Filtering. This logic was also being applied when using DataMaintainer Filtering which did not make sense. Interface and Substation have their own DataMaintainer designation so should not inherit this functionality from the buses or devices they contain. This has been fixed.
    • Contingency Analysis: Made some corrections to how contingency elements and remedial action elements are compared to determine if they are the same action. This is used when loading an aux file defining these elements. There was a problem with duplicate actions being created and this has been fixed.
    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed bug where a contingency violation for an island was not returning the island violation specific results when using distributed computing.
    • Contingency Analysis: When one contingency resulted in the creation of additional islands that ended up with reserve limitation or unsolved, if the subsequent contingency resulted in NOTHING happening such that no solution was attempted, then this subsequent contingency would be flagged as containing a reserve limitation or unsolved. This was occurring even though no solution was even attempted because some structures were not cleaned up from the previous contingency solution when nothing was occurring.
    • Transient Stability: When load models had a Distribution Equivalent defined which had neither a transformer (Xxf=0) nor feeder impedance (Rfdr=Xfdr=0) the result reporting was not correct. The transient simulation were still correctly handling the loads, but when reporting the total load MW and Mvar the values were reported were double-counting the loads.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Modified the FACTs dialog to clean it up and fixed a few bugs related to handling values on the display.
    • User Interface Dialogs: On the Edit Mode Line Dialog, when opening the Line Shunt dialog to edit the shunts of this particular line, if you deleted the line shunt it causes an access violation from which Simulator could not recover. This has been fixed.

June 5, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed key field for MarkerObject. It now uses the style name and auxiliary id. Fixed file format field order so that the marker specific fields are shown first.

June 4, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Difference Case Tool: The following changes were described in the May 14, 2018 patch description. Instead of using the specified AUX Export Format Description to determine the object types written for NEW objects, the built-in "Network Model" was used incorrectly for both the object types and the fields resulting in the user-defined export format description being completely ignored. This has been fixed so that the following description is now correct.
  • Difference Case Tool: When specifying your own AUX Export Format Description for use when exporting the changes between two cases using the Present Topological Differences Tool, we have modified how the NEW objects are written. The object types that are written will be determined by the specified AUX Export Format Description, but the fields that are written will be determined by the built-in "Network Model" format. This ensures that the list of required fields are included with New Objects.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed an error that could occur resulting in a failed network solution when performing a fault very near the terminals of a multi-terminal DC line

June 1, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added a new script command DiffFlowWriteCompleteModel() which will perform the save done of the Present Topological Differences from Base Case dialog when choose to "Save To>Complete Model". The new script command has the format

    DiffFlowWriteCompleteModel("filename", AppendFile, SaveAdded, SaveRemoved, SaveBoth, KeyFields, "ExportFormat", UseAreaZone, UseDataMain, AssumeBaseMeet)

    "filename" = name of the file such as c:\mypath\filename.aux
    AppendFile = YES or NO
    SaveAdded, SaveRemoved, and SaveBoth = YES or NO to indicate which parts of the comparison to save to AUX file
    Keyfields = Primary or Secondary to indicate which key fields to use
    "ExportFormat" = the name of an Auxiliary File Export Format Description you want to use when exporting
    UseAreaZone and UseDataMain YES or NO to indicate whether to only write objects that meet the Area/Zone/Owner or the DataMaintainer display filters
    AssumeBaseMeet = YES or NO to indicate how objects that were in the base case but are NOT in the present case should be treated with regardig the UseAreaZone and UseDataMain options
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: Fixed writing out the Pmax to the MatPower format for generator records
    • File Formats: Switched Shunts, VSC DC Lines, Multi-terminal DC Lines, MTDC Converters, MTDC Buses, and DC Lines can all be assigned to owners. The ownership information was known by the object but the owners themselves didn't know that they owned these types of objects. This would make the summary information incorrect for the owner, area/zone/owner filtering not work correctly for the owner filtering, and would make it possible to incorrectly delete an owner because it was assumed to be empty. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Also added a new Fast Valving option to specify that it initiate at a specific time in seconds.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed error in initiation of Fast Valving when choosing the option to "Initiate on Fault after Delay of Seconds". When choosing this option the fast valving would never initiate. It will now initiate after the first user specified TSContingencyElement time plus the time delay specified.

May 31, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added the ability to delete named system states, both through the GUI and with a new script command "DeleteState" which takes the same parameters as "RestoreState". If the name "All" is provided for the named state to delete, all named states will be cleared.
  • File Formats: When loading an Areva hdbexport CSV file, Simulator reads the BS record fields MMINJMW and MMINJMR and places those as GShunt and BShunt values at one of the Simulator Bus records. The Simulator Bus records correspond to the ND records in the hdbexport CSV file. These mismatches represent the mismatch from the optimal state estimation solution. Previously Simulator would arbitrarily assign the BShunt and GShunt values to the Bus with the lowest bus number. This has been changed now with the goal of keeping these injections connected to the system as much as possible even as devices are opened and closed from this base model. To achieve this, Simulator has a preference that the mismatch be assigned to a bus that has the highest number of in-service branches and DC devices dconnected to it. As a tie-breaker after that device count, the preference is for the following type of devices (in order) to be connected to the bus:
    (1)DC, VSC, Multiterminal DC, (2)Series Caps, (3)Transformers, (4)Lines, (5)ZBR, (6)Breaker, (7)Load Break Disconnect, (8)Fuse, (9)Ground Disconnect.
    Overriding all these preferences however, Simulator will also discourage buses connected to
    (1)Switched Shunts, (2)Generators or (3)Loads
    The goal here is to not assign the MW/Mvar mismatch to a bus that could be commonly taken out of service when isolating another device in the system.
  • File Formats: When reading an hdbexport CSV file and performing a translation of the DC system into PowerWorld Simulator's data structures, Simulator will now search for generation (UN records) inside the DC system and translate those generators directly to the AC system terminal bus that is kept after performing the translation. This helps translate some VSC DC lines that are being modeled approximately in the hdbexport file by customers who add a synchronous condenser (UN record) inside the DC system.
  • Scheduled Actions: Disabled mouse-wheel scrolling over the Scheduled Actions active time window.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Case Information Displays: The fields for a bus related to show the switched shunt MW and Mvar totals will show a blank value if no switched shunts exist at the bus. This typically would work correctly, however if a shunt was added to a bus and then deleted or moved, the bus would continue to show a value for the shunt totals of 0.0 instead of a blank. This has been fixed.
    • Power Flow Solution: After a failed power flow solution occurred in which the multi-terminal DC line solution changed the voltage-controlling converter due to depressed AC voltages, the system may not accurately represent the rectifier and inverter converters. The solution was failed regardless, but this caused some confusion as to why it failed to solve. This has been fixed so that the converters show the appropriate settings, although the solution will remain failed.
    • Power Flow Solution: Adding the recent new features regarding "Close Breakers to Energize Switched Shunts" has exposed a problem of coordinating with the BShunt and GShunt admittance at a bus when opening and closing breakers related to the switched shunt. BShunt and GShunt at a bus are an artifact of the mismatch read in from a state estimation solution. This should impact the automatic opening/closing of shunts and has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed error with reading/write the model REGCA1 from the DYR file. The REGCA1 model has the parameter Accel as the last parameter in the parameter list. Simulator was reading that parameter in our parameter Xe which represents an additional source impedance for the model. This was incorrect. It has been fixed so that when reading the REGCA1 model we will ignore the Accel parameter as we do not use nor store it and when writing out the REGCA model we will always write an Accel value of 0.8.

May 29, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Adding script support for named system states. StoreState now takes an optional "StateName" parameter, and RestoreState has an optional second parameter for the State Name to be restored (which is ignored if the first parameter is not USER).
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added Arming Criteria to the list of dependencies for Remedial Actions and Remedial Action Elements.
  • Transient Stability: Added ST2C Exciter.
  • Transient Stability: Added ST3C Exciter
  • Transient Stability: Modified how the list of available transient stability model types is displayed when choosing to only "Show Models Supported By" a particular software tool. Starting in Version 20 we would also show models that can be translated to that software tool. This patch changes it so it only shows models natively supported in that tool.
  • Bug Fixes

    • General: Fixed a bug where the link on the license unlock form sent the user to the wrong web page.
    • General: Changed licensing timeouts so that they should happen much less frequently. Licensing should initialize successfully on systems under higher resource contention.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): When saving a consolidated case to file, breakers are closed so that switched shunts end up on a common bus so that they can be merged into blocks if desired. During the process of closing the breakers, the voltages of the switched shunt buses that had previously been dead were sometimes not getting set to a good voltage estimate. This could result in a failed power flow solution for the consolidated case. A better voltage estimate is now set for the switched shunt buses that have just been connected.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): When saving a consolidated case and using the option to merge switched shunts into blocks, the Auto Control option will be set to yes if any of the merged shunts is on auto control.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): When saving a consolidated cased to file and using the option to merge switched shunts to blocks, the numbers of steps in a block could be incorrect. This has been fixed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixing an issue with loading in multiple top level menus for the Oneline Viewer with the WebFG menu importer that caused duplication of the top level menu entries.
    • Transient Stability: When saving an REEC_A model (which is a PSLF model) out to a DYR file (for PSS/E dynamic data), Simulator translates the REEC_A model into an REECA1 model in the DYR file. This was an error in this translation where the Tpord and Imax values were being written out in the wrong order. These parameters appear in a different order in a DYR and DYD file, but the order written out to the DYR file was not flipped as necessary. This has been fixed.

May 23, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • General: Added ability to save named system states.
  • Transient Stability: Added ST1C Exciter model.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Bus View and Substation View Onelines: fixed error in showing the MW/Mvar flows for a VSC DC Line object shown on a Bus View oneline.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): Fixed list index out of bounds error when trying to Save Consolidated Case.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): Switched shunt breakers and disconnects are closed when saving the consolidated case so that switched shunts end up at the same buses. This is mostly useful when using the option to "Convert Shunts to Blocks", but this is done regardless of how this option is set. Previously, this was only done if closing a breaker or disconnect would actually cause the switched shunt to be energized, now it is done even if the switched shunt remains offline.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): If a switched shunt is offline and breakers or disconnects are closed to connect it, the status of the switched shunt itself will be set to open. Previously, the nominal output might be set to 0, and now the nominal output will not change.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): Generally cleaned up how switched shunts and switching devices are handled so that the full topology case that remains after saving the consolidated case is the same as what it was initially. There were some instances in which the status of switching devices would remain closed when they should be open and the nominal output of shunts was set to 0 and they should have remained at their initial values.
    • Model Explorer: When clicking on Aggregations\Nomograms in the Model Explorer and access violation occured and you could not see the list of Nomograms. This was a nuisance bug, but made it impossible to define Nomograms.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixing an issue that could result in the error message "Control '' has no parent window" when closing the Oneline Browser. Subsequently closing Simulator would result in the error message "Control 'pcOnelines' has no parent window."

May 18, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Modified the OpenCase scripts command for EPC files to have an extra parameter (MSDummyBus). The options are FROM, MAX or the range (ex. 99960-99975, 99980). Example script command would be
    OpenCase("filename", GE, [MAINTAIN,2.0,YES,"99960-99975, 99990-99994"]);
    OpenCase("filename", GE, [MAINTAIN,2.0,YES,FROM]);
    OpenCase("filename", GE, [MAINTAIN,2.0,YES,MAX]);
  • Bus View and Substation View Onelines: On the Bus View, added ability to bring up the dialog for VSC DC Line or a Multi-terminal DC line when right-clicking on the background lines that are drawn to represent them.
  • File Formats: Modified the options for numbering dummy buses of multi-section lines when loading an EPC file. The options can now be to the dummy bus from the FROM bus (as before), from the Max number of bus available or from a range.
  • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): When looking for breakers to open to disconnect devices or close to connect devices, breakers that were connected strictly in series with a switched shunt were excluded. This effectively looks for switched shunts that are connected radially to the system. This was to prevent switched shunts from being connected/disconnected incorrectly if they were connected to a tap point on a line. If a switched shunt itself was to be connected/disconnected the breakers in series with that shunt would still be switched. Changes have been made to how this works:
    (1) This check is now done for generators and loads in addition to switched shunts.
    (2) There are options that allow disconnects that are normally closed to be closed when closing breakers to energize a device or disconnects that are normally open to be opened when opening breakers to disconnect a device. These disconnects are now checked and if they are in series with shunt devices that are not the specific device to be closed they will not switch.
  • Power Flow Solution: In full topology models, the automatic control on discrete shunts may set the switched shunts to 0.0 Mvar. Previously in Simulator those shunts that are set back to 0.0 MW would remain online and their breakers would not automatically be OPENED. This new patch modifies this so that a similar process that is used to "close breaker to energize shunts" will also look to "open breakers to isolate shunts at 0.0 MW". This will only be used if the option to "Close Breakers to Energize Switched Shunts" is used and the option to "Use Topology Processing" is used.
  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Added ability to specify the Font Size on the plot definition as follows
    Vertical Axis Group Labels
    SubPlot Horizontal Axis Labels
    SubPlot Legend Labels
  • Transient Stability: Modified the default parameters for the REPC_B model. Previously Pmin=0; Pmax=2.0; femax=1.0; femin=-1.0.
    This made sense for the REPC_A model on which this is based where the output represented the Pref of a single generator. However, for REPC_B, the value Pext represents the DEVIATION of power from the initial starting point and thus using Pmin=0 was inappropriate as a default. Devalut values have been changed to Pmin=-99; Pmax=99.0; femax=99.0; femin=-99.0.
  • Transient Stability: Added ability to specify the Font Size on the plot definition as follows
    Vertical Axis Group Labels
    SubPlot Horizontal Axis Labels
    SubPlot Legend Labels
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When loading a RAW file without explicitly specifying how to number three-winding star buses, the default option specified on the Simulator options was not being used properly This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed an error in the treatment of the MVABase parameter of the REPC_A and REPC_B models. Regardless of the use input value, Simulator was always treating that value as a zero. For REPC_A model, if MVABase=0, then we treat the value as the generator MVABase, while for REPC_B, we treat the value as the system MVA Base. It will now use the value if given.

