A Robust Power Flow Algorithm Based on Bulirsch–Stoer Method

In this paper, we address the load-flow (LF) problem of very large scale systems. These types of systems show a very narrow region of attraction, and most of LF solvers tend to fail when a flat initial guess point is used. On the other hand, the solution of these systems frequently involves very large matrices and vectors. Consequently, a robust LF method must be used to find the correct solution of these systems. This paper proposes a robust and efficient LF solver based on the Bulirsch-Stoer algorithm. Moreover, a simple modification is proposed in order to improve its computational performance. The proposed methods are tested using various very large scale systems (i.e., more than 3000 buses) and compared with several standard and robust LF techniques. The obtained results show that the proposed methods are more suitable for solving the LF problem of very large scale systems.