A branch voltage based three phase load flow method for unbalanced distribution systems

A novel and fast three-phase load flow algorithm for unbalanced distribution systems is presented in this paper. The proposed method uses branch voltages as state variables and employs the Newton-Raphson algorithm to solve the load flow problem. By utilizing branch voltages as state variables, a constant Jacobian matrix can be obtained and a Jacobian matrix building algorithm is then developed based on the observation of the constant Jacobian matrix. A solution technique, which takes the network structure and computer economy into account, is also developed. Test results show the proposed method is an efficient three-phase load flow method and has great potential for real-time use.