Reliability assessment of a practical power system using Monte Carlo simulation

The objective of this paper is to study the reliability aspects of a practical transmission system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This system consists of several 230 kV transmission lines as well as 380/230 kV transformers that feed a large load area. The system experienced several upgrades by adding/removing transmission lines and transformers. Each scenario offers a simulation of the reliability and availability analysis. The study also demonstrates a comparison of several scenarios. The analysis in this paper is performed based on contingency analysis using the Power World Simulator package (PWS) to calculate the exact share of each piece of equipment of the system capacity. Then, Monte Carlo simulation is used to calculate the availability for each component as well as the availability of the overall system. Finally, the study presents and discusses the simulated reliability and its improvement for this practical system while the system is being upgraded.