May 16, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Bus View and Substation View Onelines: Modified the Bus View fields shown for Multi-terminal DC lines and VSC DC Lines so that they are linked to the object using the generic Model Field display object. Previously they were just background text fields and thus the MW, Mvar and MVA shown were calculated only when the bus view was redrawn at a bus. As a result as the system state changed and the bus view was open the fields for these DC devices were not changing. With this change they will now change matching the expected behavior of all the other fields on the bus view.
  • Case Information Displays: There are two new folders with Branch fields: Limit Monitoring\Amp Limits Percent and Limit Monitoring\MVA Limits Percent. These contain fields showing flow as a percent of the respective limits for all limits that are available.
  • Case Information Displays: Added % of Amp Limit (Max), % of Amp Limit at From Bus, and % of Amp Limit at To Bus fields to show the flow based on the presently selected limit set with the Limit Monitoring Settings.
  • Case Information Displays: Added Solution Detail field with PWCaseInformation object that indicates whether or not the last power flow solution was successful.
  • Case Information Displays: Made BusPair and VSCDCLine objects available for use in Model Expressions.
  • Case Information Displays: Added Case Info Customization for MW Transactions case information display. This will allow the same customizations such as the fields that are shown and the applied Quick filter to be stored when the display is closed and then used as set when the display is open again.
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When reading an hdbexport Areva file and choosing to translate the DC systems extra loads are added that have an EMS Type of "POLE" which represent the mismatch in the CSV state estimation solution around the DC converter terminals. This was working appropriately for multi-terminal DC line system, but was not begin done for the VSC DC Line that were translated. This has been fixed so that an additional fake load is added to represent this mismatch for VSC DC system. Also modified so that VSC DC systems are always put on an ACMode of power factor so that they match the reactive flow read from the CSV file.
    • File Formats: When reading in an hdbexport case. The AGC flag for a load is set to NO if the Base MW is greater than or equal to half of the actual MW. Degenerate situations in which both the Base MW and actual MW are zero would cause this flag to be set to NO when it should really stay set as YES. Now the check is to see if the Base MW is greater than half of the actual MW. BaseMW > 0.5*MW instead of BaseMW >= 0.5*MW.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed some error with loading the Areva Oneline menus

May 14, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Added more fields as valid fields to be used when using the option to Iterate on Action Status with linear contingency analysis. These fields include: Branch Max MVA, 3-winding transformer Status of primary, secondary, and tertiary windings, All Branch MVA Limits, and All Branch Amp Limits.
  • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Added the contingency option to Iterate on Action Status to the ATC dialog. This option has always been used with linear ATC calculations, but it had previously only been found on the contingency dialog. When both dialogs are open at the same time, clicking on this option on either dialog will change the option on the other dialog.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added more fields as valid fields to be used when using the option to Iterate on Action Status with linear contingency analysis. These fields include: Branch Max MVA, 3-winding transformer Status of primary, secondary, and tertiary windings, All Branch MVA Limits, and All Branch Amp Limits.
  • Difference Case Tool: When specifying your own AUX Export Format Description for use when exporting the changes between two cases using the Present Topological Differences Tool, we have modified how the NEW objects are written. The object types that are written will be determined by the specified AUX Export Format Description, but the fields that are written will be determined by the built-in "Network Model" format. This ensures that the list of required fields are included with New Objects.
  • Transient Stability: Added a flag "SELFCLEAR" at the end of a TSContingencyElement Action String for a fault. Normally when a fault point is isolated by opening branches in the system, the fault will NOT automatically clear itself and thus if lines are closed back in the fault will remain in place. When specifying SELFCLEAR, then when a fault point becomes isolated it will automatically clear itself at the same moment.
  • Transient Stability: Added support when auto-inserting transient stability fault definitions to use the new SelfClear feature of a fault.
  • Transient Stability: Added Exciter AC11C.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When using the linear contingency process to Iterate on Action Status, it was possible that the correct flow was not being used if a TOPOLOGYCHECK action used a flow condition rather than a status condition check. The base case flow should be used until the first step in which the post-contingency linear flows are calculated. Instead of using the base case flows zero would be used instead. The intention of TOPOLOGYCHECK actions is to use statuses as check conditions, so this should have only been an issue in rare instances.

May 8, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Added several Short-Cut keyboard keys for use on case information displays
    Ctrl + Q = Quick Filter Dialog
    Shift + Alt + A = Save Auxiliary File for Selected Records All Columns
    Ctrl + Shift + A = Save Auxiliary File for Selected Records Selected Columns
    Ctrl + Alt + A = Save Auxiliary File for All Records All Columns
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: The ContingencyElement field WhoAmi Description shows a pretty version of the contingency element description. Various options allow that descriptions format to be changed to show various file format versions of the element description instead. If the element was unlinked however, the file format versions would just show a blank indicating that the unlinked objects wouldn't be written to file by default. This has been changed so that now we just show the normal unlinked information prepended with the word "Unlinked". It's still clear to the user that the element is unlinked.
  • File Formats: When reading an EPC file, added the translation of new EPC turbine type integers to the UnitCode as spelled out in recent updates to the WECC Data Preparation Manual.
    3 --> XC (Cross Compound Steam)
    19 --> BT (Turbines Used in a Binary Cycle, including those used for geothermal applications)
    25 --> WS (Wind Turbine, Offshore)
    29 --> CT (Combined Cycle Combustion Turbine Part)
    42 --> BA (Energy Storage, Battery)
    43 --> FW (Energy Storage, Flywheel)
    44 --> ES (Energy Storage, Other)
    46 --> CE (Compressed Air Storage)
    47 --> CP (Energy Storage, Concentrated Solar Power)
    51 --> HA (Hydrokinetic, Axial Flow Turbine)
    52 --> HB (Hydrokinetic, Wave Buoy)
    53 --> HK (Hydrokinetic, Other)
    54 --> PS (Hydro Pumped Storage)
  • File Formats: When reading an EPC file, if any generator turbine type integers are read which are not specified in the WECC Data Preparation Manual, then a warning message will be written to the log indicating that this integer value is being interpreted as "OT (Other)"
  • File Formats: When writing out to the EPC file, any UnitType values for nuclear steam generators NB, NG, NH, and NP will be written as turbine type 1 indicating a steam turbine. Previously these were written as 99 indicating other. Customers pointed out that steam was an appropriate mapping.
  • File Formats: When reading the EPC generator cont_mode for the voltage control mode, the integer values -2, 2, and 3 indicating types of either constant power factor or boundary power factor control. These were added several years ago originally for wind turbine generators and when first introduced it was reliable to assume that these always indicating a wind turbine. At the time, the turbine type field was not reliably populated so PowerWorld automatically changed the unit type when these values were seen. This is no longer appropriate so we no longer populate the unit type based on these values.
  • General: Added a new generator field UnitType choice of "XC (Cross Compound Steam)". When reading an EPC file this will be set if the turbine type = 3.
  • General: Added a new column for generators to translate the generator UnitType field into the integer turbine type documented in in the WECC Data Preparation Manual.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Modified the oneline hints for branch objects to identify the BranchDeviceType in the Object Identifier string shown when popping up oneline hints.
  • Transient Stability: Added transient stability validation checks on REPC_A and REPC_B about having PMax >= Pmin and Qmax >= Qmin.
  • Transient Stability: Added transient stability validation checks to UCCPSS, UCBGT, and UHRSG governor models.
  • Transient Stability: Modified the Plot Designer portion of the Transient Stability and PV Curve tool dialogs so that list of plots, subplots, and vertical axis groups will show more meaningful captions for Subplots and Vertical Axis Groups. Previously they were identified only by number. Now, Subplots and Vertical Axis Groups will show captions based on the following priority.
    1. TitleCaption if specified
    2. FooterCaption if specified (applies only to Subplot)
    3. If it contains only one plot series, it will show the same header as that plot series
    4. If all plot series it contains have the same field then it will show the field
    5. If all plot series it contains have the same object then it will show the object identifier
    6. If all else fails it will revert back to the number
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: Distributed CTG was not restoring the reference state before running a group of contingencies. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: When changing the general transient stability option of how to identify buses, the list of plot elements on the Plot Designer will now automatically update based on this choice. Previously they would only update after reopening the dialog or after adding or deleting a plot element.
    • Transient Stability: There was a bug when using the features top apply a fault "to Achieve Voltage" or "to Scale Voltage". This feature worked properly for a Bus, however when applied to a branch it was actually applying the fault to one of the terminal bus objects instead which meant that after clearing the branch fault, the bus fault remained. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Modified the UCBGT, UCCPSS, and UHRSG models so that if Trate values of 0 are specified we assume a value of generator MVABase. This is often not appropriate, but need to avoid zero values.

April 27, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added new optional parameter to CalculateLODFAdvanced, IncludeIslandingCTG. The default is YES to retain original functionality. This behaves in the same manner as the new option on the dialog.
  • Sensitivity Calculations: Added option with Advanced LODF Calculation to "Include Contingencies Creating Islands." This option is true by default because that is what we had been doing before adding this option. If a contingency creates a new island, we report the LODF as a very big number to indicate that this value cannot be calculated. This option can be used to exclude these types of contingencies from the results.
  • Transient Stability: Added a warning message in Validation of transient stability if a REPC_B model exists but has no Control Devices specified

April 26, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Modified the Auxiliary File Export Format Description dialog so that you can manually drag the fields listed to change the order in which they appear. Also modified so that a selected list of entries can be deleted by hitting the Delete key on the keyboard (after selecting using mouse clicks in combination of Ctrl or Shift keys).
  • File Formats: Removed the log message when reading an EPC about bypassed branches that had a positive X value. This is perfectly fine for a bypassed series reactor, so the log message was causing confusion.
  • Transient Stability: Added AC10C Exciter.
  • Transient Stability: Added support when reading the REPC_B model from a DYD file so that we interpret 2 character ID strings in the parameter list as the IDs of generators or SVCs appropriatly and also write them out as 2 character IDs. Previously these values were required to be numbers which were rounded to the neared integer. Also added special support when reading these values so that number strings such as 2.0 and 34.0 will be interpreted as the ID string 2 and 34.
  • Transient Stability: Added some error messages to the log when loading the REPC_B models which reference either bus numbers that do not exist or generator/shunt objects by ID which do not exist in the case.

April 24, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When choosing fields on the Auxiliary File Export Format Description, the fields were always added to the end of the list instead of the location to which you have dragged the fields. This has been fixed.
  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): On the Auxiliary File Export Format Description dialog, when clicking the Modify button to modify the fields for a particular object type, if the Cancel button was hit on the subsequent dialog then you would loose the digits and decimal places you had chosen for the list of fields. This has been fixed.
  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): On the Auxiliary File Export Format Description dialog, when clicking the Modify button, and then dragging fields from the list of available fields onto the field list, Simulator would always add the fields at the end of the list. This has been fixed so that fields are added to the location to which they are dragged.
  • File Formats: Reading the same PowerWorld AUX file by different Simulator instances could cause an error because the same file could not be read simultaneously. There doesn't need to be a restriction on separate instances of Simulator reading the same AUX file, so this restriction has been removed.

April 23, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Difference Case Tool: Added Difference Case tool support for generator fields CTGPreventAGC, CTGPartFact, CTGMaxResp, CTGMaxRespPerc, Online
  • Difference Case Tool: Added Difference Case tool support for branch field RegBus, RegBusNumUsed
  • Transient Stability: Added new right-click option under Save As on a case information displays for Generator, Shunt, LineShunt, and Branch objects, as well as any transient stability dynamic model object for one of these 4 objects. The new option says "DYD Format (only models of selected records)" and will store a DYD file snippet for the objects and models selected. Also include support for some Load objects and models as appropriate.
  • Bug Fixes

    • QV Curve Tool: When choosing to save results to file with a QV run, temporary files are created in a specially named directory in an attempt to limit the amount of computer memory used. There were two issues being reported related to these temporary files. (1) Windows has a limit of 260 characters for the name of a file path, which includes the directory and the file name. The temporary files would not be created, but no error would be issued until an attempt was made to access the file. A validation check has been added at the beginning of a QV run that checks to see if any of the temporary file paths would be too long, and if so, the QV run will not continue. (2) Some users have reported that the temporary directory is not being created, which also results in the temporary files not being created and no results existing for studied scenarios. Additional error checking has been added during the creation of the temporary directory, and if this fails, the QV run cannot continue.

