Evaluation of the Robustness of a Transmission Line Network using Available Transfer Capacity

With the increasing size of power system networks, disturbances within the network are more frequent and severe. Therefore, modern power system networks are made more robust to withstand such disturbances and failures. Generally, contingency analysis is performed and various metrics are calculated to evaluate the robustness of a power system network in terms of its ability to handle the loss of critical components and maintain reliable operation. A robustness index quantifies the robustness of the system and provides valuable insights into how well a system can handle uncertainties, variations and disturbances. Therefore, calculation of such indices is critical for risk management, decision-making, optimization, and ensuring the reliability and safety of power system networks. For practicability and quick decision making, calculation of robustness index must be easy and computationally inexpensive. In this paper, we propose a simple and easily calculated robustness index, Available Transfer Capacity Robustness Index (ATCRI), on the basis of single line contingency analysis. A method to calculate the ATCRI is presented and used to quantify the robustness of a real system of transmission line network and provide the robustness information. The results are then compared with Active Power Flow Loss (APFL) index, which is a commonly used robustness index, for validation.