ASPEN

Power Flow

Version 12

User's Manual

Advanced Systems for Power Engineering, Inc.

NOTICE

ASPEN Power Flow is a proprietary computer program of Advanced Systems for Power Engineering, Inc. (ASPEN).

The information in this document is subject to change without notice. ASPEN assumes no responsibility for any errors that
may appear in this document.

Copyright  1988-2013 Advanced Systems for Power Engineering, Inc. All right reserved.

HOW TO ORDER MORE MANUALS

This User's Manual may be duplicated by the Licensee for its own use. You can order a new copy by writing to the address
below. Please refer to document PF-UM-2013.

HOW TO REACH ASPEN

Mailing address: ASPEN

49 N. San Mateo Drive
San Mateo, CA 94401
U.S.A.

Telephone: (650)347-3997
Fax: (650)347-0233
eMail (English): support@aspeninc.com
eMail (Spanish/Portuguese): suporte@aspeninc.com
Web Site: www.aspeninc.com

Our office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time (GMT-8 in the winter; GMT-7 in the summer), Monday through
Friday.

_________________________________________________________________________________

ASPEN OneLiner™, ASPEN Breaker Rating Module™, ASPEN Power Flow™, ASPEN DistriView™,
PowerScript™, ASPEN Relay Database™, ASPEN Line Constants Program™, and ASPEN Line Database™ are
trademarks of Advanced Systems for Power Engineering, Inc.

PSS/E™ and PSS/U™ are trademarks of Siemens Power Technologies, Inc.®

Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. Windows™ is a trademark of Microsoft Corp.
Contents
SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................7
1.1 FEATURES ........................................................................................................................................................7
1.2 HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS.....................................................................................12
1.3 NETWORK SUPPORT ....................................................................................................................................12
1.4 SYSTEM SIZE LIMITATION .........................................................................................................................12
SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL.............................................................................................13
2.1 INSTALLING THE WORKING MODEL........................................................................................................13
2.2 STARTING THE WORKING MODEL ...........................................................................................................14
2.3 INSTALLING THE PRODUCTION VERSION ..............................................................................................14
2.4 STARTING THE PRODUCTION VERSION..................................................................................................14
2.5 FILES................................................................................................................................................................15
2.6 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS ..........................................................................................................................16
2.7 ONE-LINE SYMBOLS ....................................................................................................................................17
2.8 QUICK TUTORIAL .........................................................................................................................................18
OPENING A BINARY DATA FILE......................................................................................................................18
MOVING SYMBOLS ON THE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM .......................................................................................19
REVIEWING AND EDITING EQUIPMENT PARAMETERS .............................................................................20
DELETING AND RESTORING EQUIPMENT....................................................................................................22
ADDING EQUIPMENT.......................................................................................................................................23
BROWSING NETWORK DATA ...........................................................................................................................33
BROWSING AREA INTERCHANGE DATA........................................................................................................35
GENERATING A POWER FLOW SOLUTION ...................................................................................................36
DISPLAYING CURRENTS AND LOSSES...........................................................................................................38
GENERATING POWER FLOW SOLUTION REPORTS .....................................................................................40
CONTINGENCY STUDY USING BATCH CASES ..............................................................................................43
IMPORTING A NETWORK DATA FILE IN TEXT FORMAT.............................................................................48
GETTING ONLINE HELP ABOUT ASPEN POWER FLOW..............................................................................52
EXITING ASPEN Power Flow ............................................................................................................................53
TO EXPLORE FURTHER ...................................................................................................................................53
SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE..........................................................................................................55
3.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................55
3.2 MAIN WINDOW COMMANDS......................................................................................................................56
FILE MENU ........................................................................................................................................................58
NEW COMMAND ............................................................................................................................................................. 58
OPEN BINARY DATA FILE COMMAND ...................................................................................................................... 59
OPEN TEXT DATA FILE COMMAND ........................................................................................................................... 60
CLOSE COMMAND ......................................................................................................................................................... 61
SAVE COMMAND............................................................................................................................................................ 62
SAVE AS COMMAND...................................................................................................................................................... 63
INFO | FILE COMMENTS COMMAND .......................................................................................................................... 64
INFO | STATISTICS COMMAND .................................................................................................................................... 65
INFO | TAGS COMMAND................................................................................................................................................ 66
MERGE FILE COMMAND............................................................................................................................................... 68
READ CHANGE FILE COMMAND................................................................................................................................. 70

ASPEN Power Flow v12 Contents • i

 EXPORT | NETWORK DATA COMMAND .................................................................................................................... 72
EXPORT | ONE-LINE DIAGRAM COMMAND.............................................................................................................. 75
PRINT SETUP COMMAND ............................................................................................................................................. 76
PRINT ONE-LINE DIAGRAM COMMAND ................................................................................................................... 77
EXIT COMMAND............................................................................................................................................................. 79
NETWORK MENU...............................................................................................................................................80
PROPERTIES COMMAND .............................................................................................................................................. 80
NEW | BUS COMMAND .................................................................................................................................................. 81
NEW | GENERATOR COMMAND .................................................................................................................................. 90
NEW | LOAD COMMAND ............................................................................................................................................... 94
NEW | SHUNT COMMAND ............................................................................................................................................. 97
NEW | SWITCHED SHUNT COMMAND...................................................................................................................... 100
NEW | LINE COMMAND ............................................................................................................................................... 103
NEW | SERIES CAPACITOR/REACTOR COMMAND ................................................................................................ 106
NEW | 2-WINDING TRANSFORMER COMMAND ..................................................................................................... 109
NEW | PHASE SHIFTER COMMAND........................................................................................................................... 115
NEW | SWITCH COMMAND ......................................................................................................................................... 119
NEW | 3-W TRANSFORMER COMMAND ................................................................................................................... 121
NEW | 2-TERMINAL DC LINE COMMAND ................................................................................................................ 127
NEW | ANNOTATION COMMAND .............................................................................................................................. 130
NEW | POWERCALC SHEET COMMAND................................................................................................................... 132
DELETE | OBJECT COMMAND.................................................................................................................................... 133
DELETE | EQUIPMENT WITH TAG COMMAND ....................................................................................................... 134
DELETE | ALL IN AREA/ZONE COMMAND .............................................................................................................. 135
DELETE | ALL INSIDE REGION COMMAND ............................................................................................................. 136
DELETE | ALL OUTSIDE REGION COMMAND ......................................................................................................... 137
DELETE | ALL BREAKERS COMMAND ..................................................................................................................... 138
RESTORE COMMAND .................................................................................................................................................. 139
CHANGE | TOGGLE SWITCH COMMAND ................................................................................................................. 140
CHANGE | NOMINAL kV COMMAND ........................................................................................................................ 141
CHANGE | T TO 3-W TRANSFORMER COMMAND .................................................................................................. 143
CHANGE | LINE TO SERIES CAPACITOR/REACTOR COMMAND......................................................................... 144
CHANGE | BUSES IN REGION COMMAND ............................................................................................................... 145
IN/OUT OF SERVICE | PUT IN SERVICE COMMAND .............................................................................................. 147
IN/OUT OF SERVICE | TAKE OUT OF SERVICE COMMAND ................................................................................. 148
IN/OUT OF SERVICE | EQUIPMENT WITH TAGS COMMAND ............................................................................... 149
APPLY TAG COMMAND .............................................................................................................................................. 150
COPY COMMAND ......................................................................................................................................................... 151
PASTE COMMAND........................................................................................................................................................ 153
BUS | SPLIT BUS COMMAND ...................................................................................................................................... 155
BUS | MERGE BUSES COMMAND .............................................................................................................................. 156
BUS | INSERT TAP BUS COMMAND........................................................................................................................... 157
BUS | REMOVE TAP BUS COMMAND........................................................................................................................ 158
RESET TRANSFORMER TAPS COMMAND ............................................................................................................... 159
SHOW OUTAGE LIST COMMAND.............................................................................................................................. 160
OPTION COMMAND ..................................................................................................................................................... 161
DIAGRAM MENU .............................................................................................................................................163
COPY ONE-LINE GRAPHICS TO CLIPBOARD COMMAND.................................................................................... 163
OPTIONS COMMAND ................................................................................................................................................... 164
COLOR | KV COLOR CODE COMMAND .................................................................................................................... 166
COLOR | SPECIAL COLOR CODE COMMAND.......................................................................................................... 168
PLACE BUSES COMMAND .......................................................................................................................................... 169
BUS SYMBOL | DOT/HORIZONTAL BAR/VERTICAL BAR/ LONGER/SHORTER/ROTATE COMMANDS ....... 171
BUS SYMBOL | SHOW (OR HIDE) ID COMMAND.................................................................................................... 172
SHOW/HIDE | SHOW ALL INSIDE/OUTSIDE REGION COMMAND ....................................................................... 172
SHOW/HIDE | HIDE SELECTED BUS COMMAND .................................................................................................... 173
SHOW/HIDE | HIDE ALL INSIDE/OUTSIDE REGION COMMAND ......................................................................... 173
SHOW/HIDE | SHOW/HIDE ALL IN AREA OR ZONE COMMAND.......................................................................... 174
SHOW/HIDE | SHOW/HIDE ALL WITH TAGS COMMAND ...................................................................................... 175
SNAP TO STATE PLANE COORDINATES COMMAND............................................................................................ 176
ACQUIRE GRAHICS FROM ANOTHER FILE COMMAND....................................................................................... 177

