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Although phasor measurement units (PMUs) have become increasingly widespread throughout power networks, the buses monitored by PMUs still constitute a very small percentage of the total number of system buses. Our research explores methods to derive useful information from PMU data in spite of this limited coverage. In particular, we have developed an algorithm which uses known system topology information, together with PMU phasor angle measurements, to detect system line outages. In addition to determining the outaged line, the algorithm also provides an estimate of the pre-outage flow on the outaged line. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, the algorithm is demonstrated using simulated and real PMU data from two systems--a 37-bus study case and the TVA control area. Index Terms--Event detection, line outages, phasor measurement units.

A key need facing the electric power industry is the ongoing requirement to develop its future workforce. While university education is a crucial step in this process, studies have shown that many promising students are unaware of possible careers in the power industry. Many also lose interest in math and science during their high school and even middle school years. This paper presents lesson plans and associated applets designed to help address these needs, developed as a collaboration between electric power researchers and education specialists. Thus far, two units have been developed to engage pre-university students in the power area. The first unit, Power and Energy in the Home, serves as an introduction to the concepts of power and energy and provides many sample loads to illustrate the impacts of running different appliances. Special attention is paid to environmental issues by the inclusion of Energy Star appliances along with incandescent and compact fluorescent lighting. The second unit, titled The Power Grid, aims to inform students about the macroscopic picture of how energy gets from generators to loads. Many different generation technologies are included, along with external system connections to demonstrate how power is imported and exported. Discussion of line overloading, and how networks can be both beneficial and detrimental depending on circumstances, are facilitated by features built into the applet and provided in the lesson plans. The materials have been distributed to students and educators, many of whom have provided valuable feedback. Index Terms--Educational technology, energy conservation, energy resources, load flow analysis, power engineering education, power systems.

Studies of the optimal multiplier (or optimal step size) modification to the standard Newton-Raphson (NR) load flow have mainly focused on highly stressed and unsolvable systems. This paper extends these previous studies by comparing performance of the NR load flow with and without optimal multipliers for a variety of unstressed, stressed, and unsolvable systems. Also, the impact of coordinate system choice in representing the voltage phasor at each bus is considered. In total, four solution methods are compared: the NR algorithm with and without optimal multipliers using polar and rectangular coordinates. This comparison is carried out by combining analysis of the optimal multiplier technique with empirical results for two-bus, 118-bus, and 10 274-bus test cases. These results indicate that the polar NR load flow with optimal multipliers is the best method of solution for both solvable and unsolvable cases. Index Terms--Load flow analysis, load flow convergence, optimal multipliers, polar and rectangular coordinates, step-size optimization.