Division algorithm and interconnection strategy of restoration subsystems based on complex network theory

Reasonably dividing restoration subsystems is an essential step for speeding up the restoration procedure with the widely employed bottom-up restoration strategy. A new method based on the community structure of the complex network theory is presented for dividing restoration subsystems in this work. The locations of black-start units and the characteristics of power systems are taken into account in the developed method. The restoration subsystems are determined by removing the lines with the maximal 'betweenness' repeatedly, and the rationality of the division results is evaluated by using a modularity index. An interconnection strategy for the restoration subsystems thus obtained is proposed by following the sequence that each restoration subsystem is separated from the power network concerned in the divisive process. The essential features of the proposed method are illustrated by case studies of the well-known New England test system and the Guangzhou actual power system in China.