Analysis of Potential Energy Surfaces of Multimachine Power Systems Using Computer Graphics

This paper reports on undergraduate student involvement in a research project at Iowa State University. The undergraduate project used computer graphics as a tool to investigate the shape of the potential energy surfaces for a multimachine power system. The over-all research project is concerned with the application of the Transient Energy Function (TEF) method in direct transient stability analysis of power systems. The computer graphics used in the undergraduate project are associated with some sophomore-junior level courses. The students used the package in a creative and challenging way to generate information concerning the shape of a function of n-variables (specifically the potential energy), which is difficult to conceptualize. The problem was alleviated by plotting the potential energy with respect to two variables at a time, thus providing a three-dimensional projection of an (n + 1) dimensional surface. The project has provided a better physical insight to a complex analytical problem. It has also given undergraduate students in their junior year a sample of the challenging problems available in the area of computer-aided power system analysis.