PowerWorld Simulator - PVQV

PVQV (PV Curve and QV Curve) Tool is one add-on available with PowerWorld Simulator. (Note: PVQV was formerly called VAST). With PVQV, users can identify risks to their systems voltage stability and reactive supports during their planning studies. They can then use this information to determine how to strengthen their system against these risks by modeling proposed changes in Simulator to evaluate their effectiveness. With PVQV, users can take advantage of a full-featured voltage analysis tool within the familiar, easy-to-use environment of PowerWorld Simulator.

At the heart of PVQV is an engine for computing the maximum transfer capability between two sets of loads and generators as it is constrained both by voltage stability limitations and by the need to maintain all voltages above a certain level. The user defines the groups of loads and generators that will exchange power and how the amount of that exchange should ramp during the simulation. PVQV models increasing the transaction of power between these two groups of points and alerts the user when either a bus voltage falls below the minimum acceptable level or the system fails to solve, indicating a possible voltage collapse. While this is going on, PVQV records values for quantities the user wants to store. These values can include bus voltage magnitudes, bus voltage angles, real and reactive loads, generator real and reactive outputs, reactive power reserves of individual generators or groups of generators, branch real and reactive flows, and the real and reactive flows on interfaces or flowgates. All the while, users can continue to interact with the simulation, to pause it, to change options, or to plot quantities they have decided to monitor. The picture to the right offers a screenshot showing PVQV at work. The plot windows, open one-line diagrams, and case information displays are all "live" during the simulation, so they automatically update to show results from the latest solution. That means that you can watch a voltage trend unfold as the transaction increases and interrupt the simulation when you find something of interest. We've even integrated contingency analysis into PVQV so you can examine and rank the effects of contingencies on your systems voltage performance.

Our key goals in developing PVQV were to pack as much power and flexibility into the application while keeping it easy-to-use and as interactive as possible. We believe no other planning-mode voltage stability analysis package can help you learn as much about your systems limits as quickly as PVQV can.