Optimal Multi-Objective Placement of UPFC for Planning the Operation of Power Systems Using the Water Cycle Optimization Algorithm

Abstract: Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) is one of the FACTS devices which plays a crucial role in simultaneous regulating active and reactive power, improving system load, reducing congestion and cost of production. Therefore, determining the optimum location of such equipment in order to improve the performance of the network is significant. In this paper, WCA algorithm is used to locate the optimal placement of UPFC. The concepts and ideas underlying this approach are inspired by nature and are based on observations of water and the process of the water cycle and the formation of rivers and streams and their flow to the sea in the real world. This algorithm has a high potential for escaping local optimizations as well as speeding up global optimization. For UPFC modeling, the power injection model has been used and the OPF-UPFC problem has been solved with various objective functions such as generators fuel cost, network losses and system loading, both single-objective and multi-objective. Also, the results obtained from different objective functions are compared with other references. The results acquired show the efficiency and speed of the water cycle algorithm compared to some other intelligent algorithms. The computer program has been written in the MATLAB software environment and implemented on the IEEE 14-bus network.