CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
1.1 About NERC and its Reliability Standards
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is a not-for-profit
international regulatory authority whose mission is to assure the effective and efficient
reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid. NERC develops and enforces
Reliability Standards; annually assesses seasonal and long‐term reliability; monitors the
bulk power system through system awareness; and educates, trains, and certifies industry
personnel. NERC’s area of responsibility spans the continental United States, Canada,
and the northern portion of Baja California, Mexico. NERC is the electric reliability
organization (ERO) for North America, subject to oversight by the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) and governmental authorities in Canada. NERC's
jurisdiction includes users, owners, and operators of the bulk power system, which serves
more than 334 million people.
This Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program is to be used by the North
American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Regional Entity to monitor,
assess, and enforce compliance with Reliability Standards within the Province of
Manitoba. Assessing of compliance with Reliability Standards is accomplished through
compliance monitoring and rigorous proactive Compliance Audits. NERC shall register
the organizations responsible for complying with Reliability Standards, in accordance
with applicable NERC Rules of Procedure. NERC shall notify organizations of their
inclusion on the NERC Compliance Registry and shall inform each Registered Entity, at
the time of such registration, of the Reliability Standards that are applicable to the
Registered Entity. NERC shall maintain on its web site a current listing of Reliability
Standards that are applicable to all Registered Entities. Each Registered Entity shall
inform the Regional Entity promptly of changes to its registration information.
The Transmission Loading Relief Procedure used by the Reliability Coordinators in
the Eastern Interconnection is described in NERC Reliability Standard IRO-006-EAST-
1. The purpose statement of NERC Reliability Standard IRO-006-5 states that, “To
ensure coordinated action between Interconnections when implementing
Interconnection-wide transmission loading relief procedures to prevent or manage
potential or actual SOL and IROL exceedances to maintain reliability of the bulk electric

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system.” This coordinated action, for the Eastern Interconnection, is obtained through the
Interchange Distribution Calculator (IDC).
1.2 IDC Provider and 24x7 Technical Support
OATI provides 24x7 support of the IDC system. During normal business hours, the OATI
help desk will be available to answer calls and provide basic system support. During off-
hours, all calls to the help desk will be directed to the OATI answering service where
calls will be followed up and trouble tickets will be escalated to the appropriate line of
support. Please contact a NERC System Administrator for assistance in registration
matters.
1.3 Transmission Loading Relief Levels
Transmission Loading Relief (TLR) is a sequence of actions taken during operations
planning or during real-time operation to avoid or remedy security violations associated
with the transmission system. System planners and operators have developed unique
systematic procedures to prevent transmission loading problems and they vary across the
interconnected grid of each control area. Issues of security raised due to financial
transactions are resolved by formal TLR procedures with consistency and fairness. The
process starts when a security coordinator identifies a transmission facility within its
security area that is about to, or has exceeded the operating security limit. At this point
the security coordinator may invoke TLR. These procedures are briefly summarized
below.
LIMITATIONS: The transmission relief procedure depend on number of limitations:
a) Computation of off-line ATC doesn’t consider the effect of the actual transactions
in/out of the region. It is a non-simultaneous computation. b) The non-peak hour
operating conditions differ from that at peak hour. c) Numerical errors are present in off-
line ATC because it often neglects the influence of reactive power, uses linear models
and assumes constant distribution factors.
The Interchange Distribution Calculator (IDC) uses TLR levels to define the severity of
the loading on the transmission system as well as actions that will be taken by the IDC
to relieve the overloading. The listed system condition examples are intended to assist
the Reliability Coordinator in determining what level of TLR to call.

