A comparison of load flow analysis using DistFlow, Gauss-Seidel, and optimal load flow algorithms

The state of a power system and the methods of calculating this state are extremely important in evaluating the operation of the power system, the control of this system, and the determination of future expansion for the power system. The state of the power system is determined through load flow analysis that calculates the power flowing in the lines of the system. There are several different methods to determine the load flow of a given system. For the purposes of this paper, only three methods of load flow algorithms are evaluated: Gauss-Seidel, optimal load flow, and the DistFlow method.