Abstract
his paper proposes a new power flow (PF) formulation for electrical distribution systems using the current
injection method and applying the Laurent series expansion. Two solution algorithms are proposed: a Newtonlike iterative procedure and a fixed-point iteration based on the successive approximation method (SAM). The convergence analysis of the SAM is proven via the Banach fixed-point theorem, ensuring numerical stability, the uniqueness of the solution, and independence on the initializing point. Numerical results are obtained for
both proposed algorithms and compared to well-known PF formulations considering their rate of convergence,
computational time, and numerical stability. Tests are performed for different branch 𝑅����∕𝑋���� ratios, loading
conditions, and initialization points in balanced and unbalanced networks with radial and weakly-meshed
topologies. Results show that the SAM is computationally more efficient than the compared PFs, being more
than ten times faster than the backward–forward sweep algorithm.