An improved method for determining voltage collapse proximity of radial distribution networks

The two-bus equivalent model is commonly used for voltage stability studies in both distribution and transmission systems. The paper presents a simple method to evaluate, for each bus, the parameters which define the equivalent circuit of a radial distribution network. In particular, a straightforward way for determining the Thévenin equivalent impedance behind a load node is proposed, which allows to better identify the maximum loading point beyond which the voltage collapse takes place in the network. Simulation results show that the proposed method is significantly more accurate than other existing methods on evaluating the critical power at a particular node (i.e. the weak node of the network) starting from any operating point.