ii • Contents ASPEN Power Flow v12

 ATTACH/DETACH ANNOTATION TO/FROM OBJECT COMMAND ...................................................................... 178
RESET TEXT POSITION COMMAND.......................................................................................................................... 179
INSERT LINE KINK COMMAND ................................................................................................................................. 180
SCALE/SHIFT ONE-LINE COMMAND ........................................................................................................................ 181
DISGUISE FILE IDENTITY COMMAND ..................................................................................................................... 182
LOCK ONE-LINE COMMAND...................................................................................................................................... 183
VIEW MENU .....................................................................................................................................................184
FIND BUS BY NAME COMMAND ............................................................................................................................... 184
FIND BUS BY NUMBER COMMAND.......................................................................................................................... 185
FIND ANNOTATION COMMAND................................................................................................................................ 186
GO TO END BUS COMMAND ...................................................................................................................................... 187
HIGHLIGHT ATTACHED OBJECT COMMAND ......................................................................................................... 188
PLAIN 1-LINE COMMAND ........................................................................................................................................... 189
IMPEDANCES COMMAND........................................................................................................................................... 190
BRANCH NAMES COMMAND..................................................................................................................................... 191
AREAS, TIE LINES COMMAND................................................................................................................................... 192
TTY WINDOW COMMAND .......................................................................................................................................... 193
TOOLBAR COMMAND ................................................................................................................................................. 193
DEVICE PALETTE COMMAND ................................................................................................................................... 193
PFLOW MENU..................................................................................................................................................194
POWER FLOW COMMAND .......................................................................................................................................... 194
CONTINGENCY BATCH CASES COMMAND ............................................................................................................ 197
BATCH CASES COMMAND ......................................................................................................................................... 207
SHOW SOLUTION ON 1-LINE COMMAND................................................................................................................ 209
SOLUTION REPORT COMMAND ................................................................................................................................ 213
SOLUTION BROWSER COMMAND ............................................................................................................................ 215
CHECK MENU..................................................................................................................................................217
NETWORK ANOMALIES COMMAND ........................................................................................................................ 217
DATA COMPATIBILITY COMMAND.......................................................................................................................... 220
TOOLS MENU...................................................................................................................................................221
UNDO COMMAND......................................................................................................................................................... 221
DATA BROWSER COMMAND ..................................................................................................................................... 222
SCRIPTING | EDIT/CREATE SCRIPT COMMAND ..................................................................................................... 230
SCRIPTING | RUN SCRIPT COMMAND ...................................................................................................................... 231
USER-DEFINED COMMANDS | SETUP COMMAND................................................................................................. 232
RUN CONFIGURATION PROGRAM COMMAND...................................................................................................... 233
UPDATE KEY MEMORY COMMAND ........................................................................................................................ 234
3.3 TTY WINDOW COMMANDS ......................................................................................................................235
CLEAR COMMAND ....................................................................................................................................................... 236
SELECT FONT COMMAND .......................................................................................................................................... 237
PRINT SELECTED TEXT COMMAND......................................................................................................................... 238
SAVE SELECTED TEXT COMMAND.......................................................................................................................... 239
CLOSE WINDOW COMMAND ..................................................................................................................................... 240
EDIT MENU ......................................................................................................................................................241
SELECT ALL COMMAND ............................................................................................................................................. 241
COPY SELECTED TEXT TO CLIPBOARD COMMAND ............................................................................................ 242
FIND COMMAND........................................................................................................................................................... 243
SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS................................................................................................................245
4.1 BUSES ............................................................................................................................................................245
4.2 GENERATORS, LOADS, AND SHUNTS.....................................................................................................245
4.3 TRANSMISSION LINES & SERIES CAPACITORS....................................................................................246
4.4 PHASE SHIFTERS.........................................................................................................................................247
4.5 TRANSFORMERS - GENERAL INFORMATION .......................................................................................248
4.6 2-WINDING TRANSFORMERS ...................................................................................................................250
4.7 3-WINDING TRANSFORMERS ...................................................................................................................252
SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ...................................................................................................255
5.1 NETWORK DATA FORMAT .......................................................................................................................255

ASPEN Power Flow v12 Contents • iii

 5.2 FILE HEADER ...............................................................................................................................................256
5.3 SYSTEM PARAMETERS..............................................................................................................................256
5.4 FILE COMMENTS.........................................................................................................................................258
5.5 BUS DATA .....................................................................................................................................................258
5.6 BUS REGULATION DATA...........................................................................................................................259
5.7 GENERATOR DATA.....................................................................................................................................260
5.8 LOAD DATA..................................................................................................................................................261
5.9 SHUNT DATA................................................................................................................................................261
5.10 SWITCHED SHUNT DATA ........................................................................................................................262
5.11 TRANSMISSION LINE DATA....................................................................................................................264
5.12 PHASE SHIFTER DATA .............................................................................................................................265
5.13 2-WINDING TRANSFORMER DATA........................................................................................................266
5.14 3-WINDING TRANSFORMER DATA........................................................................................................268
5.15 SWITCH DATA............................................................................................................................................271
5.16 DC LINE DATA ...........................................................................................................................................271
5.17 MUTAL COUPLING DATA........................................................................................................................272
5.18 AREA DATA ................................................................................................................................................273
5.19 ZONE DATA ................................................................................................................................................274
5.20 BREAKER DATA ........................................................................................................................................274
5.21 BREAKER NAMEPLATE DATA................................................................................................................275
5.22 BREAKER CONNECTION DATA..............................................................................................................277
SECTION 6 SOLUTION IN TEXT .................................................................................................................279
6.1 POWER FLOW SOLUTION IN TEXT ..........................................................................................................279
6.2 TITLE PAGE ..................................................................................................................................................279
6.3 BUS-BY-BUS REPORT IN ASPEN TEXT FORM........................................................................................280
6.4 BUS-BY-BUS REPORT IN WSCC TEXT FORM .........................................................................................281
6.5 SOLUTION SUMMARIES ............................................................................................................................282
SECTION 7 DETAILS AND TECHNIQUES .................................................................................................285
7.1 SHORTCUTS FOR THE MAIN WINDOW...................................................................................................285
7.2 SHORTCUTS FOR THE TTY WINDOW .....................................................................................................286
7.3 SHORTCUTS FOR THE DIALOG BOXES...................................................................................................286
7.4 KEYBOARD ACCELERATORS...................................................................................................................287
7.5 COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS...............................................................................................................287
7.6 WHAT IF POWER FLOW DOES NOT CONVERGE ...................................................................................288
SECTION 8 POWERCALC SPREADSHEET ...............................................................................................293
8.1 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................293
8.2 POWERCALC FUNCTIONS LIST ....................................................................................................................293
APPENDIX...............................................................................................................................................................297
APPENDIX A: SOLUTION ALGORITHM......................................................................................................298
APPENDIX B: 2-WINDING TRANSFORMERS.............................................................................................299
APPENDIX C: CASE COMPARISON PROGRAM .........................................................................................301
C.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................301
C.2 APPLICATION NOTES..............................................................................................................................301
C.3 INSTRUCTIONS ........................................................................................................................................302
APPENDIX D: BUS SELECTOR.....................................................................................................................306
D.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................306
D.2 BUS-LIST FILE FORMAT .........................................................................................................................309
APPENDIX E: BUS SELECTOR .....................................................................................................................310
E.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................310
E.2 BUS-LIST FILE FORMAT .........................................................................................................................313

