A new method for SSSC optimal location to improve power system Available Transfer Capability

In recent years, an increased interest was devoted to the problem of Flexible AC Transmission System devices location. In literature, most of proposals consist in iterative analyses, exhaustively looking for the branch that maximizes or minimizes an objective, such as least transmission losses or best power transfer capability. In this paper, attention is particularly focused on the Static Synchronous Series Compensator and a method is proposed to determine the device best location that maximizes the power system Available Transfer Capability measured as the Maximum system Load Increase before any operating limit is reached. The proposed method always performs an exhaustive analysis although conducted by modelling the transmission network by means of the simplified DC Load Flow equations embedded within an opportune optimisation model. Tests carried on networks modelled also by means of the AC Load Flow representation have demonstrated the validity of the proposed DC Load Flow based method.