Automatic identification of transmission sections based on complex network theory

Taking transmission sections as the monitoring objects of power system security and stability level can largely improve the efficiency of analysis and control in power system operation. However, existing approaches for identifying transmission sections mainly depend on years of experience, which is not suitable for complicated and variable power systems with large scales. Thus, a novel method for automatic identification of transmission sections using complex network theory is proposed. The proposed method presents the fundamental conditions of transmission sections and identifies them from three levels: transmission lines, key transmission links and partition sections. First, based on the small-world characteristics of power grid, the index of transmission betweenness is presented to identify key transmission links from transmission lines. Then clustering algorithm of complex network is used to divide the power grid and to obtain partition sections from the key transmission links. Finally, the combinations of partition sections are selected and ranked as the transmission sections. Numerical results with CEPRI-36 system and a provincial system are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and adaptability of the proposed method.