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 Table 1.1 Transmission loading relief levels
Level Examples of Possible System Conditions
TLR-1  At least one Transmission Facility is expected to approach or exceed its SOL
or IROL within 8 hours.
TLR-2  At least one Transmission Facility is approaching or is at its SOL or IROL.
 Analysis shows that holding new and decreasing non-firm Interchange
Transactions and energy flows for the next hour can prevent exceeding this
SOL or IROL.
TLR-3a  At least one Transmission Facility is expected to exceed its SOL or IROL
within the next hour.
 Analysis shows that full or partial curtailment or reallocation1 of non-firm
Interchange Transactions and energy flows can prevent exceeding this SOL
and IROL.
TLR-3b  At least one Transmission Facility is exceeding its SOL or IROL, or
 At least one Transmission Facility is expected to exceed its SOL or IROL
within the current hour.
 Analysis shows that full or partial curtailment or reallocation2 of non-firm
Interchange Transactions and energy flows can prevent exceeding this SOL
and IROL.
TLR-4  At least one Transmission Facility is expected to exceed its SOL or IROL.
 Analysis shows that full curtailment of non-firm Interchange Transactions and
energy flows or reconfiguration of the transmission system can prevent
exceeding this SOL and IROL.
TLR-5a  At least one Transmission Facility is expected to exceed its SOL or IROL
within the next hour.
 Analysis shows that the following actions can prevent exceeding this SOL and
IROL:
 Full curtailment of non-firm Interchange Transactions and energy flows, and
 Reconfiguration of the transmission system, if possible, and
 Full or partial curtailment or reallocation3 of firm Interchange Transactions
and energy flows.
TLR-5b  At least one Transmission Facility is exceeding its SOL or IROL, or
 At least one Transmission Facility is expected to exceed its SOL or IROL
within the current hour.
 Analysis shows that the following actions can prevent exceeding this SOL and
IROL:
 Full curtailment of non-firm Interchange Transactions and energy flows, and
 Reconfiguration of the transmission system, if possible, and
 Full or partial curtailment or reallocation4 of firm Interchange Transactions
and energy flows.
TLR-6  At least one Transmission Facility is exceeding its SOL or IROL, or

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  At least one Transmission Facility is expected to exceed its SOL or IROL
upon the removal from service of a generating unit or another transmission
facility.
TLR-0  No transmission facilities are expected to approach or exceed their SOL or
IROL within 8 hours and the Interconnection-wide transmission loading relief
procedure may be terminated.

CHAPTER 2
IDC FACTORS

2.1 Types of IDC Factors

The IDC calculates several factors that are used in the transmission loading relief
process. These factors are:
1. TDF – Transmission Distribution Factor
2. GSF – Generation Shift Factor
3. LSF – Load Shift Factor
4. GLDF – Generation-to-Load Distribution Factor
5. LODF – Line Outage Distribution Factor
6. PTDF – Power Transfer Distribution Factor
7. OTDF – Outage Transfer Distribution Factor
2.1.1 Transmission Distribution Factor (TDF)
 Transmission Distribution Factors (TDF’s) represent the impact of an Interchange
Transaction on a given flowgate.
 TDF is the measure of responsiveness or change in electrical loading on system
facilities due to a change in electric power transfer from one area to another expressed
in per cent (up to 100%) of the change in power transfer.
 TDFs address the question, “What portion of a power transfer shows up on flowgate
X?”
∑ (GSF X MBASE X DE-RATION)
TDF= ∑ (MBASE X DE-RATION)
(2.0)

How is TDF used in the IDC?

 TDFs are used to determine which Interchange Transactions are eligible for TLR
curtailment in the IDC.
 Only those Interchange Transactions with a TDF of 5% or greater are subject to TLR
Curtailments.

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 If a tag indicates a TDF of 8.3% on flowgate X, this means that 8.3% of the transfer
amount on that tag flows on flowgate X.
 Use the following formula to calculate the MW impact on a flowgate for a particular
Interchange Transaction:
MW impact = (Interchange transaction MW) x (TDF) (2.1)

2.1.2 Generation Shift Factor (GSF)

 Generation Shift Factors (GSF) describe a generator’s impact on a flowgate.
 The Generation Shift Factors (GSF) represent the change in flow on a flowgate due to
an incremental injection at a generator bus, and a corresponding withdrawal at the
swing bus
 IDC disregards losses ⇒ the principles of superposition apply.
 GSF between any two generators is the difference between the generator’s GSF to the
swing bus GSF.
GSFk→m= GSFk→swing – GSFm→swing (2.2)

How is the GSF used in the IDC?

 GSFs are the most basic IDC calculation used in TDF calculations (all TLR levels)
and GLDF calculations (TLR level 5)
 GSFs on the Flowgate GSF display in the IDC indicate which generators contribute
to or relieve congestion on a selected flowgate.
 If a generator indicates a GSF of 15.2% on flowgate X, this means that 15.2% of the
generator’s output flows on flowgate X, provided the injection is withdrawn at the
swing bus
 The Generation Shift Factor (GSF) represents the change of power flow in the line l
depending on the change of power generation in the node i.
∆P
GSF𝑙𝑖 = ∆P𝑙 (2.3)
𝑖

Where: ΔPl - Change of power flow in line l.

