Economic Dispatch

U.T.TAMIL ARASI
SL/EEE
REC
1

INTRODUCTION
Refers to the most economic loading of the

generators which are connected to the

system and running.
Fuel cost is the principal factor in fossil fuel
plants and is given as a function of
generation.
ED problem is to define the production level
of each plant so that the total generation
and transmission cost is minimum for a
prescribed schedule of loads.

Solution Techniques
Lagrange Multiplier method
Lambda Iteration method
Gradient method
Dynamic programming
Evolutionary Computation Techniques

Input-Output Cost Curve

Used to describe the efficiency of the
plants.
Graphical Representation of input in
Rs/hr versus power output in
megawatts is called input-output
curve.

Incremental Cost curve for

thermal Power plants
A plot of the input in kilocalories per hour versus

power output in megawatts is called input-output

curve.
The ordinates of the curve may be converted to
Rs/hr by multiplying the fuel in Rs/kilocalories.
The empirical equation of the this curve is given
by
2

C i aPi bPi c

Where a, b and c are constants depending upon a

particular plant.

 Incremental fuel cost

The incremental cost is equal to the slope of the
cost curve. A plot of incremental cost versus
power output is called the incremental cost curve.
It is shown in Fig.3. Equation (2) is of the form
=

;
dC
i
( IC ) i
b of the
i
The incremental costdP
is iequal 2
toaP
the
slope

cost curve.

Rs/ MWh

Incremental cost curve for

Hydro Power Plants
The input-output curve for a typical hydro unit is

shown in Fig. 4. This is obtained by plotting the

water input or discharge in cubic meters per
second as a function of the power output in
megawatts. The incremental cost curve for hydro
unit is shown in Fig. 5. This is obtained by plotting
the incremental cost in rupees per MW second
(Rs/MW - s)
as a function of power output in megawatts (MW).

Economic Dispatch Problem

It consists of N generating units

connected to a single bus bar serving

a receiving electrical load

Without Loss
let
FT F1 F2 F3 ... FN
N

Fi Pi

subject to (1) energy balance equation and (11)

inequality constraints

i 1

0 Pload Pi
i 1

10

Lagrange Function
This is a constrained optimization problem that
may be attacked formally using advanced
calculus methods that involve the Lagrange
function.
In order to establish the necessary conditions
for an extreme value of the objective function,
add the constraint function to the objective
function after the constraint function has been
multiplied by an undetermined multiplier. This
is known as the Lagrange function.

11

 Lagrange function with respect to the

power output values one at a time give

the set of equations shown

L = FT
+
Where is the
Lagrangian
multiplier.

The necessary condition for this optimization

problem is taking the first derivative of the
Lagrange unction with respect to the each of
the independent variables and set the
derivatives equal to zero i.e
L Fi Pi

0
Pi
Pi
12

Fi
0

Pi
Fi
0

Pi
This is called as coordination equation. i.e. the
necessary condition for the existence of a minimum
operating cost is that the incremental cost rates of all
the units be equal to the some in determined value .

13

 This is the necessary condition for the existence of a

minimum cost operating condition for the thermal power

system is that the incremental cost rates of all the units
be equal to some undetermined value, . Of course, to
this necessary condition we must add the constraint
equation that the sum of the power outputs must be equal
to the power demanded by the load. In addition, there are
two inequalities that must be satisfied for each of the
units. That is, the power output of each unit must be
greater than or equal to the minimum power permitted
and must also be less than or equal to the maximum
power permitted on that particular unit.

14

 These conditions and inequalities

may be summarized as shown in the

set of equations N equations
Fi

Pi

Pi,min Pi Pi,max
N

P
i 1

PLoad

15

Economic dispatch with

loss

16

INTRODUCTION
F1

F2

F3

17

With Loss
Objective Fn
FT=F1+F2++FN
Subjected to
N

PLoad PLoss Pi 0
i 1

18

 Using Lagrangian Function

L = FT +
Where is the lagrangian multiplier
i.e., add the constrained function
to the objective function after the
constrained function is multiplied by
an undetermined multiplier
19

 Taking the derivative of lagrangian

function with respect to any one of

the N values of Pi is shown as:

P
L Fi

1 loss 0
Pi Pi
Pi

Fi
Ploss

Pi
Pi
N

Pload Ploss Pi 0
i 1

20

General approaches to the

solution of the problem
Step1: Development of mathematical

model for the losses in the network as

the function of the power output of
each units (Loss Formula Method).
Step2: To incorporate the power flow
equations
as essential constraints. (Optimal
Power Flow)
21

 Iteration method
One of the method to solve the economic

dispatch problem by neglecting the losses.