April 20, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Modified DER_A model by adding two new parameters Iqh1 and Iql1 as limits on the extra reactive current injection path.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed access violation that could occur when trying to change the filter for an object type in an Aux Export Format Description.
    • Power Flow Solution: Fixed a bug in which super area AGC was not disabled when the super area spans multiple islands that contain more than one super area or areas that are not in the super area.
    • Transient Stability: Result Events in Transient stability related to the Distribution Equivalent Model which relate to the LTC1 model on the transformer switching the result even object was being reported as a blank. This was because this is for the internal transformer which is created only inside the transient stability simulation. We will now report the Load object's identification to indicate where the LTC1 model is coming from.

April 18, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added option "Use Defined Names in Variable Name Locations" to the Case Information Display options. This will display certain fields that are able to be named (CustomFloat, CustomInteger, CustomString, CustomExpression, CustomExpressionStr, DataCheck, DataCheckAggr, and CalcField) to be shown with the name replacing the location number when the fields are shown as their variable names. As an example, CustomFloat:1 will appear as CustomFloat:The name I gave this float.
  • General: When a user chose to open a case file that was NOT a PWB file, but left the "Files of Type" set to PWB this would cause an error (as it should). This error has however been modified to more gracefully abort the read and indicate to the user that the file type is probably wrong.
  • Transient Stability: Added AC9C Exciter Model
  • Bug Fixes

    • GIC: Fixed bugs with initial GIC values not being set. Also, now with GICs are included in transient stability depends on whether they are included in the power flow. Added ability to include snapshot GICs in the transient stability.
    • Time Step Simulation: Time point column header for "Total MVA Load" should have been "Total Mvar Load" and has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Added the ability for generators to close at buses that were previously not energized.
    • Transient Stability: For the REEC_A/B/C models, when Tpord = 0 then the Pmax/Pmin limits were not being properly enforced. This has been fixed.

April 12, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added result storage of Area ACE value
  • Transient Stability: Modified the LHFRT model so that when obtaining the frequency measurement at the bus, if the voltage is below the "Minimum PU voltage for relay frequency measurement", then the frequency is treated as at nominal
  • Transient Stability: Added a new Gen object field called "TSGovMWCap" which returns the MW Base of the active dynamic governor model if available. If either no governer is active or the active governor does not have a MW Base parameter, then this field will appear as blank.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When using the RenumberMSLineDummyBuses script command, no dummy buses would be renumbered unless the optional parameter for the Delimiter was specified. This has been fixed. If no delimiter is specified, either a space or a comma will work as a delimiter.
    • Power Flow Solution: In the pre-processing step of the overall power flow solution, an estimate of generation changes is done if using island AGC control. This estimate is meant to prevent excessive MW change from going to the island slack, which could cause a power flow failure. When loading a PWB file, we were assuming that the case was solved which meant that this estimate of generation changes was not done and could lead to a power flow failure. At the end of each successful power flow solution, a loss percent value is stored for each island that will be used for subsequent power flow solutions. This loss percent value is used for the next power flow solution during the pre-processing step to estimate generation changes required to meet load MW, loss MW, shunt MW, and dc line interchange. This loss percent value will now be stored in PWB files so that if a case for which no power flow solution is attempted is saved to a file and re-loaded, the same loss percent value will be used when trying to solve the power flow solution after re-loading.
    • Power Flow Solution: Fixed another issue with the svc smsmo2 to prevent oscillations. Now it will move the shunt only if it improves the voltage or the voltage movement is greater than a tolerance and greater than the current voltage difference from the target voltage value. Also it checks that the voltage difference between new B value voltage and the target and the difference between old B value voltage and the target is greater than a tolerance. This prevents oscillations from cases in which the solution was already close enough.
    • Transient Stability: There was an error in the GGOV1 model when a non-zero value of dB was specified and a non-zero value of R was specified. This was been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Modified to allow closing in generators in transient stability if they did not have a machine model specified. They will be modeled as a constant current injection.

April 9, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added concise variable names DynamicFormatting objects
  • Case Information Displays: Cleaned up the field descriptions and column headers for DynamicFormatting objects.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: OPENCBS and CLOSECBS contingency actions that are not able to identify breakers will now open or close the device meant to be acted upon by breakers. This will allow the same contingency definitions to be used in full topology cases containing all breakers and hybrid or planning models that do not contain breakers for all devices.
  • Data Checks: Added new ability to define DataCheck objects. These objects allow you to define by name an object that examines a particular ObjectType with a particular Criteria and then automatically builds a dialog showing you all objects that meet these data checks. In addition the Data Check dialog also provides summaries of counts of objects meeting (or not meeting) these data checks by aggregation objects of Area, Zone, Owner, and DataMaintainer.
  • Power Flow Solution: When on island based AGC control and an island does not have any controllable generators, the message in the log will now indicate which island by showing the number of the island slack bus.
  • Transient Stability: Added AC5C exciter model
  • Transient Stability: Added AC7C exciter model
  • Transient Stability: Added AC8C exciter model
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When using OPENCBS and CLOSECBS contingency actions and contingencies contain multiple devices that end up using the same set of breakers, it was possible that the actions were not properly performed if the original actions were defined with different Model Criteria, Status, Arming Criteria, Arming Status, or Time Delay. Breaker actions were not being included for all of these different combinations. This has been fixed.
    • Data Checks: Added new ability to define DataCheck objects. These objects allow you to define by name an object that examines a particular ObjectType with a particular Criteria and then automatically builds a dialog showing you all objects that meet these data checks. In addition the Data Check dialog also provides summaries of counts of objects meeting (or not meeting) these data checks by aggregation objects of Area, Zone, Owner, and DataMaintainer.
    • File Formats: When loading an EPC file, if a DC system has exactly 2 converters, 2 dc buses, and 1 dc line, then Simulator creates a 2 terminal DC line object. There was a bug with this conversion for determining the metered end of the two-terminal DCTransmissionLIne if the first bus listed in the EPC file DC line record was the inverter bus instead of the rectifier. This has been fixed.
    • File Formats: Reading the same RAW, EPC, or Areva CSV file by different Simulator instances could cause an error because the same file could not be read simultaneously. There doesn't need to be a restriction on separate instances of Simulator reading the same file, so this restriction has been removed.
    • Power Flow Solution: Fixed power flow solution failure in situations when the DC transmission line control resulted in the tap ratio oscillating between two values where one tap resulted in the firing angle being just below the minimum firing angle and the second tap resulted in the firing angle being safely above the minimum firing angle. In some situations this could resulted in the voltage control loop of the power flow solution oscillating between these two states. Simulator will now automatically pick the DC tap value that results in the firing angle being above the minimum firing angle.
    • Power Flow Solution: When changing topology to combine viable islands together, the loss percentage for the new island is determined from the loss percentage of the islands that were previously viable. The percentage was being chosen somewhat randomly and could result in picking a loss percentage that was not appropriate for the new island. This would result in a failed power flow solution. Now the loss percentage is chosen from the original island that had the most load.
    • Power Flow Solution: Fixed an bug in which svsmo2 were oscillating and were not stopping the movement of the shunt in the power flow solution.
    • Power Flow Solution: Fixed bug that would not check if SVSMO2 type SVCs need to operate if other non-SVC shunts had moved in the same voltage control loop.
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Fixed a bug that would prevent the individual curve files from being created during a QV run. These files are used to save memory when using the option to Save Results to File.

March 28, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): The SaveJacobian script command will now allow DC to be specified for the JacForm parameter. This will save the B' matrix for the dc power flow.
  • Case Information Displays: Added a new field to a DataMaintainer called "AllowEdit". Setting this field to NO will mean that for objects that are maintained by this DataMaintainer, case information display editing will not be allowed nor will modifying an fields of those objects using AUX files or script commands.
  • File Formats: When loading an EPC file, if a generator is set to cont_mode = 2, but the power factor given is 0.0, then this is inconsistent data. In this situation, Simulator will now set pf = 0.01 and write a warning to the message log.
  • File Formats: When loading an EPC file, if a generator is set to cont_mode = 3, but the power factor given is 0.0, then this is impossible data (would result in infinite Mvar output). In this situation, Simulator will now change the cont_mode to 1 which is equivalent to setting AVR = NO in Simulator. A warning will also be written to the message log.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed bug in the initialization of the WTGTRQ_A model when the MVABase of the model is different than the MVA Base of the generator.
    • Transient Stability: For REPC_B model, the specification of RefFlag = 2 (constant power factor control) was not being handle properly and was being treated internally instead as RefFlag = 1 (constant voltage). This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: For REPC_B model, when specifying RefFlag = 2 (constant power factor), if the real power (P) is zero (<0.0001), then we now instead treat RefFlag = 0 (constant Q). This was done because the initial power factor does not make any sense when P = 0.

March 26, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • GIC: Added support for the TPL-007.1 geomagnetic scaling function
  • Transient Stability: Added AC1C transient Stability Model
  • Transient Stability: Added AC2C transient Stability Model
  • Transient Stability: Added AC3C transient Stability Model
  • Transient Stability: Added AC4C transient Stability Model
  • Transient Stability: Added AC6C transient Stability Model
  • Transient Stability: Added the ability to specify the TSDistGenMVABase with a Load, LoadModelGroup, Bus, Owner, Zone or Area. The MVABase then assumed for the Load Distributed Generation model will be the TSDistGenMVABase associated with the object from which the Load is inheriting it's model. Thus if the Owner object has a Load Distributed Gen model, the Owner object's TSDistGenMVABase will be used. The exception to this is that any Load object that has a TSDistGenMVABase specified will automatically use that MVABase regardless of where the model is inherited from.
  • Transient Stability: Added fields on a Bus, Area, Zone and Owner object to show the presently assigned Load Distributed Generation model name.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed an access violation error caused when calling the new ObjectFieldsInputDialog() script command.
    • File Formats: When writing the SEQ data, if a tertiary winding was not specified for a three-winding transformer an error would occur. This has been fixed.
    • GIC: Fixed column headers for Branch fields "Low R Per Distance" and "Custom DC Resistance" which were interchanged.
    • GIC: Fixed bug in writing *.gic files and adding more digits for the transformer winding resistance output.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): The interaction of breaker configurations and generators on remote regulation could cause power flow numerical difficulties. Checks have been added to fix these numerical problems.
    • Oneline Diagrams: This fixes the access violation that occurs when using Find Areva Oneline in floating windows mode when the oneline viewer isn't open.
    • Power Flow Solution: PowerWorld performs a remote regulation viability check with generator objects and does not attempt to regulate a voltage if it is impossible to do so. This check has been expanded to include continuous switched shunts and SVCs.
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: "Maximum Transfer" will be reported as the critical scenario even if the step size has been reduced because the transfer ramping fails in the base case when studying a contingency that failed to solve. Previously, this was always being reported as "Reached Nose in Base Case".
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: The "Reached Nose in Base Case" critical scenario can be encountered if the transfer ramping in the base case fails AFTER a contingency has failed to solve and the analysis is being done on this failed contingency. This scenario should only result if the solution continues to fail due to base case ramping and the contingency does not fail. As soon as the contingency fails during this process this result is no longer valid. This has been fixed so that this result will not be reported if the contingency fails.
    • Transient Stability: After loading a REPC_A or REPC_B model it was possible for an access violation to occur when closing the case or deleting objects references by the REPC_A/REPC_B model. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed bug that could occur when reading a DYD record which had an ID specified as a blank by using consecutive "" characters.
    • Transient Stability: During initialization OEL1 objects were indicating that they were resetting. This wasn't impacting the simulation but was confusing and has been removed.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Added option to abort multiple TLR sensitivity calculation on error. Previously, the error message was shown with an "Ok" button, forcing the user to click ok for each error. If there were many errors, this could be time consuming.

March 16, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Remove FilterPre from the list of required fields for a Filter object. Assume a value of NO if not present.
  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): On the Auxiliary File Export Format Description dialog, when choosing to Create Format for Complete Case and choosing "Complete Model", the dialog that appears allows you to choose which parts of the model to export. There is now a new check box on this dialog that allows you to specify for the Network Model portion to "(Split commonly changed fields)". Checking this new box will split up fields for some objects into 2 data sections: a section with fields that normally do not change and a second section with fields that commonly do change. This mimics what occurs when exporting data from the Present Topological Differences from Base Case tool.
  • Transient Stability: The swing equation for synchronous machines is 0.5/H*[(Pmech - Dw)/(1+w) - Telec]. In the result reporting for Simulator, the the accelerating power was being reported as Pmech - (1+w)*Telec and thus did not include the impact of the damping term D. For the vast majority of model the D term should be zero, however if D is not zero, then we will now report the accelerating power as Pmech - Dw - (1+w)*Telec instead.
  • Transient Stability: Added the DC4C exciter model
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added messages in the log when reading Condition or ModelConditionCondition objects from an AUX file which have an invalid ConditionType specified for the ObjectField.
    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed a bug with the CalculateTLR script command that would produce an error if exactly 6 parameters were passed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: When showing the ThumbNail View on a oneline diagram, the selecting of any text-based fields on the main portion of the oneline may not working properly. If the zoom level of the ThumbNail was such that text would not be drawn inside the ThumbNail then the text could not be selected on the main portion of the oneline. This has been fixed.
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: When saving PV results to file and the base case is critical because of the Maximum Transfer being reached, the message about the Newly Critical scenario just said "base case." This indicates that the base case could not be solved rather than the scenario being critical because of the Maximum Transfer being reached. This has been fixed and the description of the scenario will now say "base case (Maximum Transfer)."
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Fixed a rare infinite loop problem in which the PV tool could keep repeating the same transfer level over and over again. This would occur if the step size was reduced below the minimum step size because of specifying a maximum transfer level at which to stop the analysis AND a scenario would not solve at this step size.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed a bug where renumbering areas, zones, or balancing authorities if the area contained switched shunts that were on continuous or SVC control. This would cause weird anomalies where areas/zones that were renumbered were appearing as if they were not empty.

