Welcome to Interactive Power Flow!¶
Interactive Power Flow (IPF) is a software package for doing power flow studies. IPF models the operation of a bulk electric power network. It can be used to:
Investigate bulk electric power networks
Determine bus voltage distribution
Study real and reactive power flows in lines
Evaluate line overloads
Plan area interchange control
Determine transformer tap settings
Determine remote-bus voltage controls
Plan for system reactive power requirements
Determine effect of load shedding, generator dropping, and line outages
Run transient stability studies on generator rotor dynamics
Fig. 1 Interactive Power Flow X Window GUI¶
Electric power system network design encompasses the following tasks:
Determination of load centers and generation patterns as well as sizes of loads and generation.
Determination of available transmission corridors (rights-of-way) and assessment of the capacity of these corridors to accommodate transmission lines.
Evaluation of existing or planned networks with regard to adequate power-carrying capability, voltage regulation, reliability of service, and operating economics.
Determination of size and routing of new transmission lines, and size and location of terminal equipment for achieving efficient and economical reinforcements when needed.
Evaluation of proposed reinforcements in light of power flow capability, ability to withstand transient disturbances, reliability of overall service, economics, impact on regional economy, environment, energy conservation and operational constraints such as construction lead times, coordination of various facility ownership interests, flexibility for future growth and compatibility with other long-range plans.
The dynamic nature of load growth, load distribution, and generation patterns make the problem of network design one of planning. To plan for the future, power system planners and design engineers must look at the past and present. This makes Interactive Power Flow a great tool for the network design engineer, but it can also be used by students for academic studies. IPF models the complex network structure and can evaluate it at various points in time.
Features¶
Interactive Power Flow has the following high level feature set:
Set of Command Line Tools for running power flow studies using domain specific languages (See Powerflow Command Language (PCL) and Power Flow Control (PFC) commands) for “batch” command line runs in which users can run multiple powerflow scenarios, plot results (See ipfplot, and create reports (See ipf_reports)
X Window Graphical Interface (gui) allowing easy-to-edit graphical display of the network diagram
CFLOW C API (libcflow) functions for running studies
Advanced capabilities like REI Network Reduction and Transient Stability Program (tsp)
Contents¶
- Installation
- Overview
- History
- Application Examples
- Record Formats
- Overview
- System Changes
- Comment
- Continuation Bus Data (
+) - Area Interchange Control (
A) - Area Output Sort (
AO) - AC Bus Data
- AC Bus Data (
B-blank) - AC Bus Data (
BC) - AC Bus Data (
BE) - AC Bus Data (
BF) - AC Bus Data (
BG) - AC Bus Data (
BQ) - AC Bus Data (
BS) - AC Bus Data (
BT) - AC Bus Data (
BV) - AC Bus Data (
BX) - Two-Terminal DC Bus (
BD) - Multi-Terminal DC Bus (
BM) - Delete Buses by Area (
DA) - Delete Buses by Zone (
DZ) - Equivalent Transmission Line Branch (
E) - Scheduled Area Intertie (
I) - Balanced Transmission Line Branch (
L) - Two-Terminal DC Line (
LD) - Multiterminal DC Line (
LM) - Factor Change (
PO,PZ,PN,PA,PB,PC,PD) - Reactive Capability Curves (
QP,QX,QN) - Regulating Transformer (
R,RV,RQ,RP,RN,RM) - Series Compensated RANI Model (
RZ) - Transformer Data (
T,TP) - Switched Reactance (
X) - Zone Rename (
Z) - Area Rename (
ZA) - Bus Rename (
ZB)
- Power Flow Control (PFC)
