Application of the backward/forward sweep method for solving the power flow problem in DC networks with radial structure

Abstract

This paper presents the application of the backward/forward sweep iterative method for solving the power flow problem in direct current networks with radial structure, considering resistive and constant power loads. The validation of the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method is made by using six comparative methods proposed in literature for power flow analysis in radial direct current networks: Gauss-Jacobi, Gauss-Seidel, Newton-Raphson, linear approximation based on Taylor series, successive approximations, and the triangular matrix formulation. Those methods are evaluated using four test systems formed by 10, 21, 33 and 69 nodes. Simulation results, obtained in MATLAB, show that the proposed approach is efficient for radial direct current grids in terms of solution quality and processing time, increasing the efficiency for larger number of nodes increases.