March 8, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): There are several ObjectTypes that are contained inside other ObjectTypes. For instance a ModelFilterCondition is contained by a ModelFilter. For many of these ObjectTypes it is convenient when loading an AUX file, to create the container object if it does not already exist, so Simulator automatically does this. However, it was not clear this was occurring to the user, so red warning messages have been added to the log to alert the user this is occurring. Examples of this include the following listed by "ContainerType"\"subtype"
    Filter\Condition
    ModelCondition\ModelConditionCondition
    ModelFilter\ModelFilterCondition
    Interface\InterfaceElement
    Contingency\ContingencyElement
    CTGElementBlock\CTGElementBlockElement
    RemedialAction\RemedialActionElement
    InjectionGroup\PartPoint
    TSContingency\TSContingencyElement
    TSPlayIn\TSPlayInSignal
    TSPlayIn\TSPlayInInfo
  • Case Information Displays: added concise variable names for Superbus and Subnet objects
  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Added concise variable names for PVPlotSeries, PVSubPlot, PVPlotVertAxisGroup, and PVPlot objects
  • Transient Stability: Added additional concise variable names for transient stability models.
    Added concise variable names for following objecttypes TSPlotSeries, TSSubPlot, TSPlotVertAxisGroup, TSPlot, TSLimitMonitor, and Transient_Options.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Case Information Displays: Recent patch after Feb 26 cause the list of User-Defined Case Information displays in the Model Explorer to not work properly. This is now fixed.
    • Contingency Analysis: When using a RemedialActionElements with more than 2 TimeDelays thresholds, coupled with actions the called for opening a branch that was already open, it was possible for the contingency solution process to stop prematurely. This odd situation has been fixed.
    • Distributed Computation: Distributed Transient Stability set to store results to the hard drive were doing so in the case directory rather than in the specified storage directory.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed an error with handling of relaying time if a simulation was run for more than 35 minutes. An integer overflow was occurring because this exceeded more than 2,147,483,648 microseconds. The relays can now handle simulations longer than this.
    • Transient Stability: Adding AUX file support for several Transient_Options fields that previously could not be editted via an AUX file. These fields now have the following concise variablenames: GRNL_Interactive, MOD_FreqInitFromPlayIn, MOD_GICInclude, MOD_GICTimeDelay, MOD_MotorW, MOD_SatSEOneZero, MOD_UndocPILimits

March 2, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Contingency Analysis Tool: While the contingency dialog was open, when loading an AUX file from somewhere other than the Load button on that dialog, the various edit boxes and check boxes on the contingency dialog the show the contingency options would not always update. This has been fixed so that regardless of how the AUX file is loaded the edit boxes and check boxes will update immediately.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Updated the column headings and descriptions of several CTG_Options fields so that when these options are shown in the CTG_Options_Value tables in a case information display more descriptive headings and descriptions are shown. This effects 3 options related to Island Limit Monitoring and 3 options related to storing contingency results to the hard drive.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): The Convert to Device Contingencies option was not working correctly to identify devices that are affected by breaker contingencies. This has been fixed.

February 26, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Bus View and Substation View Onelines: When using the Bus View option to "Show Serial Buses" on a Full Topology Mode, Simulator previously would bias a series of branches to show the non-switching devices most prominently. This was so that Transmission Lines, Transformers, Series Caps/Reactors, and such would appear larger and more prominent. If such a device was not in the series of buses then the first device was always shown. This has been modified so that within a series of switching devices we also bias to show either Breakers or Load Break Disconnects as the prominent device. This makes the breakers and load break disconnects appear more prominently than the plain disconnect switches.
  • Case Information Displays: Custom Expressions can now reference any model field. Previously only Model Expressions could be accessed in addition to fields for the particular expression object type.
  • Case Information Displays: When specifying variables in the Custom Expression dialog, there are now variable type choices of Field, Model Field, Model Expression, and Model String Expression. Model Expressions and Model String Expressions are special entries in an attempt to support older functionality of the dialog when only Model Expressions were available. Specifying Model Fields and Model String Expression as a variable type will not be supported in previous patch releases in Simulator and will become unlinked Model Expressions when loaded into earlier patch releases.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Added right-click options to a oneline to automatically "Open Google Maps". This will automatically open google maps at the “1000m” zoom level and also with it set to show the satellite view. The syntax used is
    https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0902082,-88.2392787,386m/data=!3m1!1e3
  • Transient Stability: When reading and writing a DYD file added ability to translate the distrel/zonedef/blindef models into a DistRelay model.
  • Transient Stability: modified reading of LOCTI record from DYD file so that any parameter after Tm1 can be omitted and a value of zero will be assumed for the parameter
  • Transient Stability: Modified reading the TIOCRS record from DYD file so that any paramter after A can be omitted and a value of zero will be assumed for the parameter
  • Transient Stability: added ability to read/write the CHVDC2 model to and from the DYD file.
  • Transient Stability: Added support for the Exciter models DC1C
  • Transient Stability: Added support for the Exciter models DC2C
  • Transient Stability: Added support for switched shunt model mss1
  • Transient Stability: Added support for switched shunt model mss2
  • Bug Fixes

    • Case Information Displays: Fixed a bug with Custom Expressions that referenced Model Expressions that were set to be evaluated in the contingency reference state when used as part of contingency processing. The Model Expressions were only be evaluated in the current contingency state.
    • Case Information Displays: Pasting a participation point from Excel into the participation point case information display associated with participation points for a particular injection group will now work the same as pasting into the case information display for all participation points for all injection groups. Old functionality wouldn't always allow you to paste into this case info unless you were using the correct set of key fields. Now any set of valid key fields can be used.
    • Scheduled Actions: Fixed an access violation that would occur when right-clicking on a Scheduled Action to open the local menu. This error would occur if the Device was not specified.
    • Scheduled Actions: Fixed an access violation that could occur if trying to find a Scheduled Action that hasn't properly been assigned to a Scheduled Outage. This would mostly occur when trying to create or identify a Scheduled Action through auxiliary files or SimAuto calls.
    • Transient Stability: More clean up of features for auto-inserting distance relays.
    • Transient Stability: Added fix to make critical clearing time command consistent with the dialog. Previously there was no option to clear the fault or open the line (as there is with the dialog). The an optional parameter was added so that by specifying 'O' or 'OPEN' the user can tell the command to open both ends of the line. By default the fault is still cleared.

February 15, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: When loading in a PTI RAW files that have been exported from other software such as an EMS system, we have found exported voltages around three-winding transformer can be highly suspicious resulting in very large initial mismatches. This occurs when one or more terminals of a three-winding transformer is radial and not connected to anything that is online. In these situations the star bus and the radial terminal can have per unit voltage magnitudes and angles in the RAW file that are not consistent with the rest of the RAW file. This has been fixed by detecting these situations and assigning a more reasonable voltage and angle for these buses based on the impedances and voltages around them.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Case Information Displays: When performing Column Metrics on special matrix grids (such as the Jacobian or Y-bus matrix), the digits and decimals of the case information display could be incorrectly changed to 32 and 16. This has been fixed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed a bug in the 64-bit version of Simulator where part of the No Data portion of the contour was not being drawn in.
    • Scheduled Actions: Added "Allow Active" field of Scheduled Actions objects to storage in the PWB file.
    • Transient Stability: Cleaning up the the features for auto inserting Distance Relays.

February 14, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): Renaming the option "Find and open Areva Substation Oneline..." to "Find and open Areva/Allstom Oneline...". This is to make it more general and accurate when applying this option to opening path onelines from the interface definition table
  • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): Adding the ability to be able to open Areva path overview onelines.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Difference Case Tool: When using the Difference Case tool, any injection group participation points that are not linked will not be included in the comparison. They will not show up in the New, Removed, or Both lists.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): When reading Areva DDL files, fixed potential error in reading file depending on the placement of parenthesis.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixing an issue with the automatic closure of onelines once the max open oneline threshold has been reached so that onelines open within the Oneline Viewer that are closed also close the tab that they inhabited.

February 13, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: When reading a DYD file, modified parsing of the EWTGFC model so that the last 7 parameters are optional and if omitted will assume the following values: Xc=0, Kqd-0, Tlpqd=0, Xdq=0, Vermn=-0.1, Vermx=0.1, Vfrz=0.7.
  • Transient Stability: When reading a DYD file, modified parsing of the LSDT2 model to allow as few as 5 input parameters to be specified with all subsequent parameters assumed as 0.
  • Transient Stability: When reading a REEC_B record from a DYD file we expect to see 30 input parameters after the colon. This record does not support the mva=12.34 syntax as other records sometimes do, however sometimes we see DYD records which start with the mva=12.34 syntax followed by 29 parameters. In this situation it is reasonable to assume that this first parameter should have instead just been 12.34. We have added special processing of the REEC_B record to support this with a warning message written to the log to indicate this has been assumed. Previously we would have just ignored this record completely and reported an error.
  • Transient Stability: REPC_A and REPC_B models would spit out validation errors when they were configured to measure a branch P, Q, or I and no branch was specified on which to perform this measurement. PowerWorld's hope was that by making this an error which prevented the running of transient stability, this would force the input data to be updated over time, however after a few years it has become clear that this error just confuses folks and the input data has not been updated. We have modified it so that this is now a warning and indicates to the user that all input of IBranch, QBranch, and PBranch will be assumed to be zero until the data is updated.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Slightly modified how the SendToExcel script command sets up a connection to Excel to make it less likely to get a connection and then have Windows subsequently close that connection resulting a Window COM error. Note that it remains dangerous to make repeated called to the SendToExcel script command as this sets up Window COM timing issues with opening and closing Excel in the background. It would be better to use a direct COM connection to Excel that the user manages instead.
    • Difference Case Tool: Unlinked participation factors in an injection group could cause "Duplicate not found" errors when using the Difference Case tool to compare cases. This has been fixed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: When choosing to recalculate the Contour from the toolbar, sometimes as access violation would occur. This has been fixed.
    • Scheduled Actions: When returning actions by using normal status, check to see if the action is active by checking the resolution window if one is in place. Previously we had been ignoring this and returning the action as long as the view time was outside of the time of the action.

February 12, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Added an explicit column for the Island records for "Number". This show the internally assigned Number of each island shown in the user interface. This number is automatically recalculated every time the topology of the system is evaluated. This number matches the number shown on various other tables such as Bus, Gen, etc. which show the island in which a device is contained.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When viewing contingency results by element and comparing contingency results, the summary information about the comparison was not always correct. This has been fixed.
    • General: Fixing an issue that could cause the program to terminate immediately upon startup with the error, "Couldn't start licensing. Terminating immediately."

February 7, 2018

Bug Fixes

  • Oneline Diagrams: Fixing an access violation that could occur when right clicking on a substation display object on a oneline.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Fixing an issue where clicking on a link to another Areva based oneline wasn't doing a search based on where the originating oneline is stored. This was the original behavior.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Fixing a situation where the oneline viewer wouldn't show the file listing within the default folder upon opening.
  • Power Flow Solution: Fixed a bug where voltages were not being updated correctly for the bus that is being reconnected when closing breakers when using the option to "Close Breakers to Energize Switched Shunts." This could result in a failed power flow solution.

February 6, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added the ability to read and implement the LSDT3A model which uses a separate PickupValue as compared to the Setpoint value.
  • Transient Stability: Added storage of result of the Vmin and Vmax values to the DER_A model
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed the under and over frequency tripping of the DER_A machine model so that it does not create a spike in the frequency calculation after the machine trips.
    • Transient Stability: Modified the LOCTI model so that when reading a DYD if the parameter t3trip is not specified a value of 0 is assumed. This is appropriate for this model.

February 2, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Modified how CalculatedField objects work in the user interface dialog when they are very simple and refer to another Advanced Filter by reference.
  • Transient Stability: Added support for the governor model h6e that represents a Hydro Turbine with an American Governor Company Controller.
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: For Version 20 patches on 1/25/2018 and 1/30/2018, there was an error in save backwards to a Version 19 PWB file which make it impossible to read this Version 19 PWB back into either Version 19 or 20. A fix has been added so that we can properly read this PWB file back in and so that we write future version 19 PWB files that do not have this problem.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed bug in bringing up the case information display showing all the results in a particular plot. An access violation was introduced in a recent patch which is now fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Modified DER_A voltage tripping to compare times rounded to the nears microsecond when using Tlv0, Tlv1, Thv0, and Thv1. This makes timing more consistent.
    • User Interface Dialogs: When changing the Filter Object Type on the Advanced Filter Dialog (or inside the Calculated Field dialog), the the list of fields for the field-to-field comparison were not being updated on the dialog immediately. The same was true for the list of filters if you had chosen to "Use Another Filter" as one of the conditions. This would update as soon as you changed the condition field. It will now update immediately however.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Modified the string that appears describing some more obscure object type when using the find/choose dialog. These include the InterfaceElement, ContingencyElement, InterfaceElement, PartPoint, ModelCondition, ModelConditionCondition, ModelFilter, ModelFilterCondition, Condition, and Filter. This was a cosmetic change only that would most commonly be noticed on the Dependency Explorer DialogResizing

January 30, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Added Maximum Transfer as a critical reason with PV results. This can only appear with the base case scenario. This will appear if the "Stop when transfer exceeds" transfer level is met. This option would always cause the PV analysis to stop, but there was no indication with the PV results object that this has occurred. A message appears on the dialog, but this couldn't be determined by just looking at the results.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Added a button to the Geography tab of the Substation dialog which copies the Lat/Long information to the system clipboard.
    Also added this feature to the menu when right-clicking on a substation object on a oneline diagram.