ΔPi - Change of real power generation in node i.
 Power flow in branch l after outage of generator in the bus i is obtained from the
following equation.
P𝑙 = P𝑙𝑜 + 𝐺𝑆𝐹𝑙𝑖 ∆P𝑖 (2.4)
Where: P𝑙𝑜 - Real power flow in the branch l before outage.
∆P𝑙 - Change of generator power at bus i.

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 Use the following formula to calculate the MW impact on a flowgate for a particular
generator.
MW impact = (Gen MW) x (GSF) (2.5)

2.1.3 Load Shift Factor (LSF)

 Load Shift Factors (LSF) describe how changes in system loading impacts a flowgate.
∑(GSF x LOAD)
LSF = ∑(𝐿𝑂𝐴𝐷)
(2.6)

Where: GSF- Generation shift factor.

LOAD in MW.

How is the LSF used in the IDC?

 LSFs are used to calculate GLDFs, which are used to determine GTL obligations.
 LSFs are shown along with GSFs on the GLDF displays in the IDC.
 The LSFs alone are not used by the IDC –the LSF is a component of the Generation-
to-Load Distribution Factor (GLDF)
 Load Shift Factors (LSF) describe how changes in system loading impacts a flowgate.

2.1.4 Generation-to-Load Distribution Factor (GLDF)

 Generation-to-Load Distribution Factors (GLDF) describe a generator’s impact on a

flowgate while serving load in that generator.
 A GLDF is the difference between GSF and an LSF.
GLDF = GSF -LSF (2.7)
Where: GSF - Generation Shift Factor.
LSF – Load Shift Factor.
How is GLDF used in the IDC?
 GLDFs are used to determine the GTL of Balancing Authorities where generators in
the BA serve the native and network load of the BA.
 The GTL calculation forms the basis for determining a BA relief obligation in a TLR.
 Only those generators with a GLDF of 5% or greater are used in calculating the GTL
relief obligation.
 GLDFs are shown in the Flowgate GLDF display and the CA GLDF display in the
IDC.

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 In the Flowgate GLDF display the user selects a flowgate and is shown a list of
generators that contribute to flow as a byproduct of serving their own Balancing
Authority Area load (i.e., the GTL impact).
 In the CA GLDF display, the user is shown a listing of flowgates that are impacted by
generators serving their own Balancing Authority Area load. From this list, the user
can drill down and view the generator contribution to flow.
 The GLDF is calculated according to the following formula:
GLDF = GSF -LSF (2.8)

2.1.5 Line Outage Distribution Factor (LODF)

 Line Outage Distribution Factor represents the change of power flow in the line l when
the outage of line k occurred.

∆P𝑘
𝑙
LODFl,k = (2.9)
P𝑜
𝑘

Where: ∆P𝑙𝑘 -Change of power flow in the line l when the outage of line k.
P𝑘𝑜 -Real power flow in the line k before outage.
 Line Outage Distribution Factor (LODF) represents the percentage of flow on a
contingent facility that will flow on the monitored elements, if the contingent facility
is outaged–Contingency Analysis.
 Post-Contingency Flow on Monitored Element = Pre-Contingency Flow on
Monitored Element + (Pre-Contingency Flow on Contingent Element) * LODF
P𝑙 = P𝑙𝑜 + LODF𝑙,𝑘 P𝑘𝑜 (2.10)

Where: P𝑙𝑜 -Real power flow in the line l before outage.

P𝑘𝑜 -Real power flow in the line k before outage.

2.1.6 Power Transfer Distribution Factor (PTDF)

 The PTDF is equivalent of the GSF in terms of mathematical definition. The PTDF
represent the sensitivity of change power flow in line l when injected power to the bus
i is increased by 1 MW.

∆P
PTDF𝑙𝑘 = ∆P𝑙 (2.11)
𝑖

Where: ΔPl - Change of real power flow in line l.

ΔPi- Change of real injected power in the bus i by 1 MW.

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 PTDF Flowgates are Flowgates that do not consider contingencies during curtailment
evaluation. With PTDF Flowgates the monitored branches alone are considered during
curtailment evaluation.
2.1.7 Outage Transfer Distribution Factor (OTDF)

 The OTDF represents the sensitivity of change power flow in line l when the power
in line k is increased by 1 MW.
∆P
OTDF= ∆P 𝑙 (2.12)
𝑘

Where: ΔPl - Change of real power flow in line l.

