PyDSAL - Python Distribution System Analysis Library

The paper describes an implementation of a set of object oriented Python library functions for distribution system analysis. To illustrate its functionalities, an example of load flow calculation is implemented with the core method based on the Forward-Backward Sweep. The functionality of the method is extended with several alternatives for voltage and power flow control. The voltage control may either be based on a specified voltage or on a droop based approach. The performance of the method is demonstrated on a voltage compensation case. It is also demonstrated how the sensitivities may be used to develop a close to optimal voltage profile. The sensitivities applied are calculated during the forward and the backward sweeps. The recursive method is fast and flexible and makes it possible to solve many different topologies quickly. The common data structure with the object-oriented design is a key contributor to the flexibility and makes it possible to work on local copies and compare alternatives. The intended purpose of the implementation is to offer a fully open and transparent platform that can be a basis for further development and combined with other tools, to enable more complex studies. The code of this software is available from a reference of the paper. The tool has been validated on the IEEE69 Bus system.