An Observability Formulation for Nonlinear Power Systems Modeled as Differential

To my beautiful wife for her love and encouragement To my brother for his continuous support To my parents, my first teachers ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to my advisor Dr. Chika Nwankpa, for his continuous guidance, support and friendship. Since the beginning of my graduate career at Drexel, and up to the very final edits of this document, he has been there every step of the way, helping me along. I consider myself truly lucky for the opportunity to work with him, and I look forward to working with him in the future. Along with my advisor, the one person involved in the day-today difficulties and challenges of my graduate studies has been my loving wife Mary. She has been my rock, encouraging me during the difficult times, supporting me every step of the way, and even assisting me in preparing this document. I could not have done this without her, and I dedicate this work to her, for her unselfish love and support. Over the course of my graduate studies I have spent endless nights and countless weekends at the CEPE facility, and I look forward to making up that time, and enjoying the rest of our life together. Also, this achievement could not have been possible without the constant love, support and encouragement of my family. My parents have sacrificed their own personal happiness to provide me the opportunity to receive all the necessary tools to succeed in the future. I share this accomplishment with them and this accomplishment is as much theirs as it is mine. I hope they take comfort in the fact that their sacrifices have not gone unnoticed and in realizing this goal with me. Also, I'd like to thank my brother who has iii been a constant source of support and encouragement, and for providing me the necessary motivational speeches during the many difficult times.