iv • Contents ASPEN Power Flow v12

INDEX ......................................................................................................................................................................315

ASPEN Power Flow v12 Contents • v

SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 FEATURES
ASPEN Power Flow is a full-featured, PC-based power flow program designed for the planning, design and operating
studies of transmission, sub-transmission and distribution networks. The easy-to-use graphical interface makes it an ideal
tool for investigating the effects of network reconfiguration and temporary outages on power flow, system losses, area
interchange and circuit overloading. The following are some highlights of the Power Flow Program:
• Native Microsoft Windows program with easy-to-use interactive graphics interface under Windows
XP, Vista, 7 and 8 with built-in PC network support.
• Accurate modeling of 2- and 3-winding transformers, phase shifters, lines, switches, series capacitors
and reactors, dc lines, generators, loads, and shunts.
• Robust automatic-control algorithms for generator voltage regulation (local and remote),
transformer load tap changers, phase shifter MW controllers, switched shunts, and area-interchange
constraints.
• Unlimited system size with modest memory requirement.
• Lightning fast solution speed.
• Graphical display of solution on the one-line diagram (figures 1.1, and 1.2).
• Graphical warning of branch overloads and voltage violations on the one-line diagram.
• High-quality printed outputs on a large variety of printers and plotters (figure 1.3).
• Bus-by-bus solution report in various formats.
• Summaries on area interchange, voltage violations, branch overloads, LTC transformers, generator
outputs, and loads.
• Data importing facilities from network data in ANAREDE, GE PSLF, PTI PSS/E, Transmission-2000
and other formats.
• Data exporting in PTI PSS/E, ANAFAS, ANAREDE and GE PSLF data formats.
• Built-in scripting language using the BASIC programming language. Sample scripts for contingency
studies and power transfer-limit studies are included.
• Easy-to-use N-1 contingency studies.
• Proven reliability at major utilities in the U.S. and abroad.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION • 7

Figure 1.1: A power flow solution showing the MW and MVAR flow. The bus voltages in per-unit are
shown under the bus names.

Figure 1.2: A power flow solution showing the branch currents and bus voltages. The branch currents are
in amperes. The bus voltages in kV, line-to-line, are shown under the bus names. The program highlights
the currents of overloaded lines and 2-winding transformers, as well as the voltages of buses that are too
high or too low.

8 • SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION ASPEN Power Flow v12

Figure 1.3: An unretouched printed output from Power Flow showing the MW and MVAR on the one-line diagram.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION • 9

The Power Flow program is capable of generating a bus-by-bus solution report in various formats, as well as
summaries of area interchange, voltage violations, branch overloads, LTC transformers status and generator outputs
and loads. An example output of the power flow solution is shown below. The output format is explained in
Section 6.

-- ASPEN POWER FLOW(Tm) --

VERSION 11

DATE AND TIME: Mon April 25 10:01:37 2009

DATA FILE NAME: C:\ASPEN\ASPENPF\Aspen9.olr
BASE MVA 100.

THIS FILE HAS: 9 BUSES

7 GENERATORS
4 LOADS
1 SHUNTS
5 LINES
5 2-WINDING TRANSFORMERS
0 3-WINDING TRANSFORMERS
0 PHASE SHIFTERS
0 SWITCHED SHUNTS

SOLUTION OPTIONS
Enforce generator Q limits [X]
Enforce LTC controls [X]
Enforce inter-area MW interchange [X]
Enforce gen. remote volt. control [ ]
Enforce switched shunt control [ ]
Enforce phase shifter MW control [ ]

Total generation=6507.939MW. Total losses=67.939MW

FILE COMMENTS:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 North 500.KV AREA 1 KV= 525.000@ 15.8 PU= 1.0500 TYPE PV
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 StationNN 500. 2L 1 570.00 -212.91 669.1 17.6848 -270.08
0 StationNN 500. 1L 1 1140.00 -425.82 1338.3 35.3695 -540.17
0 North G3 20. 2T 1 -1050.00 29.75 1155.2 0.0000 59.7765 TAP 500.00/ 20.00
0 North G2 20. T 1 -1050.00 29.75 1155.2 0.0000 59.7765 TAP 500.00/ 20.00
0 North G1 20. T 1 -1050.00 29.75 1155.2 0.0000 59.7765 TAP 500.00/ 20.00
GENERATOR 1 0.000 MW -549.470 MVAR
LOAD 1 1440.000 MW 0.000 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 North G1 20.KV AREA 1 KV= 21.000@ 19.1 PU= 1.0500 TYPE PV
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 North 500. T 1 1050.00 30.02 28879.3 0.0000 59.7765 TAP 20.00/500.00
GENERATOR 1 1050.000 MW 30.025 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 North G2 20.KV AREA 1 KV= 21.000@ 19.1 PU= 1.0500 TYPE PV
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 North 500. T 1 1050.00 30.02 28879.3 0.0000 59.7765 TAP 20.00/500.00
GENERATOR 1 1050.000 MW 30.025 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 North G3 20.KV AREA 1 KV= 21.000@ 19.1 PU= 1.0500 TYPE PV
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 North 500. 2T 1 1050.00 30.02 28879.3 0.0000 59.7765 TAP 20.00/500.00
GENERATOR 1 1050.000 MW 30.025 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 Slack 20.KV AREA 1 KV= 21.000@ 0.0 PU= 1.0500 TYPE SYSTEM SLACK
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 StationNN 500. 2T 1 967.94 -351.51 28311.9 0.0000 38.1934 TAP 20.00/500.00
GENERATOR 1 967.940 MW -351.514 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 South 500.KV AREA 2 KV= 525.000@ -7.3 PU= 1.0500 TYPE PV
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 Station S 500. L 2 390.00 -230.81 498.4 4.5342 -193.37
0 South G1 20. T 2 -1000.00 -507.47 1233.2 0.0000 45.3398 TAP 500.00/ 20.00
GENERATOR 1 1390.000 MW -38.274 MVAR
LOAD 1 2000.000 MW 700.000 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 South G1 20.KV AREA 2 KV= 21.400@ -5.3 PU= 1.0700 TYPE PV
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 South 500. T 2 1000.00 552.81 30826.9 0.0000 45.3398 TAP 20.00/500.00
GENERATOR 1 1000.000 MW 552.808 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 Station S 500.KV AREA 2 KV= 532.331@ -11.5 PU= 1.0647 TYPE PQ
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 South 500. L 2 -385.47 37.43 420.0 4.5342 -193.37
0 StationNN 500. 2L 1 -307.27 -395.42 543.1 5.1755 -854.51
0 StationNN 500. 1L 1 -307.27 -395.42 543.1 5.1755 -854.51
LOAD 1 1000.000 MW 300.000 MVAR
SHUNT 1 -0.000 MW 453.402 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 StationNN 500.KV AREA 1 KV= 532.015@ -2.0 PU= 1.0640 TYPE PQ
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 Station S 500. 2L 2 312.44 -459.09 602.6 5.1755 -854.51
0 Station S 500. 1L 2 312.44 -459.09 602.6 5.1755 -854.51
0 North 500. 2L 1 -552.32 -57.18 602.6 17.6848 -270.08
0 North 500. 1L 1 -1104.63 -114.35 1205.2 35.3695 -540.17
0 Slack 20. 2T 1 -967.94 389.71 1132.4 0.0000 38.1934 TAP 500.00/ 20.00
LOAD 1 2000.000 MW 700.000 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 • SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION ASPEN Power Flow v12

