In power engineering, the power flow study, also known as load-flow study, is an important tool involving numerical analysis applied to a power system. A power flow study usually uses simplified notation such as a one-line diagram and per-unit system, and focuses on various forms of AC power (i.e.: voltages, voltage angles, real power and reactive power). It analyzes the power systems in normal steady-state operation. A number of software implementations of power flow studies exist.
In addition to a power flow study, sometimes called the base case, many software implementations perform other types of analysis, such as short-circuit fault analysis, stability studies (transient & steady-state), unit commitment and economic load dispatch analysis. In particular, some programs use linear programming to find the optimal power flow, the conditions which give the lowest cost per kilowatthour delivered.
Power flow or load-flow studies are important for planning future expansion of power systems as well as in determining the best operation of existing systems. The principal information obtained from the power flow study is the magnitude and phase angle of the voltage at each bus, and the real and reactive power flowing in each line.
Commercial power systems are usually too large to allow for hand solution of the power flow. Special purpose network analyzers were built between 1929 and the early 1960s to provide laboratory models of power systems; large-scale digital computers replaced the analog methods.
Read more about Power Flow Study: Power Flow Problem Formulation, Newton–Raphson Solution Method, Power Flow Methods
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