January 25, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added new optional parameter to ZeroOutMismatches script command. Specify ZeroOutMisatches(Load); to indicate that fake loads should be created to zero out the mismatches. The default behavior is that ShuntG and ShuntB will be changed. Added right-click option to the mismatch table to do the same.
  • Case Information Displays: When using the special syntax of & followed by the name of a Model Expression to specify the value of a field in script commands, Model String Expressions can now be specified as well. Model Expressions and Model String Expressions must have unique names between them so no additional syntax is necessary. When the & syntax is found, Simulator will first look for a Model Expression with the specified name and if none is found Model String Expressions will be searched.
  • GIC: (i) GIC Hotspot can now be modeled as a rectangle (as compared to a square earlier)
    (ii) GIC geographic earth resistivity regions now have an additional field called HotSpotScalar, in addition to the Scalar. This is to model the supplemental event beta_s, as per NERC documents
    (iii) Added option to choose between HotSpotScalar vs. Scalar for points inside a hotspot.
    (iv) Added GICGeographicRegionScalarCustom:1 for substations, which overrides looking up the region's hotspot scalar. Similar to GICGeographicRegionScalarCustom:0
    (iv) Modified GIC calculation to reflect the use of HotSpotScalar, if chosen.
    (v) No read/write support YET HotSpotScalar in PSSE GIC files.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Adding the ability to open Areva substation onelines from MTDC bus, converter and line lists; three-winding transformers; interface elements; substations; superbuses; subnets and scheduled actions lists.
  • Optimal Power Flow (OPF): Updated column headers for OPFSolutionSummary object type.
  • Transient Stability: Added ability to load a OTGD file that represent transient stability contingencies.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixing an issue where oneline links that executed scripts didn't actually execute the scripts if they were invoked within the Oneline Viewer.

January 19, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added the ability to use @MODELFIELD syntax for the following options:
    Transient_Options: ExpDirectory
    PVCurve_Options: PVCOutFile, PVCQVOptionsFile, PVCStoreStatesWhere
    QVCurve_Options: QVOutputDir
    CTG_Options: CTGPostSolAuxFile, PostPostAuxFile, CTGResultStorageFile:1
    Sim_Environment_Options: SEOSpecifiedAUXFile:0, SEOSpecifiedAUXFile:1, SEOSpecifiedAUXFile:2
    MessLog_Options: LogAutoFileName
  • Bug Fixes

    • Power Flow Solution: The power flow solution option to prevent controller oscillations when applied to a switched shunt that was either an svsmo1 or svsmo3 SVC was being applied inconsistently. It will now properly turn the SVC off control if it is oscillating.

January 18, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: Fixed another issue with multi-terminal dc line names when writing to a RAW file. When the name is blank the number of the MTDC will be written instead. In this instance, the name was not being enclosed in single quotes, but his has now been fixed.

January 17, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added three additional optional parameters to the end of SendToExcel
    ClearExisting: Optional with default = YES. Set to NO to indicate that the existing worksheet should not be cleared before pasting in the information being sent
    RowShift: Optional with default = 0. Set to a positive integer to indicate a shift downwards by a number of rows
    ColShift: Optional with default = 0. Set to a positive integer to indicate a shift rightward by a number of columns
  • Difference Case Tool: Modified the Present Topological Differences from Base Case tool so that when choose to Save the differences of the Complete Model to an AUX file, the user may now define an AUX Export Format Description object indicating which objects and field lists to use for the export. This appears on the confirmation dialog for exporting the AUX file with the differences.
  • File Formats: Added message to the log when reading hdbexport files and the option to translate the DC system into multi-terminal DC systems is set to Always or Prompt and no DCLN records exist in the file. DC lines cannot be created if DCLN records do not exist.
  • Help: Moved the "Auxiliary File Format PDF" and the "Contingency and RAS Definition PDF" to be contained inside of PowerWorld's public help website.
  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Choosing to archive system states to file will now work when using the Reverse Transfer option with the PV tool and a scenario requires a reverse transfer in order to solve. The states that are stored behave a little differently than when doing the normal forward transfer. Keep in mind that only the contingencies that failed during the 0 transfer will be studied using a reverse transfer.
    (1) When choosing to "save only the base case for each critical contingency" the base case state will be saved at any reverse transfer level at which a contingency solved. This is different than how the states are saved during the forward transfer because then the base case state will only be saved at the critical transfer level, i.e. the highest transfer level at which a contingency will solve.
    (2) When choosing to "save all states" both the base case state and the contingency state will be saved at any reverse transfer level at which a contingency solved. This is the same as how the states are saved during the forward transfer.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed error that could occur when reading in a ViolationCTG object which did not have the fields for Limit or Value specified (normally you wouldn't do this, but it should cause an error anyway).
    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed a related error when saving ViolationCTG objects to an AUX filed for island related violations. They were not properly storing the 4 extra fields associated with islands showing the amount of generator MW, load MW, Bus count, and Superbus count.
    • File Formats: Fixed several issues with multi-terminal dc line names when reading from EPC files and writing to RAW files.
      (1) When loading from EPC files we had not been stripping the double quotes around the names of dc line objects and data maintainers. This has been fixed.
      (2) Because we had not been stripping the quotes when loading EPC files, multi-terminal dc lines could end up with names of " " saved in the PWB file. When loading from a PWB file these quotes will now be stripped so that the name of the multi-terminal dc line will be blank.
      (3) When saving to RAW files, writing the name of a multi-terminal dc line as '" "' was causing bugs when trying to load that RAW file back into Simulator. The corrections listed above should prevent the names from ever being set as " ". When writing to a RAW file if the multi-terminal dc line name is blank the number of the MTDC will be written instead.
    • File Formats: Fixed a List Out of Bounds error that could occur when appending an EPC file to an existing case. The problem was encountered when setting the owners for the dummy buses in multi-section lines.
    • GIC: Fixed a bug with "No Resistivity Scaling" in GIC Dialog. Now when this option is selected, the backend knows to use scaling of 1 by default, even if the Substation has GeographicRegion or GeographicRegionScalar or GeographicRegionScalarCustom.
    • Simulator Automation Server (SimAuto): Modified SimAuto so that it will never use the AutoSave PWB file option. This doesn't make sense in the context of SimAuto.
    • Simulator Automation Server (SimAuto): When using the SaveCase() script command or when calling the SimAuto command SaveCase, if you were trying to write a file to a directory that Windows was not configured to you write access to, then Simulator would show an error dialog. In these situations we do not want an error dialog to appear, but instead the error is handled and passed back to SimAuto for the user to interpret as appropriate.

January 11, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added support for several new VSCDCLine contingency actions that mimic the features available with the two-terminal DC line
    OPEN
    CLOSE 20 MW
    SETTO 40 %
    SETTO 20 MW
    CHANGEBY -60 %
    CHANGEBY -30 MW
    SETTO 5 OHMS
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added translation of the VSC DC Line OPEN contingency actions to a BLOCK VSCDC in the *.con file.

January 9, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Added ability to write out two additional Contingency action types to a PTI CON file
    1. BLOCK TWOTERMDC 'name' // Opens the DC line
    2. SET TWOTERMDC 'name' to 12.34 MW
    3. SET TWOTERMDC 'name' to 12.34 MW
  • General: Added the ability in an interface to include a Generator OPEN or a Load OPEN element. This has been integrated in the calculation of the AC Power Flow Solution, Linearized DC Power Flow Solution, the PTDF calculation, and the sensitivities and flows needed to perform an OPF solution.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Power Flow Solution: In the patch on 1/8/18 the following change was made: When using the option to Check Generator Mvar Limits Immediately, generators will only be allowed to hit limits for the first two voltage control loop iterations. After that they will only be allowed to back off limits.
      A bug was introduced with this that would ALWAYS set the option to back off immediately instead of just setting this if the option to check immediately was in use. This has been fixed.
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: When the source or sink is maxed when ramping in the PV base case and the system state is left in the last state, the Present Nominal Shift value shown on the dialog edit box was not reflecting the actual transfer in the system state. This has been fixed.

January 8, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Difference Case Tool: When showing some values in difference flows we show the Present Value followed by a | character followed by the Base Value such as " 103.45| 206.45". Depending on how wide the column is on the display however the text may have the portion of the string with the | character truncated. If the user can not see the | character it makes is confusing as to whether the value has changed or not. To avoid this confusion, we will now show the background color of cells shown in difference flows that contain a | character with a slightly different background color to indicate the value has changed.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Changed the tolerance for the injection group ramping options for Merit Order and Merit Order Close to be consistent with tolerances used during ATC ramping. An infinite loop could result during ramping while using one of these methods and also using one of the iterated ATC methods if the tolerances are not consistent.
    • Power Flow Solution: Fixed power flow solution when using optimal multiplier. In most situations the optimal multiplier was not being used even when the option to use it was in effect. This could cause the power flow to produce strange results, such as very high voltages, especially when doing PV solutions near the nose of the curve.
    • Power Flow Solution: When using the option to Check Generator Mvar Limits Immediately, generators will only be allowed to hit limits for the first two voltage control loop iterations. After that they will only be allowed to back off limits.

January 4, 2018

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added ability to right-click on the transient stability event case information display and show the dialog associated with the power system object refered to by this action.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Updated SetData script command to avoid erroring out when an object cannot be found. This was causing problems for users loading data with a SetData command over multiple cases where some objects may be missing or renumbered. An error will still be generated if the needed fields are not specified, or if there is a syntax error.
    • Power Flow Solution: Fixed a bug that would cause the fast decoupled solution not to solve correctly if not evaluating the power flow solution for each island.
    • Transient Stability: Added an extra message to relay when they are in Monitor/Alarm mode to say when they are supposed to open a relay after a delay. This was not showing and some user were thinking that the initiate trip message was the trip time of the relay.
    • Transient Stability: Modified interaction with transient stability event dialog when entering information on the dialog and then clicking Insert (at the top of the dialog). Previously clicking Insert would create a new action, but clear out some of the settings on the dialog (clicking OK worked fine). This has been modified so that clicking Insert does not clear any settings on the dialog.

December 28, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Oneline Diagrams: Adding GDV arrow objects for showing vectors.
  • Transient Stability: Added ability to delete all jpgs in the TS contour toolbar subdirectory. This is just a button on the dialog used to specify saving the TS contour images.
  • Bug Fixes

    • User Interface Dialogs: Fixed a bug that was causing Simulator to freeze when opening the limit monitoring settings. The problem was caused by an infinite loop if an interface contained a multi-section line object in it.

December 22, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added VFE of ESAC8B_GE into the State Other Fields.

December 21, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Oneline Diagrams: Adding the ability to open Areva substation onelines from the right click menu on string grid displays. Also can search for onelines in the Oneline Viewer.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Adding the ability to pan to display objects via the Areva "find" command when loading in a oneline via a oneline link.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Adding the PanAndZoomToObject() oneline script command.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Adding a parameter to OpenOneline() that takes a script command to be executed within the newly opened oneline.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Adding the ability to open the script action form from the oneline so that the user can execute scripts on the oneline display.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Adding multiple click actions on oneline link objects and the ability to manipulate the oneline link object multiple actions through sgfields.
  • Time Step Simulation: Modified TimeDomainOPF so it sets the GIC time value to be the offset time from the start of the time domain simulation.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed a display bug where copy/pasted transmission lines would not be inserted in the correct location. This only effected
    • Oneline Diagrams: When clicking on the Up/Down arrow next to a switched shunt on the oneline diagram, if the shunt was not set to ControlMode = Fixed, then the up/down arrows would not work. This has been fixed.

December 19, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Added new Branch field for storing results called "Minimum Profile Vpu". This field calculates the minimum voltage along the length of the series R and X of a branch. Typically this value is at one of the terminal buses, but it can sometimes end up between the two buses. It is possible for that voltage to approach zero even when both terminals are not zero. This is an indication of the system going out of step. One can monitor this branch field for an indication of the system going out of step.
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When reading the Areva CTG CSV file, the type POLEW is interpreted the same as POLE meaning that the DC Converter is taken out of service. This was working fine, but an incorrect message log warning was being written regarding saying the POLEW was an "Unidentified type". That error message was wrong and has been removed.
    • Optimal Power Flow (OPF): In a very rare situation, fixed the evaluation of whether to monitor an interface that contained a multi-section line object. If the only object in the interface was a multi-section line and the monitored end of the multi-section line ended up begin a branch that was not going to be monitored we would then not monitor the entire interface. The particular example we had was the first branch of a multi-section line was a bypassed series cap and we never monitored bypassed elements. This has been fixed so that as long as at least one branch within the multi-section line is monitored we will consider the multi-section line to be monitored.
    • Transient Stability: When right clicking on Validation Errors, Warnings, and Information Messages and choosing Show Dialog, the dialog was only appearing for messages related to generator objects. This has been fixed so that the dialog will appear for messages related to loads, shunts, branches and other objects as well.