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AREA INTERCHANGE SUMMARY

_AREA_______________MW Gen.___MW Load____Export__Losses____Area Slack__________Slack MW_

1 AA 4117.94 3440.00 624.89 53.05 None 0.00
2 BB 2390.00 3000.00 -624.89 14.89 None 0.00
Total system generation= 6507.94MW; Total load= 6440.00MW; Totol losses= 67.94MW
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOLTAGE VIOLATION SUMMARY
THERE ARE NO BUSES WITH VOLTAGE UNDER 0.950 PU.

3 BUSES HAVE VOLTAGE OVER 1.050 PU:

_______BUS_NAME_________KV_AREA_______KV______PU_____TYPE_
0 South G1 20. 2 21.400 1.0700 PV
0 Station S 500. 2 532.331 1.0647 PQ
0 StationNN 500. 1 532.015 1.0640 PQ
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OVERLOADED LINE SUMMARY
_______BUS1___________________________BUS2__________________________AMPS____RATING___PERCENT
0 North 500.kV - 0 StationNN 500.kV 2L 669.1 11.0 6083.08

OVERLOADED TRANSFORMER SUMMARY

_______BUS1___________________________BUS2__________________________ MVA____RATING___PERCENT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LTC TRANSFORMER SUMMARY
_______BUS1___________________________BUS2____________________ ____TAP1/TAP2__ _____CONTROLLED BUS_________ __Min/Max____PU____FLAG
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GENERATOR SUMMARY
__SCHEDULED__ ________________SOLVED________________
_______BUS_NAME_________KV_AREA_TYPE_MVARAT_____QMIN_____QMAX__ MW PU MW MVAR MVA PF PU
0 North 500. 1 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 0.00 1.050 0.00 -549.47 549.47-0.000 1.050
0 North G1 20. 1 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 1050.00 1.050 1050.00 30.02 1050.43 1.000 1.050
0 North G2 20. 1 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 1050.00 1.050 1050.00 30.02 1050.43 1.000 1.050
0 North G3 20. 1 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 1050.00 1.050 1050.00 30.02 1050.43 1.000 1.050
0 Slack 20. 1 3 100.00 -7777.00 7777.00 967.94 1.050 967.94 -351.51 1029.79 0.940 1.050
0 South 500. 2 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 1390.00 1.050 1390.00 -38.27 1390.53 1.000 1.050
0 South G1 20. 2 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 1000.00 1.070 1000.00 552.81 1142.63 0.875 1.070
Total Generation in Summary = 6507.939MW
Type: 0=Holds V, 1=Area slack; 2=Fixed P+jQ; 3=System slack.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOAD SUMMARY
_______BUS_NAME_________KV_AREA________KV_____PU________MW_____MVAR______MVA_____PF__
0 North 500. 1 525.000 1.050 1440.00 0.00 1440.00 1.000
0 South 500. 2 525.000 1.050 2000.00 700.00 2118.96 0.944
0 Station S 500. 2 532.331 1.065 1000.00 300.00 1044.03 0.958
0 StationNN 500. 1 532.015 1.064 2000.00 700.00 2118.96 0.944
Total Load in Summary = 6440.000MW+j 1700.000MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHUNT SUMMARY
_______BUS_NAME_________KV_AREA________KV_____PU________MW_____MVAR______MVA_____PF__
0 Station S 500. 2 532.331 1.065 0.00 453.40 453.40 -0.000
Total shunt in Summary = 0.000MW+j 453.402MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERAREA TIE-LINE SUMMARY
AREA 1 AA
TO AREA 2 312.443 MW ON: 0 StationNN 500.kV 1 - 0 Station S 500.kV 2 1L
TO AREA 2 312.443 MW ON: 0 StationNN 500.kV 1 - 0 Station S 500.kV 2 2L
624.885 MW TOTAL EXPORT
AREA 2 BB
TO AREA 1 -312.443 MW ON: 0 Station S 500.kV 2 - 0 StationNN 500.kV 1 1L
TO AREA 1 -312.443 MW ON: 0 Station S 500.kV 2 - 0 StationNN 500.kV 1 2L
-624.885 MW TOTAL EXPORT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DELETED AND OUT-OF-SERVICE EQUIPMENT:

NONE.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION • 11

1.2 HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
Hardware Requirements
ASPEN Power Flow runs on Intel Pentium-based PCs and compatibles. Other hardware requirements include:
• A 1024-by-768 or better color monitor.
• Memory: 2 GBytes of RAM is recommended.
• 50 Mbytes of available hard-disk space.
• A 2- or 3-button mouse.
• Any graphics-capable printer or plotter that works under Windows.
Software Requirements
Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8.

1.3 NETWORK SUPPORT

The Power Flow Program lets any PC on a local area network (LAN) execute the program as long as the number of
simultaneous executions does not exceed the license limit. The network configuration is a cost-effective way to share
the software among different engineers in the company.
The Power Flow Program works in LANs and WANs with the TCP/IP protocol.

1.4 SYSTEM SIZE LIMITATION

The Power Flow Program has no practical limit on network size. The largest system tested had over 50,000 buses.
The 100-bus version has an artificial limit of 100 buses.

12 • SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION ASPEN Power Flow v12

SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL

2.1 INSTALLING THE WORKING MODEL

The installation of the Working Model will only take a few minutes.
1. Use the link provided by ASPEN to install the ASPEN Power Flow
Working Model on your computer.
When prompted by a dialog box, choose “Run” to install the program.
The working model requires about 12 Mbytes of free space on your hard disk.
The default directory is
C:\Program Files\ASPEN\Aspenwm2

2. You may wish to print the Working Model Manual for ease of reference.
If you choose not to print it, you will still be able to view it as a help file under
Starts | All Programs | ASPEN Power Flow Working Model folder.
3. Proceed to Section 2.2 to start the working model.
Note: When you are done with the working model, you can uninstall it using
the Add/Remove Program icon within the Control Panel.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 13

2.2 STARTING THE WORKING MODEL
Start Up the Working Model:
1. On the Windows desktop, click on Start, then on “All Programs”. Look for a
folder named Power Flow Working Model. Click on the Power Flow icon
within the folder to start the program.
The first time you start the Working Model a dialog box will appear asking for a
name and a numeric key.
Consult the printed Working Model Manual for the Name and Key that you
need to enter, and press OK.
The Main Window will appear when the program starts up.

2.3 INSTALLING THE PRODUCTION VERSION

The instructions to install the Production version are in a separate document entitled, Getting Started with ASPEN
OneLiner & Power Flow v12.

2.4 STARTING THE PRODUCTION VERSION

Start Up Power Flow:
1. On the Windows desktop, click on Start, then on “All Programs”. Look for a
Power Flow icon. Click on it to start the program.
You will see the Main Window when the program starts up.

