Heuristic algorithms for placing geomagnetically induced current blocking devices

• Published in: Electric power systems research Vol. 234; p. 110645
• Main Authors: Ryu, Minseok, Attia, Ahmed, Barnes, Arthur, Bent, Russell, Leyffer, Sven, Mate, Adam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.09.2024
• Subjects: Blocking devices; Geomagnetic disturbance; Geomagnetically induced current mitigation; Heuristic approaches; Mixed-integer nonlinear programs; Heuristic approaches; Geomagnetically induced current mitigation; Blocking devices; Geomagnetic disturbance; Mixed-integer nonlinear programs
• ISSN: 0378-7796; 1873-2046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.epsr.2024.110645

We propose a new heuristic approach for solving the challenge of determining optimal placements for geomagnetically induced current blocking devices on electrical grids. Traditionally, these determinations are approached by formulating the problem as mixed-integer nonlinear programming models and solving them using optimization solvers based on the spatial branch-and-bound algorithm. However, computing an optimal solution using the solvers often demands substantial computational time due to their inability to leverage the inherent problem structure. Therefore, in this work we propose a new heuristic approach based on a three-block alternating direction method of multipliers algorithm, and we compare it with an existing stochastic learning algorithm. Both heuristics exploit the structure of the problem of interest. We test these heuristic approaches through extensive numerical experiments conducted on the EPRI-21 and UIUC-150 test systems. The outcomes showcase the superior performance of our methodologies in terms of both solution quality and computational speed when compared with conventional solvers. •New heuristic approaches for placing geomagnetically induced current blocking devices.•The proposed approaches provide high-quality solutions.•The proposed approaches are scalable with respect to the problem instance size.