December 14, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • General: Model String Expressions can now reference other Model String Expressions.
  • User Interface Dialogs: When using the Save to Aux button on bus, switched shunt, generator, branch, line shunt, and load dialogs save using fields that are the same as default Network Model fields with the Aux Export Description. When saving switched shunts use appropriate fields if the shunt is allowed to be on control, i.e. control mode <> Bus Shunt. When saving transformers save using appropriate transformer control fields.
  • User Interface Dialogs: changed the hints that appear for the MVA Convergence Tolerance and the AGC tolerance to reference the fields that are in the unit of MVA (instead of the old fields which were in units of per unit)
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When reading in an Areva CSV hdbexport file with an unrealistic DC line voltage schedule, we automatically modify the minimum transformer tap ratios to ensure that the initial condition can be obtained. This was not properly working under some circumstances for inverters that were at these limits in the initial case. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: When reading an REPC_A model from an AUX file and using the measured branch object, the flow measurement bus of the extra object was not being properly read. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: When reading in particular SVCALS shunt model from a user-written DYR model there was an error with reading the parameters. This has been fixed.

December 11, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • GIC: Adding ability to show GIC results in time step simulation. Also fixed bug with time step timepoint changes.
  • Time Step Simulation: Updated time step summary to show load/gen/shunt results as opposed to input.
  • Transient Stability: Added support for the newer Bradley Governor for Chugach (HGBLEM)
  • Transient Stability: Added ABBSVC1 Switched Shunt transient stability model
  • Bug Fixes

    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Fixed a bug that might cause RAS to not implement correctly during the full CTG solution during ATC analysis if the RAS involved Model Conditions using the Evaluate in CTG Ref State or Disable if True in CTG Ref State option.
    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Added FULL_RESERVE_LIMIT as Iteratively Found string for ATC results that end up hitting a reserve limit when using the full CTG solution method. There is also a companion transfer limit that indicates if the source or sink hits the reserve limit and this limit has always existed. Changing the iteratively found string makes it easier to determine that the iterations were terminated because of a limit if they end up getting sorted and you don't see the companion limiter right next to the result.
    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: When hitting a reserve limit when using the full CTG solution ATC method and the contingency does not solve at the reserve limit transfer level, go ahead and iterate on the contingency if the option to iterate on failed contingencies is in use. Previously, the iterations would stop at this point and just report the transfer level at which the contingency last solved without providing an indication that the contingency failed.
    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed error that could occur opening the Dependency Explorer if any object available for selection in the explorer referenced a calculated field that was not defined.
    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed a bug where a MON file would hang when read if the last character of the last line of the file was the EOF character instead of a CR or LF. Previously we assumed that every line would have a CR or LF at the end, and that the EOF marker would be on its own line after the last line of text.
    • Contingency Analysis: When solving the DC transmission network equations during the AC power flow solution the same tolerance was being used for the DC equations as for the AC equations. It's important in some situations to ensure that the DC equations are solved more precisely so that the evaluation of the AC power flow mismatch is not off. The tolerance of the DC equations is now always 0.5*AC tolerance.
    • General: Changing the licensing to be more robust in the face of high CPU contention (greatly reducing the propensity for "Pipe read timed out" and thus licensing errors) and also so that the main program terminates more quickly.
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: When using Merit Order dispatch as a contingency action we must set the units dispatched to AGC = NO so that they don't end up moving again during the contingency make-up power calculation (this is correct). However, we were also setting AGC = NO when Merit Order dispatch was used as a ramping method outside of contingency analysis, which was NOT correct. This has been fixed. This would only affect solutions where the AGC status of generators was enforced as part of the injection group using merit order ramping.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed error when a dynamic switched shunt model was assigned to a shunt that was presently out of service in the base case.

December 4, 2017

Bug Fixes

  • General: Changing the licensing to be more robust in the face of high CPU contention (greatly reducing the propensity for "Pipe read timed out" and thus licensing errors) and also so that the main program terminates more quickly.
  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: When using Merit Order dispatch as part of PV ramping, generators pariticipating in the ramping were being set to AGC = NO, which prevented them from moving at the next ramping step if they weren't already at their limits. This was only a problem if using the non-default option with injection group ramping to Allow only AGC units to vary. This has been fixed.

December 1, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Difference Case Tool: Added a button to remove field customizations for all of the difference grids on the topological differences dialog.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When using the SendToExcel script command and OLE error could result if not specifying the name of the worksheet. This has been fixed by assuming a default name based on the object type of the data being sent to Excel if the user doesn't specify a name.
    • Case Information Displays: When using the Close with Breakers option from a case information display or a oneline, it was assumed that only the chosen device should be closed in. It makes more sense to allow other devices to be closed. This is especially important in situations such as a generator connected to a transformer and the breaker is on the high side of the transformer. If we do not allow the transformer to be closed the generator cannot be closed.
    • Contingency Analysis: Made the local menu options for Contingency case information display consistent whether it is displayed in the Model Explorer or on the contingency analysis dialog.
    • Contingency Analysis: Made corrections to properly retain the AGC method in use during a contingency solution with the reference state if a contingency solution is then manually set as the new contingency reference state.
    • File Formats: When writing to an EPC file, added a space between the from bus nominal voltage and the to bus number for breaker records to prevent long bus numbers from running into the from bus nominal voltage.
    • Oneline Diagrams: The small Color Key dialog for the contouring of a oneline can be made transparent. The option to "Remove Transparency from all Windows" however would not remove the transparency from this particular small window. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed potential error that could occur after showing a group of plots in transient stability and then choosing to show them again.

November 28, 2017

Bug Fixes

  • Power Flow Solution: During case validation when island numbers are set for buses, a stack overflow error could occur when using the 64 bit version of Simulator. This has been fixed.

November 27, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Difference Case Tool: Added Case Info Customizations for all case information displays used with the Difference Case tool dialog.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Added color map for showing integer values.
  • Transient Stability: Added substation field for average ROCOF.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: When writing switched shunt dynamic model data to a DYR file, Simulator was writing the ID of the shunt. The RAW/DYR formats do not support multiple switched shunts at a single bus and therefore the DYR format should not include the ID. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: PSS1A stabilizer was not working with T6=0. This has been fixed.

November 21, 2017

Bug Fixes

  • File Formats: Fixed error when saving interfaces with unlinked elements to a PWB file. They were not being correctly counted in the number of elements to save but they were still being saved in the file. This would cause an error when loading the file back in. When loading files that have been saved incorrectly it should be possible to recover them by manually intervening where the errors occur on load.
  • Power Flow Solution: When solving island based AGC, MW limits for the system slack bus were not being enforced correctly and this could cause extra MW loop iterations of the overall power flow solution without actually adjusting the island slack within its limits. This has been fixed.
  • Power Flow Solution: When solving areas or super areas on participation factor control, MW limits for the system slack that is part of the area or super area will be enforced if all appropriate MW enforcement options are selected. If the slack happened to be set to a limit but the amount of change was less than the area or super area tolerance, the change would not be redistributed to the rest of the group. Now this change will be redistributed as long as it is greater than 2 times the MVA convergence tolerance. This might help to prevent extra MW loop iterations.
  • Transient Stability: Added a new parameter to DISTRELAY and DISTRELAYITR (FarRelayEnd). Since now the DistRelay determines how to coordinate with another relay by only using the desired branch and the device id there needs to be a mechanism for specifying the coordination the old way. This new parameter is set to 0 (Default) means it will look for the Far Relay Device to be at a different end from this device location end plus the Device id; 1 means it will look for Far Relay Device and only will look for the Device id (The device end will not matter).

November 17, 2017

Bug Fixes

  • Case Information Displays: Fixed an access violation that could occur when flood filling on a case information display.
  • Oneline Diagrams: An access violation could result when loading Display Auxiliary (AXD) files into a oneline containing grouped objects. This has been fixed.
  • Power Flow Solution: When a switched shunt that is part of a Voltage Control Group is oscillating its Control Mode will now be set to Fixed instead of setting Auto Control to NO. If the Voltage Control Group Status is set to FORCEON, the Auto Control field for a switched shunt in that group is ignored. This will result in the shunt oscillating forever. For a shunt to participate in a Voltage Control Group its Control Mode must be discrete, so setting the Control Mode to Fixed will prevent the oscillations. Any switched shunt that is oscillating and is not part of a Voltage Control Group will have its Auto Control set to No.
  • Transient Stability: Added better comments to know which relay is operating or giving transition events during simulation.
  • Transient Stability: Improved the messaging associated with the DistRelay model.
  • Transient Stability: Corrected how the DistRelay determines how to coordinate with another relay.

November 15, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • File Formats: Can now read version 34 RAW files.
  • Scheduled Actions: Added options to the Scheduled Action grid local menu allowing the user to isolate or energize the target device with breakers.
  • Transient Stability: Added VFE of ESAC8b_PTI into the State Other Fields.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): When reading an AUX file containing a list of script commands, Simulator will now force windows to process any screen, keyboard, or mouse actions after each script command occurs. This ensures that the message log continues to be updated.
    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed bug where buses with numbers <= 0 could be read and created from an AUX file. Now buses must have a number > 0, or it will be ignored.
    • Case Information Displays: Fixed behavior of navigation using arrow keys so that it is consistent with Excel.
    • Contingency Analysis: An access violation could occur during contingency analysis when injection group actions using the Best Fit Open scaling option are triggered. This has been fixed.
    • Fault Analysis: Fixed bug auto inserting faults where two buses at the same voltage level with the same name EXCEPT for a space in the middle (i.e. MY BUS and MYBUS) would result in one of the two buses not being included in the fault list. These are now treated as two different buses.
    • File Formats: Fixed bug where reading PWB would crash if a Substation was stored in the PWB file that had a bus in its bus list with a number of 0. A 0 bus number shouldn't happen, but somehow it did.
    • File Formats: When reading an EPC file, fixed a bug that was creating Multi-terminal DC lines without a unique record name.
    • Scheduled Actions: When reading Start/End times in the scheduled action tool, the time format "11/20/2017 12:30" in military time was being interpreted an AM time. This only impacted times between 12:00 - 12:59. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug that was causing an access violation when saving REECA1 model to a DYR file.
    • Transient Stability: Added device ID to DistRelay messages.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug that was preventing the loading of user defined model DLL files.

November 9, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: On the Multi-Terminal DC Line and Two-Terminal DC line case information displays, add the ability to right-click on a selection of devices and choose "Remove Device and Converter to Equivalent Loads". This will add in new load objects which replace the MW and Mvar injections coming from these devices and then delete the DC system device.
  • Scheduled Actions: Added ScheduledActionSetReference script action to save the current system state as the reference state for Scheduled Actions.
  • Scheduled Actions: Added Scheduled Actions tab to dialogs for Gens, Loads, Lines, Switched Shunts, and Interfaces containing a case information display listing the Scheduled Actions that target the selected object. The tab is hidden if there are no Scheduled Actions defined in the case.
  • Transient Stability: Added the ability to rename the Device ID from a relay GUI dialog. It will only rename the Device ID if the new Device ID does not exists. If the Device ID already exists then the following message will appear: A Device ID already exists at from/to end (Line Name). Please Modify that particular (Relay Name)relay.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Fixed some inconsistencies in the system state when restoring the initial ATC state when using topology processing and the status of breakers has changed between the current state and the initial state.
    • Available Transfer Capability (ATC) Tool: Fixed a bug when using one of the iterated ATC methods and using the option to close breakers to energize switched shunts or using one of the injection group ramping methods that allow breakers to close to include generators in the dispatch. If a breaker ends up being closed by either of these processes during the ramping and the breaker is part of a contingency, the breaker most likely would have been ignored when calculating the LODFs. The LODFs are calculated once at the beginning of the ATC process for speed. When the LODFs are needed for the contingency including the breaker an access violation would have resulted. This has been fixed.
    • File Formats: Fixed bug that could occur when converting the EMS DC System into a DC model consistent with PowerWorld Simulator. If the DCCNV grouped in a POLE record in the EMS hdbexport file were out-of-service AND those DCCNV were connected to different XF records which were also separated from another by switching devices then it was possible for the DC system to be read incorrectly. This was an unusual situation and has been fixed.
    • Power Flow Solution: Fixed potential error in the power flow solution that could occur when a inverter bus hit a firing angle limit while controlling MW.
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Fixed some inconsistencies in the system state when restoring the initial PV state when using topology processing and the status of breakers has changed between the current state and the initial state.
    • Scheduled Actions: Restructured internal lists of Scheduled Actions and Scheduled Action Groups to improve performance with large sets of schedules.
    • Scheduled Actions: When reverting scheduled actions to normal status and the object being closed is a Breaker, we also close Disconnects that are in series with the Breaker. There have been some cases where Load Break Disconnects are found to be in series with the Breakers being returned to service and these are normally closed. If we do not also close the Load Break Disconnects we cannot return lines to service. Now when returning Breakers to service we will also close any Load Break Disconnects that are normally closed and they are in series with the Breaker. If we are returning a Load Break Disconnect to service as the element that is part of the schedule we will NOT also close Load Break Disconnects that are in series.
    • Time Step Simulation: Corrected the Starting and Ending Time controls so that these can be specified down to seconds rather than only by hour.
    • Transient Stability: Modified documentation of DER_A to make it clear particular parameters can be equal to zero.
    • User Interface Dialogs: On the branch dialog only show the transformer tap and phase shifter fields if the branch is a transformer or phase shifter or these values have been set to something other than defaults of 1 for tap and 0 for phase shift.

