N-k interdiction modeling for natural gas networks.

Although electricity transmission systems are typically very robust, the impacts that arise when they are disrupted motivate methods for analyzing outage risk. For example, N - k interdiction models were developed to characterize disruptions by identifying the sets of k power system components whose failure results in "worst case" outages. While such models have advanced considerably, they generally neglect how failures outside the power system can cause large-scale outages. Specifically, failures in natural gas pipeline networks that provide fuel for gas-fired generators can affect the function of the power grid. In this study, we extend N - k interdiction modeling to gas pipeline networks. We use recently developed convex relaxations for natural gas flow equations to yield tractable formulations for identifying sets of k components whose failure can cause curtailment of natural gas delivery. We then present a novel cutting-plane algorithm to solve these problems. Finally, we use test instances to analyze the performance of the approach in conjunction with simulations of outage effects on electrical power grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]