Maximum Flow-based Vulnerability Assessment of Coupled Power-Traffic Systems

Environmental problems and energy crisis expedite the development of electric vehicles (EVs). EV charging stations are becoming the critical facilities that couples the power and traffic systems. These coupling points could be vulnerable during power system failures, which may have impact on the stable operation of the coupled power-traffic system. This paper proposes an approach based on maximum flow to do the vulnerability analysis of the coupled power-traffic systems. The power demand of EV charging stations in the traffic network is calculated based on the traffic assignment model. The centrality index of transmission lines is calculated on account of the maximum flow theory for identifying the critical lines. In case study, we evaluate the vulnerability of the IEEE 30 bus system coupled with traffic network-by considering the normal operation and failure state of charging stations. The results show that the critical lines may carry higher power in the event of charging station failure.