November 6, 2017

Bug Fixes

  • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): When performing the Equivalencing on a full-topology power system model, some errors could occur in the calculation of the equivalent due to numerical precision problems. This has been fixed.
  • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): In the integrated topology processing, fixed an error that could cause a power flow mismatch in a very rare situation. A dead bus that was radially connected and had a NomG or NomB value but did NOT have any load, gen, or shunt attached would cause the problem.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed initialization of REPC_A and REPC_B when the Ki or Kig values are entered as exactly zero.

November 3, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Prior to this patch, when dynamic formatting was defined for a bus object's case information displays, it was always inherited by the area, zone, and substation objects. These objects would automatically apply the formatting if any bus in the aggregation met the conditions of the dynamic formatting. Previously this inheritance could not be prevented which was reported as a problem by some users. This inheritance has been removed as it is easy enough to define dynamic formatting for area, zone, or substation objects using advanced filtering that applies to a bus object type now.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed an error in patch relase from yesterday related to the new BranchCloseAngleThreshold. It was accidentally preventing the closing of any breaker on a oneline.

November 2, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: In Version 20 we added the Quick Filter drop-down directly on the Filter toolbar. As part of doing this we changed the caption of the button for opening the quick filter dialog to "Dialog". This also changed the caption of the button under the Filter drop-down the the Case Information Toolbar to "Dialog" which caused confusion. We have changed the caption under the Filter drop-down back to "Quick Filter..." to be consistent with previous versions.
  • Case Information Displays: The list of secondary filter classes available for objects has continued to grow to provide flexibility. However this has made the Filter drop-down menu on the case information toolbar extremely long as a result. We have organized this drop down menu so that object types are grouped by type such as "Network", "Aggregations", etc... Secondary filter classes that are in the same grouping will continue to appear directly under the filter submenu, but those in a different grouping have been moved inside an additional sub menu.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Added a new field to a Branch object called the "BranchCloseAngleThreshold". Specifying a non-zero value for this field will impact how oneline diagrams behave for this branch. When clicking on the circuit breaker objects on a oneline diagram that represent the status of a particular branch, if the branch is presently OPEN and the angle difference across the branch is greater than the threshold specified, then the oneline diagram will not permit you to close in this branch. This was added to help users perform operating training simulations.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Added ability to include arrows on the generator cost multiplier field.
  • Transient Stability: modified the Transient Stability tab on Load dialog to always show the "Terminal and State Values" tab so that the user knows it's available. Previously this tab would be hidden on the load dialog if the transient stability simulation had not been initialized. Now it will always appear, but if the simulation is not initialized then it will show all empty values.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Distributed Computation: Added a message to the log when all remote SimAuto sessions have finished when running distributed contingency analysis.
    • Sensitivity Calculations: Corrected the warning message that is shown when doing a PTDF calculation from the PTDF dialog with a seller and buyer of injection groups. If either of the injection groups does not have any nonzero participation factors, the error message indicated that both of them did not have any nonzero participation factors. This message has been fixed to show the correct injection group that does not have nonzero participation factors.

October 31, 2017

Bug Fixes

  • Difference Case Tool: Fixed error in ownership filtering of base case objects in the difference case tool.
  • Power Flow Solution: When choosing the Power Flow Solution Advanced Option to "Evaluated Power Flow Solution for Each Island", if the island ends up being short of controllable generation or load hit MW limits, then a dialog will appear indicating "Some islands did not have enough controllable generation or load and are hitting RESERVE LIMITS. Click OK to open the islands case information display in the Model Explorer". This will then open the island case information display which now has the Solved column as a default column which will say "RESERVE LIMITS" for islands that don't have enough control.
  • Simulator Automation Server (SimAuto): Updating RegSimAuto so that it notifies the user that 32-bit RegSimAuto doesn't affect 64 bit registration and vice versa. Also gives more visual feedback that a version of Simulator *is* registered, but not the one that is currently registered by the running RegSimAuto.

October 30, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Optimal Power Flow (OPF): Added check boxes to the OPF tab of the Area dialog for specify whether to Enforce Branch Limits, Enforce Bus Angles, Enforce Interface Limits, Allow DC Line Control, or Include Marginal Losses.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed 3 bugs related to the Max Loading Field for branches that provides the maximum % contingency loading for a branch over all contingencies.
      (1) When used in the AC solution method it was not correctly calculating the loading based on the contingency rating.
      (2) It is now calculated when using linear contingency methods or solving while in dc power flow mode.
      (3) It will be updated if solving a single contingency and the single contingency loading is greater than any previously stored loading.
    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed an access violation that would occur in the 64 bit version of PowerWorld Simulator when performing the Auto-Insert contingency procedure.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed a very rare bug that could occur when display a Background Rectangle on a oneline diagram and also simultaneously showing the contouring color key. This would cause the background rectangle to be drawn in the incorrect place immediately after contouring a oneline. Subsequent refreshes of the oneline drew correctly however. All of this has been fixed.

October 27, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Oneline Diagrams: When performing an action by clicking on a oneline link, now automatically invalidate the NWin to force a redraw after doing this.
  • Transient Stability: Modified the interpretation of Direct parameter of the LOCTI, TIOCR1, and TIOCRS over-current models. Previously it only had options 0 and 1 below. Option 2 has been added.
    0 - means no directional element
    1 - means directional element AND Direction will be based upon current leaving the FROM end of the branch
    2 - means directional element AND Direction will be based upon current leaving the TO end of the branch
  • Bug Fixes

    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug when reading some particular svsmo2 fields from an AUX file or when copy/pasting from a spreadsheet. The fields effected were Tdbd, PLLdelay, Tout, and dbe.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug where setting a fault to single line to ground, and checking the box for the impedance to be created from the sequence data, resulted in an access violation when the transient was run.

October 25, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • User Interface Dialogs: Separating "Save" and "Save To Aux" button on the bus, branch, load, gen, shunt, and lineshunt dialogs. Clicking the Save to AUX will now store the fields specified as part of the built-in "Network Model" Auxiliary File Export Format Description.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Optimal Power Flow (OPF): When running the OPF with a full topology case and using topology processing it was possible to get an out of memory error at the end of the OPF solution. This has been fixed.

October 24, 2017

Bug Fixes

  • Power Flow Solution: When determining how switched shunts should switch when they are part of a control group regulating the same bus, the Var Regulation Sharing parameter determines the order in which shunts should switch. For discrete shunts we switch them in the order of highest to lowest Var Regulation Sharing parameter. We had been NOT been switching any shunts away from zero if they did not have a Var Regulation Sharing parameter greater than 0. Cases loaded from hdbexport files can end up having this parameter set to 0, which was causing shunts that presumably are supposed to move not to move. Because this parameter is defined as an order, the restriction on the Var Regulation Sharing parameter being greater than 0 has been removed when switching discrete shunts. For continuous shunts, we will still not move any shunts unless this parameter is greater than 0.
  • Power Flow Solution: Better handle situation in which the initial base case power flow does not solve for PV analysis. The error messages should be clear now that this is a problem.

October 23, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • General: Optimized the closing of a power system case for cases that included a very large number of of model conditions, model filters, model expression, and/or contingencies. The case will now close much more quickly.
  • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): Added storage in the Window Registry for the user interface options on the Limit Monitoring Dialog. Previously the following was maintained during a session of PowerWorld Simulator, but after you closed Simulator and reopened it, it was not retained. The options include
    1. The check box status of “Only show the primary bus for each superbus”
    2. The choice under the “Elements to Show”
    3. Which tab you are on the dialog
  • Transient Stability: Added the ability to filter transient result events table from Object type.
  • User Interface Dialogs: Added two new buttons under the Restore> dropdown on the Tools ribbon tab called "Store User State" and "Restore User State". These provide button access to same functionality as available in the script commands StoreState; and RestoreState(USER);
  • Bug Fixes

    • Case Information Displays: 6 new fields for showing the Percent MVA at both the FROM and TO buses based on the A, B, and C MVA limits were added to branch objects in October 2016. There was an error with the PercentMVAATo value (it showed the FROM side percentage) and the PercentMVACFrom value (it showed the TO side percentage). This has been fixed.
    • Difference Case Tool: A nearly identical fix as made in October 11, 2017 regarding changes in the bus' owner. The behavior was the same for changes in the bus' area, zone, or balancing authority as well. Same changes made.
    • Distributed Computation: Adding the Distributed Computation Configuration tool to the installation.
    • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): Fixed a bug for PV, QV, ATC, and SCOPF tools when using consolidation along with Remedial Actions that were defined as Open with Breakers (or Close with Breakers). The actions were not properly determining which breakers to open or close.
    • Oneline Diagrams: When loading an AUX file that defines a custom menu hierarchy in the Oneline Viewer multiple times, menu ordering will likely become scrambled. The SortIndex field was added to the CustomMenuNode object in order to keep the menu order stable when loading multiple times.
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Update the Present Nominal Shift box on the PV curve dialog to show the transfer that is in the current system state. Previously, this would most likely show the highest transfer amount that would solve in the base case, which would most likely not be the actual transfer that is in the current system state. This could cause confusion with the user thinking that this is the amount in the system state.
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: On the PV Curve Dialog, updated the caption with the Restore Last Solved State option to show the transfer amount that is in that state.
    • Scheduled Actions: The Selected field was not toggleable for Scheduled Actions objects but should have been. This has been fixed.

October 17, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): An interface element will meet the area/zone filter if its interface meets the area/zone filter. Previously, an interface element would meet the area/zone filter if its individual device met the area/zone filter. This could cause situations that could re-define an interface if interface elements are missing when this information was loaded from an aux file. It makes more sense to keep all of the interface elements as long as at least one of the elements meets the area/zone filter. An interface will meet the area/zone filter if at least one of its elements meets the area/zone filter. This is the way that area/zone filtering has always worked for interfaces.
  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Added ability for Data Maintainer objects to work as a filter on case information displays in a manner similar to Area/Zone/Owner filters. There is a now a global option that indicates if Data Maintainers should be used as a filter, and if this is set then their is a Filter field on each Data Maintainer.
  • Case Information Displays: Added ability for Data Maintainer objects to work as a filter on case information displays in a manner similar to Area/Zone/Owner filters. There is a now a global option that indicates if Data Maintainers should be used as a filter, and if this is set then their is a Filter field on each Data Maintainer.
  • Case Information Displays: Cleaned up the Owner filtering for objects. When using the find dialog on a table if the object found was not presently visible on the case information display because Area/Zone filters were not met, Simulator would automatically change the area/zone filtering to make the object visible. This has now also been done for Owner filtering and the new Data Maintainer filtering.
  • Contingency Analysis Tool: Modified saving contingency analysis settings using DataMaintainers so that they make use of the new "Filter" field for a DataMaintainer instead of using the Selected Field. This is more consistent anyway.
  • Difference Case Tool: Added ability for the list of Removed Substations in the Present Topological Differences from Base Case tool to properly use the Area/Zone/Owner filters. Previously that table did not use those filters.
  • Difference Case Tool: Modified the Base Case Topological Comparisons dialog so that user may use Data Maintainer filters to specify which objects to write out to a file.
  • Difference Case Tool: Added the Area/Zone/Owner filter menu/case info toolbar option to the Removed object tables in the Topological Differences from Base Case dialog. The functionality to filter these tables by area/zone filters had just recently been added so there had previously been no reason to care about them from these tables.
  • Integrated Topology Processing (ITP): When using the close with breakers algorithm on a branch, breakers will be closed even if the branch is only open at one end. The branch is energized, but the goal should be to have it closed completely. Previously, no breakers would be closed if the branch was considered energized. Now if the branch has Derived Status <> Closed we will search for breakers to close. This is done anywhere that the close with breakers algorithm is used.
  • Oneline Diagrams: Updated kml parser to parse PJM lines. This required fixing some things not handled when parsing the lines for coordinates. The PJM files have x,y,z coordinates instead of just x,y. The files do no contain identifiers that can be linked with the case, but at least unlinked lines are now read in.
  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Changed caption on the PV Quantities to Track tab for injection groups from "Groups" to "Injection Groups".
  • Transient Stability: Modified WT3G, WT4G, REG_A, PVD1 type model that have "reactive current management" that prevent high voltages on voltage source converter machine models. Previously if the initial terminal voltage was above the high voltage limit, we would ignore this limit completely. This has been modified so that instead the high voltage limit is set equal to the initial terminal voltage. Indication that this is occuring will appear in the Validation Warnings.
  • Transient Stability: Added a new plant controller named REPC_B100 which is the same as REPC_B but instead of allowing 50 generators to be referenced, you can have 100 generators.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Difference Case Tool: Support ObjectID field with DataMaintainer object. This is needed for generic functionality with the difference case tool that writes out script commands to remove objects that are missing in the present case when saving out the auxiliary file to implement difference case changes.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed bug parsing bus numbers. Extra whitespace created error converting the text to a number. This has been fixed.
    • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: When loading an auxiliary file using the Load Auxiliary button on the PV dialog, set the options in the PVCurve_Options object to match what is set on the dialog. If this is not done and the auxiliary file that is being loaded does not contain PVCurve_Options, options on the dialog will change if they are different from what is in the PVCurve_Options. This doesn't make any sense so make sure the options are set correctly.
    • Transient Stability: When using the script command TSGetResults() or the SimAuto command TSGetContingencyResults(), there was bug that could occur in some circumstances. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: The new fields to specify that the field "ROCOF (Hz)" be stored in RAM for a bus in transient stability was added in Version 20. The characters ( and ) where messing up the AUX file format however as these showed up in the variable name in the AUX file. For the variable names these have been removed in the variable names to fix this.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed error with implementation of REPC_B that effected only Verison 20. It was not properly communicating the Vref signals to multiple electrical control models.

