Proceedings of ICEE 2009 3rd International Conference on Energy and Environment,

7-8 December 2009, Malacca, Malaysia

Study of Static Voltage Stability Index as an Indicator

for Under Voltage Load Shedding Schemes
R A Zahidi,I Z Abidin, H Hashim, Y R Omar

N Ahmad, A M Ali

Department of Electrical Power Engineering

Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Malaysia
{ARubiatul, Izham, Halimatun, Yaakob, Noraisma, Abdullah}@uniten.edu.my
AbstractUnder Voltage Load Shedding (UVLS) has been
successfully deployed in many systems throughout the world to
protect local systems from voltage collapse. This is particularly
true if the system conditions and the contingencies leading to
voltage instabilities are of low probability, but would result in
serious consequences. However, the locations and how much load
to shed requires expert knowledge and experience working with
the power grid. This paper will present on utilizing an established
index called FVSI (Fast Voltage Stability Index) to act as a
numerical verification of the shedding locations. The research
work done shows that the FVSI index can be used and load
shedding at these points does improve the stability of the system.

working with the power grid. Hence, the paper proposed to

utilize an established index called FVSI (Fast Voltage
Stability Index) to act as a numerical verification of the
shedding locations.
This paper will go through the basic concept of PV
analysis which is related to assessing voltage sensitivity points
in the system. Using the concept, a brief overview of the index
utilized will be discussed. Based upon this, the paper will go
through the research methodology conducted and then
followed by the discussion of findings from the simulation
conducted.

Keywords-Voltage Stability; Voltage Index; Under Voltage

Load Shedding;

I.

II.

PV analysis is an analysis tool, used to determine the real

power transfer capability across a transmission interface to
supply local load. These curves are also called nose curves by
system planning engineers. Starting from a base-case system
(all lines in-service), computer-generated load flow cases are
run with increasing power transfers while monitoring voltages
at critical buses. When power transfers reach a high enough
level, a stable voltage cannot be sustained and the system
voltage collapses.

INTRODUCTION

Power system is a nonlinear system that operates in a

constantly changing environment. When subjected to a
disturbance, the stability of the system depends on the initial
operating condition as well as the nature of the disturbance.
During fault occurrences, the system may experience a change
in frequency or a change in voltage levels or a combination of
both [1]. These may range from localize instability event to a
wide system collapse depending upon the character and
configuration of the system and its operating mode [2,3]. With
the introduction of protection relays, theoretically these faults
may be isolated. However, with the complex interconnectivity
of the system grid, these protective devices must be planned as
such that the activation of protection strategy would mitigate
rather than reinforce the instability occurrences. Hence the last
possible mitigating action in this case would be using Under
Voltage Load Shedding (UVLS) schemes.
UVLS has been successfully deployed in many systems
throughout the world to protect local systems from voltage
collapse. This is particularly true if the system conditions and
the contingencies leading to voltage instabilities are of low
probability, but would result in serious consequences. This is
analogous to underfrequency load shedding, which has
become a common utility practice to cater to extreme
situations resulting in generation deficiency and
underfrequency [2]. However, the locations and how much
load to shed requires expert knowledge and experience

978-1-4244-5145-6/09/$26.00 2009

PV ANALYSIS

Figure 1. Real Power (MW) vs. Voltage (PV) Curve.

Figure 1 illustrates that for baseline conditions shown in

curve A, the voltage remains relatively steady (changing along
the vertical axis) as local load increases. System conditions are
secure and stable to the left of point A1. After a contingency

256

occurs, such as a transmission circuit tripping, the new

(relative to curve A). The system must be operated to stay well
inside the load level for the nose of curve B. If the B
contingency occurs, then the next worst contingency must be
considered.

condition is represented by curve B, with lower voltages

maintain a secure condition, the FVSI should be maintained
less than 1.00.

PV curves are very effective analytical tools to determine

systems load handling capability and how well a system can
perform under various types of contingencies. Through PV
curves one can readily see how much load can be served at
minimum operating voltage level and what combination of
contingencies can bring the system to a voltage collapse.
III.

FVSI INDEX

Fast Voltage Stability Index (FVSI) is an instrument used

to analyze the voltage stability condition in a power system.
This index is basically used to indicate branch loadability in a
power system. The FVSI index is formulated based on a
concept of power flow through a single line which consists of
a two-bus system. Figure 2 shows the two-bus power system
model, where:
V1
P1, Q1
S1, S2
V2
P2, Q2

= Voltage on Sending Bus (Bus 1)

= Active and reactive power on the Sending Bus
= Apparent power on the Sending and Receiving Bus
= Voltage on Receiving Bus (Bus 2)
= Active and reactive power on the Receiving Bus

2 = Angle difference between Sending and

= 1
Receiving Bus

Figure 2. Two-Bus Power System Model.

