Economic Load Dispatch using Imperialistic Competitive Algorithm: An Effect of Control Variables

Abstract — The operation of an electric power system is a complex one due to its nonlinear and computational difficulties. One task of operating a power system economically and securely is optimal scheduling, commonly referred to as the Optimal Power Flow (OPF) problem. Optimal power flow has become an essential tool in power system planning and operation. OPF is a typical nonlinear programming problem which consists in determining an optimal steady state operation of an electric power system. In this paper, conventional quadratic and non-convex fuel cost functions optimized while satisfying equality and in-equality constraints. The effect of control variables is identified by considering limited and all control variable cases are analyzed with the supporting numerical results on standard IEEE-14 bus and IEEE-30 bus test systems. Index Terms—Optimal power flow, Imperialistic competitive algorithm, effect of control variables, Quadratic cost, Non-convex cost. I