October 11, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Difference Case Tool: In the Present Topological Differences from base case tool, the removed objects did not support the case information display filtering by owner, but only display filtering by Area/Zone. This has been modified to also support Owner filtering.
  • Security Constrained OPF (SCOPF) Tool: Added the contingency name to the 'Bus Marginal Controls' header to allow correlation between the controls and 'LP Basic Variables'
  • Security Constrained OPF (SCOPF) Tool: We have added a column on the LPVariables grid to show the contingency name that corresponds to the variable. Previously it was possible to have variables with the same ID, making it impossible to uniquely identify a variable.
  • Transient Stability: Made more descriptive validation error messages for REPC_A and REPC_B when the model does not have a measurement branch specified. Unless this model is only controlling voltage, then a branch must be specified at which the Qbranch, Pbranch, and/or Ibranch is measured. If the branch is not specified when it is needed an error message will appear indicating why the measurement is needed.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: Fixed reading of ViolationCTG objects from an AUX file when reading in custom monitor violations. These were not being read in when multiple of the same custom monitors violations for different violated elements under the same contingencies.
    • Difference Case Tool: In the Present Topological Differences from base case tool, there was an inconsistency when writing out the AUX file that changes one case into another if a device such as a branch, gen, shunt, or lineshunt was
      1. Assigned to the default bus owner in the base case
      2. Assigned to the same owner in the present case
      3. But the default bus's owner was changed
      The problem occurred because when reading an AUX file, Simulator's behavior when a bus owner changes is that any device connected to that bus (gen, load, shunt) that has the same owner as the bus will automatically follow that ownership change. Thus after reading the AUX file you would see the owner of the device (gen, load, shunt) change when you had not expected it to. The fix for this was to modify what is shown for a devices ownership in the Change mode so that if this occurs the device acts as though it's ownership has changed. Thus this would get included in the AUX file and the appropriate behavior would be seen.
    • Difference Case Tool: When saving out the auxiliary file of case changes when using the Difference Case tool, we now include a section that changes the owner of buses in the following situations:
      (1) The owner of the bus has changed between the Present and Base Case
      (2) A new device has been added that is attached to the bus and the owner of the new device is different than the owner of the bus in the Base Case
      (3) A new device has only one owner
      Writing out this additional section will prevent the situation in which a new device is added to a case and the owner matches the owner of the bus to which it is being added. This will mark the device as having the default owner. If the owner of the bus then changes the owner of the device will also change. We want to retain the owner of the device as it was assigned when the device was created. Changing the owner of the bus prior to adding the new device prevents this problem.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed bug parsing bus numbers when read from a KML file. Any extra whitespace created error converting the text to a number. This has been fixed.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug with writing REECB1 from a REEC_B model. It was casuing an access violation when saving a dyr file.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed an access violation that could occur when opening the load dialog for any load. An access violation could occur if a transient stability distribution equivalent had been assigned to the load.

October 6, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Transient Stability: Modified new DER_A model to add parameter Trf and Vpr
  • Bug Fixes

    • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed bug in SendToExcel Script Command. The objectname was not being saved into Excel File in the first row.
    • Time Step Simulation: Fixed an access violation that could occur on the Time Step Simulation dialog. This was related to specifying the hour at which the time step simulation could occur which was recently added.
    • User Interface Dialogs: Bug fix in the object chooser -- due to an internal change between v19 and v20, the behavior of the search box changed from matching patterns at the beginning of the target string to matching patterns that occurred anywhere in the target string. The search box is now back to matching from the beginning of the target string (unless explicitly specified otherwise with an asterisk at the start of the search pattern)

October 5, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Made a commonly used feature much more memory efficient. The feature to Send To Excel by either right-clicking on the case informations display, or when using the related SCRIPT command, could cause Simulator to run out of memory when used on extremely large data sets.
  • Case Information Displays: Made a commonly used feature much more memory efficient. The feature to Send To Excel by either right-clicking on the case informations display, or when using the related SCRIPT command, could cause Simulator to run out of memory when used on extremely large data sets.
  • Scheduled Actions: Added another check when the Use Normal Status option is in use to return disconnects that are in series with the branch that is being returned to service. If a branch is an Open Breaker action, any disconnects that are in series with it and are normally closed will be closed.
  • Transient Stability: Added the requested ability to add the case name into the plot name when in auto save. If the option is checked then the name will have the following format: "ContingencyName_PlotName_CaseName.jpg" Otherwise it will be naming the plot as before.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Contingency Analysis: When doing a comparison of 2 contingency lists in the 64 bit version of Simulator, you coudl see a "stack overflow error". This has been fixed.
    • GIC: Fixed some issues associated with loading and saving *.gic format files.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed a bug with PTDF pie chart displays, which were showing values off by a factor of 100.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Fixed error parsing ERCOT kml files caused by case sensitive text comparison. 'branch' was not matching 'Branch'.

September 28, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Difference Case Tool: Added the GE Long ID field for loads to the Difference Case tool.
  • Scheduled Actions: When closing disconnects that are in series with breakers when using the Use Normal Status option, also close disconnects that are in series with Load Break Disconnects. This makes sense because we are treating breakers and load break disconnects the same when we are identifying breakers to open or close devices.
  • Bug Fixes

    • Time Step Simulation: When monitoring load results during the time step simulation, access violation could occur. This has been fixed.
    • Time Step Simulation: Added a new TSB version that will save load results. These were previously not being saved. Users will need to make sure that they have the latest version 20 patch or that they save the TSB in the correct version for the version of Simulator that they have.
    • Time Step Simulation: Fixed bug with reading loads for which custom results are monitored. The correct load ID was not being used so not all loads at a given bus were being marked as Time Selected = YES. Duplicate loads could also end up being added to the list of loads to monitor.
    • Time Step Simulation: When loading a TSB file that was saved in a later version than the current version of Simulator can handle, pop a message dialog indicating this.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed bug that would occur when running transient stability on a full-topology model.

September 26, 2017

Features and Improvements

  • Case Information Displays: Added new expression functions for converting floats representing a date time into strings and also converting strings formatted as date/times into floating point numbers. These function all follow similar syntax as used in Excel functions of the same name.
    (1) Text(floatvalue, "formatstring") --> returns a string with the floating point number converted to a data time string using the formatting specified in the format string.
    (2) DateValue("datetimestring") --> returns a floating point number representing only the integer part for the date/time floating point
    (3) TimeValue("datetimestring") --> returns a floating point number representing only the fractional part for the date/time floating point
    (4) DateTimeValue("datetimestring") --> returns a floating point number representing the date/time floating point
    See the PowerWorld help documentation for more information on the format string. Search "Formatting String" in the help.
  • PV and QV Curve (PVQV) Tool: Added a new field to a load for "ScaleMvar". This field defaults to YES. Set to NO to prevent changing the Mvar of this load when shifting power using an injection group (such as in ATC, PVQV, and System Scaling tools)
  • Transient Stability: added support to CHVDC2 to use the parameters which attempt to emulate commutation failure.
  • Bug Fixes

    • File Formats: When load an EPC file, the intermediate buses of multi-section lines have been modified to be assigned to the DataMaintainer of the branch section that connects to this intermediate bus. For example, a multi-section line has 2 sections and connects Bus A to Bus C, then after reading the EPC file Simulator will have branches from A - B and B - C. The intermediate bus B will be assigned the same DataMaintainer as the branch B - C.
    • General: Fixed random access violation that could occur when closing a case if it contains a VSCDCLine or trying to delete a VSCDCLine.
    • GIC: Fixed a bug the could occur when modeling geomagnetic induced currents inside the transient stability simulation. When doing this if a new islands was created during the simulation the simulation would fail. This has been fixed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: When saving a PWD file with many substation, area, or zone objects the saving could be very slow because of saving the swap list that is used when loading the oneline using name_kV linking. This has been fixed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Renumbering the substations, areas, or zones in a case or oneline that contains many of these objects could be very slow. This has been fixed.
    • Oneline Diagrams: Loading a PWD file containing many substation, area, or zone objects could be very slow when using name_kV linking. This has been fixed.
    • Power Flow Solution: It is possible to end up with a case that has no viable islands. If this happens, the maximum mismatch values for the case are initialized but never set to anything real. An access violation could occur when reporting the maximum mismatch. This has been fixed and the maximum mismatch will be reported as 0 occurring at bus None in a case with no viable islands.
    • Simulator Automation Server (SimAuto): The fix to make Distributed Computation work from September 21, 2017 patch broke the function of SimAuto on a single machine. This fixes this bug.
    • Time Step Simulation: Removed the time step simulation option to enable area interchange. Now always use the Simulator option to enable area interchange. Having two different options was very confusing.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed a bug that was allowing the Auto Insert Transient contingency to enabled the modification of the event duration ONLY when a Gen was selected but only when a Gen was selected is when it should not be enabled.
    • Transient Stability: Fixed some parameter name inconsistencies on the REGC_A, REEC_A, REEC_B, REEC_C, and REPC_A models.
      * REGC_A: Parameter name changed to Tg (was Td); Parameter name changed to Tfltr (was T_LVPL)
      * REEC_A, REEC_B, REEC_C: Parameter name changed to Trv (was Tv)
      * REPC_A: Parameter names changed to fdbd1 and fdbd2 (was dbd1 and dbd2)
      These new parameter names match what the standard model was supposed to be so we have changed it to avoid ongoing confusion. Also, these new names match what was on the block diagrams in PowerWorld's help as well.
      In coordination with this, also modified so that when reading AUX files or copy/pasting from spreadsheet the old parameter names will still be recognized and read in appropriately so that old files can still be used.

September 21, 2017

Bug Fixes

  • Data View: When switching the Type of object on the Data View dialog an access violation would occur. This has been fixed.
  • Distributed Computation: Made distributed computation connections to remote machines more robust and reliable. This fix was required due to changes in remote connections made for Version 20.
  • File Formats: When loading the Areva contingency file include the name of the contingency in the message log when a message is written about not being able to find the object in the contingency elements.
  • File Formats: When loading the Areva contingency file and a contingency with the same name already exists prior to loading the file, clear out all elements in the contingency and only keep the ones that are included in the file currently being read.
  • File Formats: Fixed some bugs when loading the Areva contingency file when contingencies are already defined in the case. This fix will allow all existing contingencies to be kept and the file will simply append contingencies to the list.
  • Oneline Diagrams: When reading a PWD file saved prior to 6/2/2008 in the 64-bit version of PowerWorld Simulator 20, it was possible for the file to fail to load. This bug has been fixed so that the PWD file can be opened.
  • Scheduled Actions: Added a new feature to the Scheduled Actions dialog -- in the Options tab, users can now opt to disable automatic evaluation when changing the View Time, and instead manually evaluate the current time either by a button in the GUI, or with the SetScheduleView script command.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed a the issue that was causing the transient stability simulation to fail when an Island was created during the simulation due to branch status changes.
  • Transient Stability: Fixed some errors in the implementation of the CHVDC2 generic DC Transmission line dynamic model.

September 19, 2017

Bug Fixes

  • Auxiliary Files (SCRIPT and DATA Sections): Fixed an intermittent bug that could occur when running the OpenOneline script command. The error would appear as an access violation.
  • Case Information Displays: When loading an advanced filter which were comparing Date/Time fields (such as in Scheduled Actions), it was possible for the Date/Time to be interpreted incorrectly. This has been fixed.
  • Difference Case Tool: In the Difference Case Mode of "Base", Modified the BranchDeviceType for three-winding transformer windings so that it returns "Transformer Winding" instead of the "Transformer". This change had already been made in Present Mode for Version 20 but was not done for Base Mode.
  • File Formats: Fixed error in writing out an EPC file. It was possible for the DC converter of a two-terminal DC line to write out a Psched = 0.0 improperly. When read back into Simulator, a 0.0 value for Psched was automatically replaced by the Pac value so this was not noticed in Simulator, but it should not be written as a 0.0
  • Scheduled Actions: Added checkbox to allow the user to clear any Added or Extra actions before re-running Identify Breakers
  • Scheduled Actions: Fixed a bug with the "Check Conflicts" tool which identifies schedules that perform conflicting actions on the same device at the same time. The bug was related to not properly handling scheduled actions that did not refer to a device (the device field is blank).
  • Transient Stability: Fixed an error in SVSMO1 related the timer which controls controllable fixed shunts. The timer was not properly resetting if the B of the shunt returned to acceptable limits.