Taking the symbols i as the sending bus and j as the

receiving bus, FVSI can be defined as shown in (1) below.

FVSI ij =

4 Z 2Q j
Vi 2 X .

(1)

+ = .

Where Z is the line impedance, X is the line reactance, Qj is

the reactive power at the receiving end, and Vi is the sending
end voltage.
The value of FVSI that is evaluated close to 1.00
indicates that the particular line is closed to its instability point
which may lead to voltage collapse in the entire system. To

257

(1)

(1)

IV.

is working in stress condition, i.e. the index at weak buses is

close to or exceeding 1.0 pu, it shows that the particular
observed branch is at high risk in causing voltage instability.
Based upon this, several mitigating action is then executed
which would include load shedding and executing unit
protection on overload lines. Several simulation and
comparison is then made to investigate the effectiveness of
these countermeasures. The FVSI index is again utilised to
indicate system improvement in terms of voltage stability.

METHODOLOGY

A detailed model of a simple system is presented using

PSSETM31 software. The system studied for this paper is IEEE
56-bus test system. The system one-line diagram is as shown
in Figure 3. The system is tested under two conditions;
1) Normal condition or base case:
Reflects a typical normal operating condition i.e. all
elements in the system is in service and within
normal loading and voltage limits.

V.

RESULT & DISCUSSION

Table 1 and Table 2 summarize the top 10 highest ranked

buses based upon FVSI values for base case and contingency
scenario.

2) Contingency condition:
For this paper, the contingency applied would include
loss of generator units, loss of multiple branches and
increase in loads. In terms of load locations,
generally the loads are increased mostly at the load
centres in the system with the objective of stressing
the system while maintaining swing bus, branch and
generator limits.

Based upon Table 2, it can be seen that the highest FVSI

value is between bus 1520 and 1530 and between bus 1210
and 1240. High FVSI value indicates weak points or possible
points of voltage instability [5]. In terms of branch loading, it
is also observed that both of these branches exhibit an
overload condition as shown in Figure 4. Evidently, taking out
these two lines would further degrade the system which could
lead to possible cascading tripping. Eventually, this could lead
to total system collapse.

The base case will be used as a reference for contingency

simulations conducted. Based upon the results obtained,
ranking is then applied with the objective to locate the 10
weakest buses in the network. The ranking is done based on
FVSI index and PV analysis.

Several mitigating action is tested to see its effectiveness

whilst avoiding the overload relay at the overloaded branches
from executing. An alternative considered in this research is

The system is then subjected to contingency analysis.

FVSI is again calculated. If the index shows that the network

Figure 3. IEEE 56-Bus Test System.

258

Figure 4. The two arrows indicate the overloaded branches corresponding with high FVSI values. Area A, Area B and Area C denotes the area to be shedded
after contingency.

be useful in determining and assessing the best solution

strategy in mitigating voltage instability during post fault
condition. Utilising FVSI as an index would reduce time in
assessing the voltage stability state of the system. This would
be particularly useful if the system is very big typical to a
practical power network. However it is worth noting that the
analysis conducted is only based upon load flow analysis
hence dynamic behaviour of the system is not included.

load shedding. In this research, load shed is conducted near

the high FVSI index area (denoted by Area A in Figure 4) and
the other load shed point is done away from the high FVSI
index point (denoted by Area B and Area C in Figure 4).
Results of this looking at the top 3 bus are presented in Table
3, Table 4 and Table 5.
Referring to Table 4 and Table 5, load shedding at Area A
and B reduces the critical branch FVSI index hence
maintaining voltage stability of the system. Another set of test
was also conducted for load shedding at Area C (which has
low voltage deviation value during PV analysis). It was found
that it has no effect at all in alleviating the voltage stability
problem. Looking back in terms of location, it is seen that the
most suitable location in this case would be load shedding at
Area B which is located away from the high FVSI index bus
since it has higher impact towards improving the FVSI value
thus improving the voltage stability condition.
VI.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The research team would like to acknowledge the Ministry
of Science and Technology Malaysia for research funding (0302-03-SF0141) and Universiti Tenaga Nasional Berhad,
Malaysia for the support given in this research.
REFERENCES
[1]
[2]