- Overview
- The
bpfControl Language - Special Characters
- Default Convention
- Microfiche Control Statement
- Level 1 PFC Commands
- Level 2 and 3 PFC Commands
- PFC Commands
- AGC
- AI_LIST
- ANALYSIS_SELECT
- BRANCH_DATA
- BUS_SENSITIVITIES
- CHANGE_BUS_TYPE
- CHANGE_PARAMETERS
- CHANGES
- COMMENT
- COMMON_MODE_ANALYSIS
- F_ANALYSIS_RPT
- F_INPUT_LIST
- F_OUTPUT_LIST
- GEN_DROP
- HEADER
- INCLUDE_CONTROL
- LINE_EFF
- LINE_SENSITIVITIES
- %LOAD_DISTRIBUTION
- LOAD_GE
- LOAD_PTI
- LOSS_SENSITIVITIES
- MERGE_OLD_BASE and MERGE_NEW_BASE
- MVA_BASE
- NETWORK_DATA
- NEW_BASE
- OI_LIST
- OLD_BASE
- OUTAGE_SIMULATION
- OVERLOAD_RPT
- P_ANALYSIS_RPT
- P_INPUT_LIST
- P_OUTPUT_LIST
- REBUILD
- REDUCTION
- RPT_SORT
- SAVE_FILE
- SOLUTION
- SORT_ANALYSIS
- TRACE
- TRANSFER_SENSITIVITIES
- TX_EFF
- USER_ANALYSIS
- Example
- Symbol Definitions
- >DEFINE_TYPE BRANCH_P and >DEFINE_TYPE BRANCH_Q
- >DEFINE_TYPE INTERTIE_P or DEFINE_TYPE INTERTIE_Q
- > DEFINE_TYPE INTERTIE_P_SCHEDULED
- >DEFINE_TYPE OWNER_LOSS AREA_LOSS ZONE_LOSS SYSTEM_LOSS
- >DEFINE_TYPE FUNCTION
- >DEFINE_TYPE OLDBASE
- > DEFINE_TYPE BUS_INDEX
- > DEFINE_TYPE BRANCH_INDEX
- > DEFINE_TYPE ZONE_INDEX
- > DEFINE_TYPE OWNER_INDEX
- > DEFINE_TYPE TRANSFER_INDEX
- Pagination Specifications
- PFC Examples
- Powerflow Command Language (PCL)
- Introduction
- General
- File Opening and Saving
- Processes
CFLOWCHANGESPLOTSOLUTIONGET_DATAGET_DATA, TYPE = A_DATAGET_DATA, TYPE = AREA_DATAGET_DATA, TYPE = AREA_LISTGET_DATA, TYPE = BSEKV_LISTGET_DATA, TYPE = BUS_EXISTSGET_DATA, TYPE = BUS_LISTGET_DATA, TYPE = BUS_VOLTAGESGET_DATA, TYPE = COMMENTSGET_DATA, TYPE = CONNECTIONGET_DATA, TYPE = COUNTGET_DATA, TYPE = FILE_EXISTSGET_DATA, TYPE = I_DATAGET_DATA, TYPE = INITIALIZE_DEFGET_DATA, TYPE = INPUTGET_DATA, TYPE = LINE_IMPEDANCE_CALCULATIONGET_DATA, TYPE = LOAD_AREAGET_DATA, TYPE = LOAD_DEFINEGET_DATA, TYPE = LOAD_REF_AREAGET_DATA, TYPE = LOAD_REF_BASEGET_DATA, TYPE = NETWORK_DATAGET_DATA, TYPE = OUTAGESGET_DATA, TYPE = OUTPUTGET_DATA, TYPE = OWNER_LISTGET_DATA, TYPE = RECORD_LIST
- PUT_DATA
- Report Generation
REPORTS, SELECT AI_SUMMARYREPORTS, SELECT BUS_INPUTREPORTS, SELECT BUS_BR_INPUTREPORTS, SELECT BUS_BR_OUTPUTREPORTS, SELECT BUS_UVOVREPORTS, SELECT LINE_COMPARISONREPORTS, SELECT NETWORK_CHANGESREPORTS, SELECT NETWORK_DELETIONSREPORTS, SELECT OVERLOADED_LINESREPORTS, SELECT OVERLOADED_TXSREPORTS, SELECT PHASE_SHIFTERREPORTS, SELECT TIE_LINE_SUMMARYREPORTS, SELECT VOLTAGE_COMPARISON
- Command Line Tools
- Transient Stability Program (
tsp) - X Window Graphical Interface (
gui)- Audience
- User Interface
- A Summary of Motif Basics
- IPF as an X Client
- IPF X Window GUI Architecture
- History
- Working with the GUI
- Starting IPF
- Exiting IPF
- Opening Files
- Saving Files
- Changing the Displayed Network Size
- Editing Base Case Data
- Solving a Network Case
- Bus and Branch Editing
- Input Data Edit Dialog Boxes
- AC Bus Input Data Boxes
BDBusBMBus- Continuation Bus
- Switched Reactance
- PQ Curve
- Sectionalization
- Line Tapping (may not be available)
- Transmission Line
- Phase Shifter
- Transformer
- Regulating Transformer
- Equivalent Network
- Menu Commands
- Alpha Search (View)
- Area/Interchange (Edit)
- Auto CFLOW (Process)
- Bending Points (View)
- Color Scheme (View)
- Command Dialog (View)
- Error Messages (Help)
- Exit (File)
- General (Help)
- Network Data Edit (Edit)
- Open (File)
- PF ID/Description (Edit)
- Plot Options (File)
- Print Plot (File)
- Reports (View)
- Run CFLOW (Process)
- Save (File)
- Solution Data Off (View)
- Solution Data On (View)
- Solve Case (Process)
- Customizing the GUI (XGUI)
- CFLOW C API (
libcflow) - Network Diagrams
- Calculating Line Impedance
- DC Line Modeling
- Network Reduction
- Retained Network Definition
- Voltage Limits and Starting Voltages
- Developer Notes