IEEE 1584 · Engineering
Load Flow Analysis
Load flow analysis solves the steady-state operating condition of your power system — node voltages, branch power flows, real and reactive power, and line losses — for a specified generation and network configuration. For a Philippine facility this means confirming your network can carry required loads during planned outages without exceeding rated capacity, and identifying where reactive power compensation and transformer tap settings should sit for efficient operation. Carelabs performs the study in ETAP, modelling your network as nodes connected by impedances and solving it iteratively, and delivers findings aligned with the Philippine Electrical Code.
Free ConsultationBefore you commit to the expansion
Adding a line, a chiller or a production cell is an electrical question before it is a commercial one. Load flow answers whether the installation carries it, at what voltage, and what breaks first if it does not.
What We Deliver
The planned load as its own case
New load is modelled as a distinct scenario including motor starting where large drives are involved, so the answer covers the plant you intend to run rather than only the plant you have.
WHY IT MATTERS
Capacity discovered after the order
The expensive version of this question is asked after equipment has been purchased and a constraint appears during commissioning. The cheap version is asked while the specification is still a document.
- Demand established from metered data rather than connected load, because the difference between the two is where capacity misjudgements begin.
- Motor starting assessed where significant drives are added, as starting current depresses bus voltage for its duration and can trip sensitive equipment elsewhere.
- Alternative switching arrangements studied, since a network comfortable in the normal configuration can be constrained on the standby one.
- Standby generation modelled separately where present, because generator impedance and capacity differ substantially from the utility supply.
- Reactive compensation checked for resonance against existing harmonic content before it is recommended rather than after it is installed.
DELIVERABLES
What you receive
Issued against the Philippine Electrical Code with the load basis and modelling assumptions stated explicitly.
- 1Bus voltage table per scenario with deviation from nominal against the applicable limit
- 2Branch loading summary identifying every element above rating and the margin on those approaching it
- 3A stated spare capacity figure at the constraining element, in kVA
- 4Losses by branch, so compensation and reconductoring can be targeted
- 5The calibrated ETAP model, so the next expansion is a re-run rather than a new engagement
How the study runs
Define the question
We agree what the study must decide: whether a planned load can connect, why voltage is low somewhere specific, or how much headroom remains before reinforcement.
Establish the load basis
Metered demand is collected where available and reconciled against connected load, which is usually where the useful finding sits.
Build the network model
Transformers, cables and busbars are modelled in ETAP from verified data, with impedances from test certificates where those exist.
Run the scenarios
Each agreed operating case is solved, including alternative switching arrangements and any standby supply the site can run on.
Identify what binds
The constraining element is identified per scenario along with its remaining margin, which is the number capacity planning needs.
Report and options
Findings are issued with reinforcement, reconfiguration and compensation options, each with the constraint it relieves and the one it does not.