ΔPk - Change of real power in line k by 1 MW.

 OTDF Flowgates are Flowgates that consider a predefined contingency during

curtailment evaluation. With OTDF Flowgates the monitored branches are considered
with a specific facility removed from service during curtailment evaluation.
 A Flowgate can exist as a PTDF Flowgate or an OTDF Flowgate.
 A Flowgate defaults to a PTDF Flowgate unless OTDF branch data is specified in the
Flowgate creation process.

2.2 Literature survey

1.Title: Sensitivity Factors for Contingency Analysis.
Authors: Roman Vykuka, Lucie Nohacova.
Conference: 16th International Scientific Conference on Electric Power Engineering
(EPE) ,2015. DOI:651 978-1-4673-6788-2/15.
Inference: This paper describes the sensitivity factors such as GSF, LODF and PTDF.
The Fast-Decoupled method is up to 70% faster than NR method. Contingency analysis
with sensitivity factors is up to 59% faster than the repeating power flow computed by
the Fast-Decoupled method.
2. Title: User manual of Interchange Distribution Calculator (IDC).
Society: North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).
Publications: Revision 9, Approved by IDCWG May 16-17, 2012.
Inference: This user manual describes about the various sensitivity factors used in
contingency calculations. This manual will provide the information about Transmission
loading relief levels based on congestion of electrical network. The post contingency line
flows are determined by using IDC factors.

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3.Title: Implementation of PTDFs and LODFs for Power System Security.
Authors: Chong Suk Song, Chang Hyun Park, Minhan Yoon & Gilsoo Jang.
Publications: Journal of International Council on Electrical Engineering, Vol. 1, No. 1,
pp. 49~53, 2011.
Inference: This paper describes an algorithm to formulate the PTDFs and LODFs, to
calculate the generation shifts so that the power flow on the transmission lines that violate
security limits due to single and multiple-line outage events are adjusted to its security
limits. Two cases have been dealt with to test for the effectiveness of the formulation and
the algorithm.
1) Case 1: The generation and loads are being increased by 5% to create a situation
where there are overloads in the overhead lines.
2) Case 2: A single-line outage is present in the system. This would result in the change
in power flow on adjacent lines leading to overloading of a few lines.
4.Title: Graphical contingency analysis.
Authors: Huang Z, Wong PC, Mackey P, Chen Y, Ma J, Schneider K, Greitzer FL.
Association: Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, PNNL, USA,
2008.
Inference: The Graphical Contingency Analysis (GCA) Tool is a visual analytic
software tool developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers.
The GCA Tool provides quick visualization of potential problem areas to improve wide-
area situational awareness. The GCA Tool allow the user to rank order contingencies
from worst to best. The GCA Tool can provide effective decision making support to
operators.
5.Title: Contingency Analysis of Power System
Authors: Mrs. Veenavati Jagadishprasad, Prof. Manisha D. Khardenvis
Publications: IEEE Students Conference on Electrical, Electronics and Computer
Science, 1st to 2nd March 2012 Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Inference: The authors presented on Contingency analysis of power system with modern
Energy Management Systems (EMS). Security is determined by the ability of the system
to withstand equipment failure. Contingency Analysis of a power system is a major
activity in power system planning and operation. In general, an outage of one
transmission line or transformer may lead to over loads in other branches and/or sudden
system voltage rise or drop. Contingency analysis is used to calculate violations. The
idea was implemented with an example on 6 bus power system which gives information

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of violations & remedial action to remove violations. 1. Weak elements are those that
present overloads in the contingency conditions. 2.Standard approach is to perform a
single (N-1) contingency analysis simulation. 3. A ranking method will be demonstrated
to prioritize transmission planning. 4. CA is therefore a primary tool used for preparation
of the annual maintenance plan and the corresponding outage schedule for the power
system. The corrective actions effectively removed the limit violations in the system. The
results obtained through the proposed algorithm are found to be quite accurate and thus,
this work provides new tool for developing remedial control actions for higher order
contingencies. Contingency analysis study helps to strengthen the initial basic plan. It is
also helpful to develop system operators to improve their ability to resolve problem. This
tool helps especially the busy power system operators.

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