Software framework concepts for power distribution system analysis

Software design reuse has been discussed in the past at the component level through Design Patterns. A software framework is an approach to achieve software reusability for an entire domain. This paper presents architectural design concepts of a framework for power distribution system analysis. The commonalities of distribution system analysis, including components, topologies, and algorithms are considered. A layered architecture with strict top-down dependency is proposed to decrease software couplings. Interfaces are used to hide the internal structure of each layer. The Composite and Iterator design patterns are used in the framework design. This paper also presents practical examples of developing customized applications that reuse and extend the framework.