14 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

 2. Enlarge the window by clicking the mouse once on the maximize box at the
upper-right corner.
The Main Window will take up the entire screen and be ready for your
commands.

2.5 FILES
This section describes all the input and output files of ASPEN Power Flow. The input data files are these:
• Binary data files with .OLR extension. These are binary files that contain the system parameters as well as
graphical and relay information. You can read in an OLR file with the File | Open Binary Data File command.
• Text data files with .DXT extension. These are text files that contain the network data. Most commonly, text
data files came from one of the many data conversion programs. Text data files can be imported into the
program with the File | Open Text Data File command in the Main Window and saved as binary data files.
Power Flow can also add the contents of a text data file. .to an existing binary data file with the File | Add
Network command in the Main Window. The text data format is described in Section 5.
• Change files with .CHF extension. This is one of the outputs of the ASPEN Case Comparison Program when
you compare two data files. Change file contains commands that will make the network data of one of the files to
be the same as the other. The change file format is very similar to that described in Section 5. See Appendix C
for more information on the Case Comparison Program.
• Lines Table Files with .LTB extension. These are text files containing electrical parameters of various types of
lines and cables. The program reads this file when it begins execution. The full path name of the line table file
used by Power Flow is stored in the Windows registry. You can specify the name and location of the default line
table file by running the configuration program, CFGPF.EXE..
• Case files with .CAS extension. These are text files created by ASPEN Power Flow. These files specify the
power flow options, a series of cases with branch and generator outages. When you recall and execute a case
file, the program will allow you to display the solution of any of the cases on the one-line diagram, or write the
solution of all the cases into a file.
• PowerScript files with .BAS extension. These are text files containing programs written in the Basic
programming language. You can create a script file with the Script Editor in Power Flow or with any text editor..
ASPEN Power Flow generates the following files:

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 15

• Output files with .TXT extension. These are text files that contain the power flow solutions in the traditional
text form. The output files are generated when you invoke the Solve | Solution Report command of the Main
Window. The description of the output file is given in Section 6.
• Text Data Files with .DXT extension. Text data files contain system parameters but no graphical information.
You can generate a text data file with the File | Export Network command.
• Case Files with .CAS extension. These are text files created by ASPEN Power Flow with the Solve | Batch
Cases command. Each case file stores one or more outage contingency cases for batch simulation.
• Backup files with .BAK extension. When you update an existing binary data file using the File | Save or File |
Save As commands, Power Flow saves the original data file under the .BAK extension. This file serves as a
backup in case you want to revert back to the original file.
• Windows metafiles with .WMF extension. When you execute the File | Export One-Line Diagram command,
the program creates a Window Metafile or Enhanced Window Metafile with extensions .WMF or .EMF that
corresponds to the current state of the one-line diagram. The metafiles are vector-graphic files that can be
imported to other Windows programs, such as Word and AutoCAD.

2.6 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

You need to be familiar with a few basic terms that are used throughout this manual.
Click: Quickly press and release the mouse button.
Drag: Hold down the mouse button while moving the mouse.
Double click: Click the mouse button twice in rapid succession.
Dialog box: A pop-up window used for various purposes. The picture below illustrates several common
components of a dialog box:

Message box: A simple dialog box that contains a message.

16 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

2.7 ONE-LINE SYMBOLS
The one-line diagram symbols are labeled in the figures below. The program uses the American transformer symbol
by default (top figure). If you prefer the European symbol (bottom figure), you can easily change it by (1) selecting
the Options command from the Diagram menu and then (2) selecting 'European' in the Transformer Symbol group
box and clicking on "OK".
WITH AMERICAN TRANSFORMER SYMBOLS

WITH EUROPEAN (IEC) TRANSFOMER SYMBOLS

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 17

2.8 QUICK TUTORIAL
This tutorial is designed to acquaint new users with the basic functions of ASPEN Power Flow. We assume you have
installed ASPEN Power Flow (Section 2.1 or 2.3) and started the program (Section 2.2 or 2.4). If not, do so now. This
tutorial will take about 30 minutes to complete.
OPENING A BINARY DATA FILE
A 9-bus system is used in most of this tutorial. You will now open its binary data file.
1. Select the File | Open Binary Data File command.
Note: To select this command you first click the left mouse button on 'File' to open its
pull down menu. Then click the left mouse button on 'Open Binary Data File'.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the name of the binary data file that
you want to open.
2. Open the file ASPEN9.OLR as follows.
Click once on the file 'ASPEN9.OLR' in the window.
Press Open.
The one-line diagram of the 9-bus system will appear.

Note: See Section 2.7 if you are unsure of the meanings of various symbols.

18 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

MOVING SYMBOLS ON THE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM
You can manipulate the symbols on the one-line diagram by dragging them with the mouse. You never have to type
in x-y coordinates. Try it now!
Note: “Dragging” means to first click the left mouse button on the symbol you want to move and then move the
mouse while you continue to hold down the left mouse button. When you release the mouse button, the move will be
completed.
1. Move a transmission line, transformer, or phase shifter by dragging the symbol.
The horizontal segments can be moved vertically and vertical segments can be
moved horizontally. Segments attached to a bus are constrained by the extent
of the bus.
The program will scroll the one-line diagram and move the line further.
2. Move a bus by dragging the bus symbol.
The bus symbol can be moved anywhere. The bus name and all the equipment
attached to the bus will automatically move with the bus symbol.
The program will scroll the one-line diagram and move the bus further.
3. Move a bus name by dragging the name.
The bus name will be replaced by a rectangle while it is being moved. The
bus name can only be moved within a certain distance of the bus symbol.
4. Move a generator, load, or shunt by dragging the symbol.
The symbol can be moved to either side of the bus symbol.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 19

REVIEWING AND EDITING EQUIPMENT PARAMETERS
You can review and edit the parameters of any piece of equipment by pointing and clicking with the mouse. The
procedure below is for a transmission line. The same procedure can be used to review and edit other types of equipment.
1. Click the right mouse button on the transmission line between STATION S 500
kV and SOUTH 500 kV.
The line symbol will turn dotted red and a floating menu will appear. Repeat
this step if the line does not turn dotted red.

2. Click on the Properties command.

The info dialog box for the selected transmission line will appear.

20 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

 3. Edit the transmission line parameters.
The text cursor (a blinking vertical bar) will initially be in a box labeled
Name.
Move the text cursor to the edit boxes labeled “X=” with the <Tab> key.
Type “0.03” to change the positive-sequence reactance from 0.003 to 0.03.
4. Click on the "Help" button at the lower right corner.
The on-line help window will appear with an explanation of the contents of
this dialog box.

5. Select the File | Exit command to close the on-line help window.
The on-line help window will disappear.
6. Press OK to close the line dialog box.
The new transmission line parameters will be saved and the dialog box will
disappear.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 21

DELETING AND RESTORING EQUIPMENT
You can delete any piece of equipment by pointing and clicking with the mouse. The equipment you deleted are kept in a
buffer until the end of the session. You may restore any of the deleted equipment later if you choose to do so. The
procedure below is for a transmission line. Similar procedure works for other types of equipment.
DELETING A TRANSMISSION LINE:
1. Click the right mouse button on the transmission line between Station S 500 kV
and South 500 kV.

The line symbol will become dotted red and a floating menu will appear.
Repeat this step if the line does not turn dotted red.
2. Click on the Delete command.
A message box will appear asking you to confirm the deletion.

3. Press OK in the message box.

The selected transmission line will disappear from the one-line diagram.

RESTORING A DELETED TRANSMISSION LINE:

1. Execute the Tools | Undo Delete Line command.
The line you deleted will reappear on the one-line diagram. The program will
update the system model automatically.
Note: You can also use the Tools | Undo command works only for the last
eight commands you executed. Alternatively, you can restore a deleted line
with the Network | Restore | Branch command.

