Optimal reactive power flow solution in multiterminal AC-DC systems based on artificial bee colony algorithm

Active power loss optimization is one of the important goals in electrical power systems and it is provided by optimal reactive power flow (ORPF). In this study, a new approach for the solution of the ORPF in multiterminal AC-DC systems is proposed. This approach provides 3 main contributions. First, the convergence problem in the AC-DC power flow is solved. Second, the problem of getting stuck in local minima during the optimization process is overcome. Third, a better global optimum point is obtained for the ORPF. Active power loss optimization is implemented through the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm, which is a heuristic optimization method, by considering the system constraints. This study is the first to use the ABC algorithm for the solution of the ORPF in multiterminal AC-DC systems. The proposed approach is tested on the modified IEEE 14-bus AC-DC test system and the obtained results from this and other studies are given. Comparative results prove that this approach is more eficient and reliable in reaching a global optimum while satisfying all of the system constraints.