Eg.
consider three units system, to find
the optimal economic operating point
without losses
- assume an incremental cost rate and
find the power outputs of these three units.
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Procedure
Is an iterative type of computation and
stopping rules are used,
(1) stopping rules based on
finding the proper operating point with
in a specified tolerance.
(2) stopping rules based on
maximum number of iteration

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Base point and Participation

factor
EDP is solved repeatedly by moving the generators from

one economically optimum schedule to another as the

load changes by a reasonably small amount.
Next, the scheduler assumes a load change and
investigates how much each generating unit needs to be
moved ie, participate in the load change in order that
the new load be served at the most economic operating
point.
Assume that both the first and second derivatives in the
cost versus power output function are available (ie, both
and ). As the unit load is changed by an amount , the
system incremental cost moves from to . For a small
change in power output on this single unit.
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Unit
Commitment

25

INTRODUCTION
The unit commitment economically schedules

generating units over a short-term planning

horizon subject to the satisfaction of demand
and other system operating constraints.
It involves determining start-up and shutdown schedule of units to be used to meet the
forecasted demand , over a future short term
period.
belongs to the class of complex combinatorial
optimization problems..
26

An Example
Consider 3 units shown below:
Unit 1: Min = 150MW, Max=600MW.
Unit 2: Min = 100MW, Max=400MW.
Unit 3: Min= 50 MW, Max = 200
MW.
Load is 550 MW.
What is the combination of units to
supply the load most economically?
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Feasible Combination:
Max Values :600,400, 200 MW.
Unit
1

Unit
2

Unit PG
3

ON

ON

ON

ON

ON

OFF P1=
295

P1=
267
P2=23
3
P3=50

Total
generati
on cost
5617

5471
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Meeting Variable demand

An Example of Peak-valley load

pattern

1200 MW
Total Load

500 MW

Time
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Unit commitment schedule

1200 MW
UNIT 1

UNIT 1

Total Load

UNIT 2

UNIT 2
600 MW
UNIT 1

Time
30

Constraints in Unit
Commitment
Spinning Reserve:
Describes the total amount of generation

schedule available from all units

synchronized on the system minus present
load and losses being supplied.
Loss of one or more units should not cause
a too far drop in frequency.
Reserve must be capable of making up the
loss of most heavily loaded unit in a given
period of time.
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Units
1,2 and 3

Units 4
and 5

550
MW

1900 MW

1190 MW

Unit

Unit
capacity

Unit
output

Spinning
Reserve

1
2
3
4
5

1000
800
800
1200
600

900
420
420
1040
310

100
380
380
160
290
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Constraints (Continuation)
Thermal Constraints:

Thermal units undergo only gradual

temperature changes.

Minimum Up time: Once the unit is running,

it should not be turned off immediately

Minimum Down time: Once the unit is
decommited, there is a minimum time before
it can be recommitted.
Crew Constraints: No enough crew members
to attend two or more units while starting up.

33

Start up cost
Energy expended to bring the unit on-line.
Cooling:
Allows the units boiler to cool down and
then heat back up to operating
temperature in time for a scheduled turnon.
Banking:
Requires that sufficient energy be input to
the boiler to just maintain operating
temperature
34

Start up cost when

cooling
t

c c (1 ) F c f
where

cc

= cold-start cost (MBtu)

= Fuel cost

cf

=Fixed cost

= Thermal time constant for the Unit

= time (h) the unit was cooled
35

 Start-up cost when banking

ct t F c f
where

ct

= cost (MBtu/h) of maintaining unit

at operating temperature

36

Time dependent start-up

cost
Start up
cost

Cooling

Banking

Time
37

Other Constraints
Must run constraint: Some units are

given a must run status during all the

times.
Fuel Constraints: Some units have
limited fuel or have constraints that
require them to burn a specified
amount of fuel.
38

Difficulties in Solving Unit

Commitment Problems
Let there be M periods and N units.
The total number of combinations at each hour
is:

N!
C ( N , j)

(
N

j
)!
j
!

j! 1 2 ........ j

The maximum number of possible

combinations is (2N-1)M

39

Solution Methods
Priority list schemes
Dynamic Programming
Lagrange Relaxation

40

Priority List Method

It consists of priority list of units to

be committed.
Full load average production cost of
each unit is calculated.
Then in the order of ascending costs,
the units are arranged for
commitment.
41

An Example
Consider 3 units shown below:
Unit 1: Min = 150MW, Max=600MW.
H1=510+7.2P1+0.00142P12
Unit 2: Min = 100MW, Max=400MW.
H2= 310+7.85P2+0.00194P22.
Unit 3: Min= 50 MW, Max = 200 MW.
H3 = 78+7.97P3+0.00482P32. Load is 550 MW.
Fuel cost1=1.1 R/MBtu
Fuel cost2=1.0 R/MBtu
Fuel cost3=1.2 R/MBtu
What is the combination of units to
supply the load most economically?

42

Calculation of FLAPC
Unit Full load
Min MW Max MW
average
production
cost(R/MWh
)
1
2
3

9.79
9.48
11.188

100
150
50

400
600
200

43

Optimal Combinations
Combinatio Min MW
n

Max MW

2+1+3

300

1200

2+1

250

1000

100

400

44

Limitations of Priority List

Scheme
No load costs are zero.
Unit input-output characteristics are
linear between zero output and full
load.
There are no other restrictions.
Start up costs are a fixed amount.

45

Dynamic Programming for

UC
A state consists of an array of units with
specified units operating and the rest
Assumptions

off-line.
The start up cost of a unit is
independent of the time it has been offlined (i.e., it is a fixed amount).
There are no costs for shutting down a
unit.
There is a strict priority order, and in
each interval a specified minimum
amount of capacity must be operating.

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Recursive Algorithm to
compute the minimum cost
Fcos t ( K , I ) min[ Pcos t ( K , I ) S cos t ( K 1, L : K , I ) Fcos t ( K 1, L)]
L
where
Fcos t ( K , I ) least total cos t to arrive at state ( K , I )
Pcos t ( K , I ) production cos t for state ( K , I )
S cos t ( K 1, L : K , I ) transition cos t from state ( K 1, L) to ( K , I )

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