Optimal Location and Parameters Setting of Unified Power Flow Controller Based on Evolutionary Optimization Techniques

Flexible alternating current transmission systems (FACTS) devices have been proposed as an effective solution for controlling power flow and regulating bus voltage in electrical power systems, resulting in an increased transfer capability, low system losses, and improved stability. However to what extent the performance of FACTS devices can be brought out highly depends upon the location and the parameters of these devices. Unified power flow controller (UPFC) is one of the most promising FACTS devices for power flow control. In this paper, we propose two evolutionary optimization techniques, namely genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) to select the optimal location and the optimal parameters setting of UPFC which minimize the active power losses in the power network, and compare their performances. To show the validity of the proposed techniques and for comparison purposes, simulations are carried out on a three-bus, a five-bus, and an IEEE-14 bus test power systems. The obtained results indicate that both techniques can successfully find the optimal location and parameters setting of UPFC, but PSO is faster than GA from the time perspective.