Visualization of Power System Restoration Plans Using CPMIPERT Graphs.

The risk of blackouts is inherent in complex power systems, despite all efforts to prevent their occurrence. To mitigate the consequences of major blackouts, better restoration plans have been demanded. Commonly, these plans consist of a set of actions textually described. In order to enhance the operating staff comprehension about the restoration plan, this paper proposes a methodology, based on CPM/PERT graph theory, that allows power system restoration plans to be graphically visualized. This approach permits to clearly see the precedence relations among activities and to graphically follow the restoration process during its execution. The methodology can also take advantage of calculations involved with CPM/PERT methods to evaluate the restoration duration and the plan critical path. The application of the proposed approach is illustrated using the IEEE 30-bus network and the restoration plan developed for a portion of the Brazilian interconnected power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]