Constraint Automation - Closing the Loop - Discussion Paper
The constraint automation is a software application in AEMO’s energy management system (EMS) that automatically generates thermal overload constraint equations based on the current or planned state of the power system. These constraint equations follow the constraint formulation guidelines as applied to manually constructed thermal overload constraint equations. Currently the constraint automation requires several manual steps to create and invoke constraint equations.
This discussion paper details how AEMO plans to remove the manual steps and allow the constraint automation to operate in “closed loop” mode, in the dispatch timeframe, such that the creation, updating and invocation of constraint equations is fully automated. In future stages AEMO plans to allow further automation of the process moving through 5 minute Pre-dispatch, 30 minute Pre-dispatch and potentially the PASA timeframes.
AEMO’s planned implementation timetable for the third stage of the constraint automation is:
Tuesday 9 April 2013:
- Enable sending of Constraint Automation constraint equations to the electricity market systems for a single contingency / monitored line per region only
- AEMO’s electricity control room to invoke the CA_AUTO constraint set
Tuesday 7 May 2013:
- Enable a larger group of contingencies (4 to 5 per region) to be covered by Constraint Automation
June 2013:
- Enable AEMO’s control room to be able to activate new contingencies via the auto list functionality
July 2013:
- Review removing the dispatch RHSs of manually constructed constraint equations modelled by Constraint Automation
The constraint equations created by the constraint automation will be invoked via the CA_AUTO constraint set. The constraint equations will have consistent constraint equation IDs for the same monitored line and tripped line (see the plain English examples in Appendix 1 of the discussion paper).
The existing manually constructed dispatch constraint equations will be run in parallel for a period of time after the system is operational. The dispatch RHSs will then be progressively removed from the manually built thermal overload constraint equations.
Constraint Automation does not currently create pre-dispatch RHSs in real time. The manually built pre-dispatch and PASA RHSs will therefore be retained.
The Constraint Automation is currently active in AEMO’s pre-production systems and constraint equation results and changes can be viewed there.
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