22 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

ADDING EQUIPMENT
You can add new equipment to the system at any time. The procedure below shows you how to add a new bus and a
new transformer. Similar procedure applies to other types of equipment.
ADDING A NEW BUS:
1. Select command View | Device Palette to show the Device Palette if it is not
already visible.

Click the New bus button on the Device Palette.

The cursor will change into a cross with a bus symbol attached to it.
2. Click on an empty space in the diagram to place the new bus.

A dialog box will appear asking you for the parameters of the new bus.
3. Enter the bus name and nominal kV.
Enter “New Bus” in the edit box labeled 'Name'.
The nominal kV, the area number, the zone number and the “Location” data
came from the parameter of previous bus object. The Bus dialog box should
look like this.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 23

 The first page you see, 'Bus Data', stores general bus information. The second
page (not shown) , 'Breaker Data', stores circuit breaker information. The
breaker data is used in conjunction with the ASPEN Breaker Rating Module to
determine the breaker interrupting rating.
4. Press OK.
The dialog box will disappear and a new bus with the name 'New Bus' 20kV
will appear at the location you selected in step #1.

24 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

ADDING A TRANSFORMER:
You will now add a new transformer between the new bus and the StationNN 500kV bus.

1. Click the New 2-w transformer button on the Device Palette.

The cursor will change into a cross with a 2-w transformer symbol attached to
it.
2. Click the left mouse button on the StationNN 500 kV bus. Without releasing the
left button, move the mouse toward the “New Bus”. A transformer symbol will
appear with one end attached to StationNN 500 kV bus. The other end of the line will
move with the cursor.
When the cursor is near the “New Bus 20kV” bus, the bus symbol will turn
dotted red. Release the mouse button.
A dialog box for the new transformer will appear.

By default, the transformer data is set equal to that of the previous transformer
object. That is why the impedances are already set to a nonzero value. (You
can change this behavior in the Network | Options dialog box.)
3. Specify that this transformer has a reactance of 0.1 p.u. in the positive sequence
and 0.1 p.u. in the zero sequence.
Type “0.1” in the edit box labeled 'X' to change the positive-sequence
reactance from 0.004 to 0.1.
Type “0.1” in the edit box labeled 'X0' to change the zero-sequence
reactance from 0.004 to 0.1.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 25

 4. Press the "LTC" button.
Another dialog box will appear asking you for the load-tap-changer data.
Click on the "0 StationNN 500 kV" radio button inside the group box
'Movable Taps' to indicate that the taps are on the 500 kV side.
Select '0 StationNN 500 kV' as the controlled bus in the drop-down combo box
that is initially blank. The program will regulate the voltage magnitude at this bus
using the transformer’s movable taps.
Leave the tap limits, controlled limits and other parameters at their
default values.
The LTC dialog box should look like this.

5. Press OK in the LTC dialog box to close it.

6. Press OK in the transformer dialog box to close it.
A new transformer will appear between StationNN 500 kV bus and the new
created bus. See picture below. (You may have to tidy it up the transformer
symbol a little before it will look like this.) Note that the program draws a
slash through the transformer symbol to show that it has an LTC.

26 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

 7. Press the <Esc> key on your keyboard to exit from the Add-Equipment mode.
The mouse cursor will change back to the normal arrow cursor.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 27

GETTING AROUND
Your computer monitor usually can display only a portion of your system's one-line diagram. ASPEN Power Flow has
several features that let you to navigate from one part of the system to another:
• Find Bus: Move the viewport to the location of a given bus. This can be
accomplished by specifying either the bus name or number.
• Scroll: Move the viewport horizontally or vertically.
• Zoom: Show the one-line diagram with different magnifications.
• Split Screen: View the one-line diagram in two different panes at the same time.
These features are described in the following sections.
FINDING A BUS BY NAME:
1. Click the right mouse button in a vacant section on the screen.
A floating menu will appear.
2. Click on the Find Bus By Name command.
A dialog box will appear showing an alphabetical listing of all the buses.

Note: You can also press the F key on the keyboard to bring up this dialog
box.
3. Click on the name “South 500 kV ” in the list box. Click on OK.
The selected bus will appear at the center of the screen.
Note: You can locate a bus by its number by selecting the View | Bus By Number
command.
SCROLLING TO VIEW DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE NETWORK:
1. Scroll the one-line diagram vertically and horizontally by clicking the mouse on
the scroll bars of the window or by dragging the scroll bar button.
If you have a mouse with a wheel, rotating the wheel will scroll the one-
line diagram vertically. Also, moving the mouse with the wheel pressed
down will cause the viewport to move with the mouse.
Note: If the network disappears, use the Find Bus command mentioned above.

28 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

ZOOMING TO VIEW DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE NETWORK:
1. Change the zoom setting by dragging the zoom slider control on the tool bar.

2. Zoom into a specific area on the one-line diagram.

Click the right mouse button at a location. While still holding the right
mouse button, drag the mouse to delineate a rectangular area that you
wish to magnify. Release the mouse button.
A floating menu will appear. Your screen will look like this.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 29

 3. Click on the "Zoom In" command.
The screen will show a detailed view of the network that was enclosed in the
dotted rectangle.

30 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

USING THE SPLIT SCREEN OPTION:
You can split the main one-line window into two panes. The two panes have independent zoom and scroll controls,
and may display different quantities. You can edit the one-line in either pane. The other pane is updated
automatically. The split window greatly improves the ease of use. You can view in the two panes the branch currents
and the losses at the same time. You can also monitor the tie-line flow at one location and the voltage of a critical bus
at another location simultaneously. The possibilities are endless.
1. Move the arrow cursor over to the left side of the viewport until it turns into two
double bars with arrows pointing inward, as shown below.

2. Now while holding the left mouse button down, drag the double bars to the
center of the screen.
The viewport will now be split into two panes.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 31

 The active pane will have a yellow tint at the bottom of the screen. You can
now scroll the two sections and modify each independently.

CLOSE AND RE-OPEN THE BINARY DATA FILE:

1. Close the binary data file.
Select the File | Close command.
If you are using the working model, the file will close now. Skip down to
step #2.
A dialog box will appear asking you whether you want to save the changes.

Click on the "No" button.

The current example file will be closed. The Main Window of ASPEN Power
Flow will show the word “ASPEN” on a gray background.
2. Open the file ASPEN9.OLR again.
Click on the File menu to display the menu items.
At the bottom of the menu, just above the Exit command, you will see the file
name of the last four files you opened. The name ASPEN9.OLR should be
among the files listed.
Click on the menu item “ASPEN9.OLR” to open the file.
After a short time, the Main Window will again show the one-line diagram of the
9-bus system.
Move the vertical bar separating the two panes to the left so that only one
pane is visible.

32 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

BROWSING NETWORK DATA
The normal way of viewing and editing the network parameters is through clicking the right mouse button on the
graphical symbol on the one-line diagram as we demonstrated earlier. The following will show you an alternative
way of viewing and editing the network parameters. For network elements that have not been placed on the screen,
the data browser is the only way you can review and edit their parameters.
1. Select the Tools | Data Browser command.
The Data Browser dialog box will appear. The browser has different “pages”
for generator data, load data, shunt data, etc.
2. Click on the ‘Type’ drop down list box and click on “Line”.

3. Double-click on the name “Station S 500. kV-South 500.kV ” on the grid.

The info dialog box for this transmission line will appear.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 33

 4. Click on "Cancel" to leave the line data unchanged.
5. You can view and edit loads, shunts, buses and other elements with a similar
procedure. Try it, but do not change any of the parameters.
6. Leave the Browser dialog box open.

34 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

BROWSING AREA INTERCHANGE DATA
The same data browser dialog box shows you area-interchange data, including the area net export, the area slack bus,
and a summary of the total load and generation.
1. Click on the ‘Type’ drop down list box and click on “Area”.
The data browser will show you the area interchange page. The first two rows
of the data grid shows the area-interchange information for the two areas
“AA” and “BB”. The third row shows the system slack bus name and the total
load and generation in the entire network.