CONCLUSION

[3]

A voltage collapse of part of the electrical system is an

indication that for the existing conditions and contingencies,
some portion of the combined generation and transmission
system has been operated beyond its capability. Voltage
collapse can also be a symptom of a much larger problem, and
when the system starts to collapse, there is a real danger that
the localized problem will cascade into wider areas. The
purpose of proper system planning and operating philosophies
is for the system to function reliably, and failing that, to
contain the impacts of disturbances to localized areas. While
UVLS is not mandatory for member systems, it can be useful
tool to protect the system from voltage collapse, or
uncontrolled loss of load or cascading [4].

[4]
[5]
[5]

It can be seen from simulation conducted, information

extracted from system network behavioural studies proved to

259

R A Zahidi, H Hashim, I Z Abidin, Interaction between Loads and

Voltage during System Outage, UNITEN SCORED 2008.
Praba Kundur, Power System Stability & Control, EPRI Power
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Haji Izham Haji Zainal Abidin, The Application of Fuzzy Decision
Tree for Voltage Collapse Analysis, in Dept of Electrical and
Electronics, Thesis 2002, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
Western Systems Coordinating Council, Under Voltage Load Shedding
Guidelines, July 1999.
Ray D. Zimmerman, Carlos E. Murillo-Snchez & Deqiang (David)
Gan, MATPOWER, http://www.pserc.cornell.edu/matpower/ [last
accessed on 10/06/2009].
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Weak Area Clustering Technique in Power System, National Power &
Energy Conference (PECon) 2004 Proceedings, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, p. 235-240.

TABLE I.

TOP 10 HIGHEST FVSI VALUES FOR BASE CASE CONDITION

No

From Bus

To Bus

MVAR

MVAR (pu)

V (pu)

FVSI

1231

1240

46.4

0.464

1.0279

0.10188

1230

1240

42.8

0.428

1.0192

0.09559

1520

2530

58.7

0.587

1.044

0.08486

1520

2530

58.7

0.587

1.044

0.08486

1215

1231

47.4

0.474

1.0162

0.05563

1520

1530

35.6

0.356

1.044

0.05553

1500

1530

30

0.3

1.0443

0.04676

2500

2510

102.5

1.025

1.0397

0.04022

1220

1230

44.4

0.444

1.0109

0.03511

10

2570

2663

30.6

0.306

1.0462

0.02755

TABLE II.

TOP 10 HIGHEST FVSI VALUES FOR CONTINGENCY CASE CONDITION

No

From Bus

To Bus

MVAR

MVAR (pu)

V (pu)

FVSI

1520

1530

257.5

2.575

0.7878

0.70533

1210

1220

103.3

1.033

0.6567

0.48386

2500

2520

205.3

2.053

0.9936

0.11762

2510

2530

201

2.01

1.0021

0.08491

1230

1240

22.7

0.227

0.8568

0.07174

2520

2540

196.1

1.961

1.0223

0.05306

1520

2530

34

0.34

1.03

0.05050

1520

2530

34

0.34

1.03

0.05050

2500

2510

114.2

1.142

0.9936

0.04907

10

1231

1240

15.1

0.151

0.8739

0.04587

260

TABLE III.

TOP 3 HIGHEST FVSI VALUES WHEN AREA A UNDERGOES LOAD SHEDDING

No

From Bus

To Bus

MVAR

MVAR (pu)

V (pu)

FVSI

1520

1530

177.5

1.775

1.0334

0.28256

1210

1220

90.3

0.903

0.9344

0.20892

2500

2520

205.2

2.052

0.9949

0.11725

TABLE IV.

TOP 3 HIGHEST FVSI VALUES WHEN AREA B UNDERGOES LOAD SHEDDING

No

From Bus

To Bus

MVAR

MVAR (pu)

V (pu)

FVSI

1520

1530

106.7

1.067

1.0363

0.16890

1210

1220

72.4

0.724

0.9907

0.14901

2500

2520

204.9

2.049

0.9961

0.11680

TABLE V.

TOP 3 HIGHEST FVSI VALUES WHEN AREA C UNDERGOES LOAD SHEDDING

No

From Bus

To Bus

MVAR

MVAR (pu)

V (pu)

FVSI

1520

1530

257.5

2.575

0.7878

0.70533

1210

1220

103.3

1.033

0.6567

0.48386

2500

2520

205.3

2.053

0.9936

0.11762

261