Load flow and short circuit studies are the two vital components in power system analysis to ensure the system equipment meeting the present and future requirements. there are many powers system analysis software that can be used to perform the analysis.  

Load flow analysis provides an overall system-real and reactive power generated voltages and line losses. It is also known as power flow analysis as the load is a constant quantity and it is the power that flows through transmission lines.  

Short circuit analysis is used to determine the available fault current at each point in the system. It will help in ensuring electrical equipment is protected with help of proper circuit breakers and fuses resulting in the prediction of incident energy levels and providing proper device coordination study.  

In 2018,6 people lost their lives in Ontario due to electrical injuries. 

Care Labs provides electrical installation study, analysis, testing, inspection, and certification services and we offer comprehensive power system study & analysis service. Trained professionals will examine your power system quality, training programs, documentation, and PPE to ensure your electrical safety program is up to date, compliant, and comprehensive. 

Harmful Effects of Short Circuit:   

  • The heat generated through the short circuit can damage or destroy wiring insulations and electrical equipment  
  • Arc caused by short circuit results in intense heat damaging equipment and resulting in injuries  
  • A ground fault may cause the electricity to go through the human body resulting in serious burns and electrical shock  

Need for Short Circuit Analysis:  

  • To Ensure the short circuit current rating of the protective devices  
  • To determine protection device settings  
  • To protect the equipment and working personnel lives  

Need for Load Flow Analysis:  

  • To check on bus voltage and system voltage profile  
  • To check on the effect of change in circuit configuration and incorporating new circuit expansion on system loading  
  • To check on the impact of temporary loss of transmission and generation of system loading and its effects  
  • To check on the effect of in-phase and quadrative boost voltages on system loading  
  • To ensure minimization of system load  
  • To improve the existing system by change of conductor sizes and system voltages  

Importance of Short Circuit Analysis and Load Flow Analysis in Canada:  

The ultimate aim of short circuit analysis is to provide means to keep the grid safe and operating. A short circuit fault analysis compares the amount of short circuit current in the system and compares it with interrupting rate of the devices that protect the system.  

These devices are called overcurrent protective devices (OCPD). Canadian standards govern the values of the interrupting rates. There are two types of OCPD’s  

  1. Fuses: They melt when they reach the interrupting value from excess heat.  
  2. Circuit Breakers: it allows the flow of electricity within their tolerances. The device breaks on reaching its tolerance value breaking the flow of current.  

Thus, short circuit analysis helps with monitoring and predictive maintenance of the parts of the grid.  

Through load flow study we can get voltage level, voltage phase angle information on each bus under steady-state.it helps in understanding more and less load status.  

Power flow solutions are important for assessment of power system performance and appropriate control measures can be taken if needed. Power flow analysis is thus an essential part of the safe operation of the power system.  

Benefits of Short Circuit Analysis: 

  • Helps in avoiding unplanned power outages and downtime  
  • Is critical in avoiding interruptions of essential services  
  • Reduces the equipment damage and fire hazards   
  • Increase the safety of people  
  • Helps in determining the level and type of protective devices  

Benefits of Load Flow Analysis:  

  • Decreases unexpected downtime  
  • Reduces operating and maintenance costs  
  • Can gain more capacity out of existing assets  

Methodology of Load Flow Analysis:  

Mathematical analysis: 

  1. Representation of the system by its one-line diagram  
  2. Conversion of quantities to its per unit  
  3. An Impedance diagram is drawn  
  4. Obtain Y bus matrix  
  5. Classification of the buses  
  6. Answering of missing variables by assumption  
  7. Approximations for real and reactive power is found out using the given values for voltage/angles/admittance  
  8. Jacobian matrix is written for the first iteration of Newton Raphson method  
  9. Solve for unknown differences, using crammer’s rule  
  10. Repeat steps 7-9 until we obtain an accurate value   

Software Analysis:  

Each system node has four key parameters: 

  • Active power  
  • Reactive power  
  • Voltage magnitude  
  • Voltage phase angle  

In defining nodes, the following are considered:

  • Load bus, a bus where the real power and reactive power are specified  
  • Generator bus, a bus in which the voltage and real power generation is known  
  • Slack bus, where the magnitude of voltage and phase are assumed to be known  

 The software will then proceed with the necessary calculations  

Methodology of Short Circuit Analysis:  

  • Choose the appropriate software to design the power grid.  
  • Designing of line grid of the system  
  • Gathering information of specifics of each component with respect to single short circuit maximum voltage factor  
  • Relate the delta connected components to wye connections  
  • Complete the database of all the specifications  
  • The software then calculates the 3-phase bolted short circuit mega volt amp to obtain short circuit values 

For conducting short circuit analysis and load flow analysis in your company contact us!