2. Review the data for area “BB”.

Click on the name "BB" on the second row, then click on "Edit".
A dialog box will appear to show you the area-interchange information for the
area “BB”. This area imports 620 MW from its neighbors. The area slack
bus is South 500 kV.

Click on "Cancel" in the dialog box to leave the area parameters

unchanged.
The area info dialog box will disappear.
3. Press Done in the Data Browser.
The Data Browser dialog box will disappear.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 35

GENERATING A POWER FLOW SOLUTION
The following instructions show you how to obtain a power flow solution.
1. Select the PFlow | Power Flow command.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the various options and
solution parameters.

2. Leave all the options and parameters at their default values. Press OK to start
the solution process.
After the power flow converges, this dialog box will disappear and you will
see the power flow solution on the one-line diagram.

36 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

 The quantities being shown include the bus voltages, the MW and MVAR
flows, generator outputs, and power consumed by loads and shunts. The
program automatically highlights buses with abnormal voltages: over-voltages
are displayed in red, and under-voltages are displayed in green.
The arrows on the branches indicate the direction of the real and reactive
power flow.
The total system generation and total losses are shown in the status bar at the
very bottom of the screen.
3. Click on the “TTY” button in the tool bar to view the solution summary.
The TTY Window will appear. This summary tells you that it took 5
iterations to solve the power flow equations. For each iteration, the report lists
the total MW (P) and MVAR (Q) mismatches and the number of automatic
adjustments that were made.
The program also automatically generates an Area Interchange Summary
which shows that area MW export and losses for each of the areas in this
system.

4. Select the Menu | Close Window command to close the TTY Window.
The TTY Window will disappear.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 37

DISPLAYING CURRENTS AND LOSSES
In addition to displaying the flow of real and reactive power, ASPEN Power Flow can show you branch currents and
losses on the one-line diagram.
1. Select the PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line command.
A dialog box will appear to let you select the output quantities.

2. Select branch current output.

Click on the “Currents” radio button in the topmost group box. Press OK.
The one-line diagram will be redrawn to show the branch currents and bus
voltages.

38 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

 The branch currents in amperes are shown near the end of the branch symbols.
The per-unit bus voltages are shown directly beneath the bus identifier.
The program highlights overloaded lines and 2-winding transformers by
displaying their currents in red. (You can specify the branch ratings in the info
dialog boxes for lines and transformers.)
3. Select the PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line command.
The same dialog box will appear to let you select the output quantities.
4. Select branch losses.
Click on the “Losses” radio button.
Press OK.
The branch losses are shown where the branch currents were previously. The
losses are in kW and kVAR. (Do not be alarmed by the huge losses in this
fictitious case.)

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 39

GENERATING POWER FLOW SOLUTION REPORTS
Two types of reports are available: graphical report and text report. You can view the report on the screen or send it
to the printer. You can also save text reports to a file for later viewing or editing.
1. Select the File | Print One-Line Diagram command while the current or power
flow are displayed on the screen to generate a hard copy of the graphical power
flow solution.
The Print One-Line dialog box will appear to let you select the typeface, font
size and other printing parameters.

Press OK button to begin printing.

A printed copy of the one-line diagram with the current or power flow
information will appear at your printer.
2. Select the PFlow | Solution Report command to get a text report of the power
flow solution.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the information you want included in
the report.

40 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

 3. The "ASPEN Format" is selected by default. This indicates that you want a bus-
by-bus report in the ASPEN format.
Mark all the check boxes under the group box labeled 'Summaries'.
Select "Output to TTY Window" in the bottom dropdown list box to send
the output to the TTY Window.
Another dialog box will ask you the extent of the solution report. This dialog
box is called the bus selector.

Press the button “>>” to bring up another dialog box.

Click on the "OK" button to select all the buses in the system. The Bus
Selector dialog box should look like this. Note all the buses have been moved
from the left pane to the right pane.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 41

 Press OK.
The TTY Window will appear. Within the TTY Window is a solution report
that looks like this.

4. Select the Menu | Close Window command to close the TTY Window.

42 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

CONTINGENCY STUDY USING BATCH CASES
ASPEN Power Flow has a “Batch Case” feature that lets you quickly simulate a large number of cases involving
branch, bus and/or generator outages. (A bus outage will take out of service all the loads, shunts, generators and
branches that are connected to the bus.) You can use ASPEN Power Flow to create and edit case files that specify the
power flow options and contingencies that you wish to simulate.
With a case file opened in ASPEN Power Flow, you can selectively simulate individual cases or ask the program to
simulate all the cases automatically. You can display the solution of any case on the one-line diagram, or output the
solution report of all the cases to a file.
In the following you will create a case file containing cases for an “N-1” contingency study, a study of all possible
single outage contingencies in the network. The output will tell you if any of these contingencies causes branch
overloads and abnormal bus voltages.
1. Select the PFlow | Contingency Batch Cases command.
When the first page of the Contingency Batch Case wizard appears, mark
the third radio button that reads “Create an n-1 batch-case file and open
it”.

Press Next >.

2. Specify the case file name.
A standard file-save dialog box will appear asking you to specify the file
name.
Enter Example.cas and press Save.
The second page of the wizard will appear asking you for the types of outages
you want to simulate.
Mark the checkbox labeled “Branch outages”
Mark the checkbox labeled “generator outages”

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 43

 Press Next >.
3. The third page of the wizard will show you a list of outages that will be
simulated. These are all possible branch and generator outages.

Leave this list unchanged.

Press Save File to save the file Example.cas to hard disk.
Press Next >.

44 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

 4. The fourth page of the wizard will appear asking you what you want to see in the
report.

In the Summaries group box, mark the checkboxes labeled “Voltage

violations” and “Branch overloads”.
Press Next >.
5. The fifth and last page of the wizard asks you to specify a number of
miscellaneous parameters.

Lease all the default parameters unchanged.

Make sure the output is going to “Report File”
Press Finish.
6. Specify the report file name.
The standard file-save dialog box will ask you to specify the report file name.
Enter “Example.txt”. Press Save.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 45

 7. A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the power-flow solution
parameters for simulating the contingency cases.
Each contingency case starts with the solved base case. That is why the “Start
from last voltage solution” option is selected automatically.

Lease all the default parameters unchanged. Press OK.

You will see this dialog box when the simulation finishes.

Press Yes to view the report with a text editor.

8. Interpreting the results.
The results for each contingency cases starts with the case description and a
line of equal signs. The first part of the output shows all the buses with voltage
that are too high or too low. The second part shows all the overloaded
branches. The case results end with another line of equal signs.

46 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

 9. Exit the Power Flow program by clicking on the File | Close command.
A message box will appear asking if you would like to save the changes to the
file.

Press No.
The dialog box will disappear and the main screen will turn gray.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 47

IMPORTING A NETWORK DATA FILE IN TEXT FORMAT
The import network-data feature is used most frequently by new users to create the one-line diagram for the first time.
New users of the Power Flow Program usually start by converting their existing power flow data to an ASPEN text
data file. ASPEN has a number of data conversion programs for data in the PTI PSS/E, GE PSLF, ANARADE and
other popular formats. (These and other data conversion programs are available free of charge to Power Flow users.)
After converting the data to the ASPEN format, the users can then use the import feature to create the one-line
diagram, which is described below. This procedure needs to be done only once. The network data and the graphical
information are stored in a binary data file.
We will demonstrate the import feature with a small 7-bus system.
1. Select the File | Open Text Data File command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the name of the text data file to open.

2. Click once on the file name EXAMPLE.DXT in the list box. Then press Open.
The dialog box will disappear. After a brief pause, you will see a blank Main
Window. A message box will appear informing you that 7 buses have been
read in and none are visible now.

3. Press OK to close the message box.

4. Place the bus WOODSIDE 115kV and its neighbors.
Click the right mouse button once near the middle of the window. A
floating menu will appear.
Click on the “Place Buses” command in the floating menu.
A dialog box will appear to let you select the buses to be placed. The left list
box shows all the buses in the system. The buses that have been placed are
designated by the letter ‘A’ at the end of the bus identifier.

48 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Click on the name “WOODSIDE 115kV 1” on the left list box.
All the immediate neighbors of WOODSIDE 115kV are displayed in the right
list box. The buses are listed in alphabetical order by bus name and nominal
kV. Both of these buses are highlighted because the default option is to place
all the neighbors along with the selected bus.

Press OK.
The bus WOODSIDE 115 kV will appear at the position of your last mouse
click. The generator at this bus is automatically added by Power Flow. Its
neighboring buses MTN. VIEW 115 kV and SANTA CLARA 115 kV are
also automatically placed.
Power Flow will add four lines, representing the four branches, between
WOODSIDE 115kV and its neighboring buses. As a general rule, Power
Flow will automatically add the generator, load and shunt at the new buses, as
well as all the branches between them and the buses that are already on the
screen.
Note the bus symbol for WOODSIDE is solid, while the symbols for its
neighbors are hollow. A solid bus symbol means all the neighbors of that bus
are visible on the screen. A hollow symbol means one or more neighbors
remain hidden.
Tidy up the one-line diagram by dragging the symbols with the mouse.
Use the picture below as a guide.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 49

 5. Place the neighbors of MTN. VIEW 115kV.
We know MTN. VIEW has one or more invisible neighbors because the bus
symbol of MTN. VIEW is hollow.
Click the right mouse button once on the bus MTN. VIEW 115kV. A
floating menu will appear.
Click on the “Place Buses” command.
A similar place-bus dialog box will appear. The bus WOODSIDE 115kV is
highlighted on the left. Its neighbors are shown on the right. The two invisible
neighbors, PALO ALTO and MENLO PARK are highlighted.

Press OK.
The buses PALO ALTO and MENLO PARK will appear on the screen.
6. Place remaining buses by repeating step 5.
Use the diagram on this page as a guide for the placement of the buses. After
the last bus is placed on the screen, a message box will appear, informing you
that the one-line diagram has been completed.

Press OK.
The 7-bus system should look something like this.

50 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

 There is also an Export Network command, which creates a text data file
based on the network data stored in the binary data file. The exported text
data file can be in ASPEN format or one of the following foreign formats: PTI
PSS/E format, GE PSLF and short-circuit format, ANAFAS format or
ANAREDE format.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 51

GETTING ONLINE HELP ABOUT ASPEN POWER FLOW
You can use one of the three ways to get on-line help:
1. Get help through the Table of Contents.
Select the Help | Contents command.
The Help Window will appear. Its client area shows the contents of the on-
line help. The main help topics are underlined. The on-line help contains the
full text and graphics of the ASPEN Power Flow User’s Manual.

Click on one of the topics to page to the sub-index or the detailed

explanations.
2. Get help on a specific command.
With the mouse, click on the top menu to bring down the list of menu
commands. Use the up or down arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight
the menu item of interest. Then press the <F1> key.
3. Click on the “Help” button in any dialog box.
We have already demonstrated this method at the beginning of the tutorial.
Note: To access on-line help for dialog boxes with multiple pages press the
<F1> key while the dialog box is displayed.

52 • SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL ASPEN Power Flow v12

EXITING ASPEN Power Flow
This ends the quick tutorial for ASPEN Power Flow. The remaining instructions will take you back to the Windows
desktop.
1. Select the File | Exit command.
If you are running the working model, the program will close now and you are
done.
If you are running the production version, a dialog box will appear asking you
whether you want to save the changes.

Press No.
The program window will close. You will be back on the Windows desktop.

TO EXPLORE FURTHER
This tutorial covered only a small subset of the commands in ASPEN Power Flow. You can find a detailed
description of all the commands in the next section (Section 3). You may also read Section 4 to see how ASPEN
Power Flow models the various network elements. Finally, you may wish to browse through the appendices, which
cover a wide range of topics that include the solution method and techniques for transformer modeling.
The tutorial for PowerScript programming is in PowerScript reference manual.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 2 INSTALLATON AND TUTORIAL • 53

SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE

3.1 INTRODUCTION
This section documents the commands in the Main Window and the TTY Window.

___________________________________
Main Window Commands
The Main Window displays the one-line diagram of the network. The commands in the Main Window are described
in Section 3.2.
______________________________________________________________________

___________________________________
TTY Window Commands
The TTY Window displays the program outputs in the traditional text form. The commands in the TTY Window are
described in Section 3.3.
______________________________________________________________________

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 55

3.2 MAIN WINDOW COMMANDS
The Main Window is initially gray when the program begins execution. ASPEN Power Flow shows the one-line
diagram of the power system in the Main Window after a binary data file has been opened or created. The name of
the binary data file is shown in the caption area.
The status bar at the bottom of the window has two panes. The left pane shows the system base MVA and the system
frequency. The right pane displays (1) the description of an object on the one-line diagram when you click on it, and
(2) the total system generation and the total MW loses when a power flow solution is being shown.
You can split the main window into two panes by dragging the thick vertical line on the left side of the window. The two
panes have independent scroll controls. A zoom slider on the toolbar controls the zoom setting. The zoom commands
you issue will affect only the active pane, which is indicated by a thin yellow bar at the bottom. You can make a pane
active by clicking the mouse on it.

Zoom Slider
The two panes may display different quantities: you may have the system impedance on one pane and the power flow
solution on the other, for example. You can edit the one-line in either pane. The other pane is updated automatically.
There is a toolbar immediately below the menus.

The fifteen icons on the toolbar are shortcuts to the following frequently-used commands:

File | New
File | Open Binary Data File
File | Save
Tools | Undo
Tools | Data Browser
PFlow | Power Flow
PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line
Display Flow of Real and Reactive Power (this is a shortcut for PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line command)
Display Losses (this is a shortcut for PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line command)
Display Current Flows (this is a shortcut for PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line command)
Tools | Scripting | Run Script
View | Device Palette
View | TTY Window
At the bottom of the window is a narrow, horizontal text area. This is referred to as the “Status Bar” in the rest of the
manual.

56 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

THE DEVICE PALETTE
The Device Palette, and the drag-drop model building technique makes the task of constructing Power Flow one-line
diagram models intuitive and effortless. You can add a new object to the diagram by simply selecting it the Palette
with the mouse and placing it on the one-line diagram.
Device supported:

You can show or hide the Palette by selecting command View | Device Palette or by clicking on the corresponding
button on the main toolbar.
Modal operation:
Once you have selected an object type in the Device Palette, the program goes into the Add Object mode. You can
add new objects of the selected type repeatedly, and perform a limited set of related commands while you are in this
mode. To exit the Add Object mode, click on the Pointer pane in the Device Palette or press the <Esc> key on your
keyboard.
General drag-and-drop technique:
To add single-terminal objects such as bus, generator, shunt, switched shunt, load or annotation, simply select the
object from the Device Palette and then click the mouse on the diagram where you want to place the new object.
To add a new two-terminal branch such as line, 2-winding transformer, phase shifter, switch or dc line, first select the
object from the Device Palette, and then click and drag the mouse to place the two ends of the branch. If there is an
existing bus in the vicinity of the mouse click, the program will attach the new branch to that bus. If you click on an
empty place, the program will create new bus(es) to anchor the new device.
To create a 3-winding transformer, follow the same direction for two-terminal branches to place the first two buses.
The program will create the tertiary bus automatically at a position between the first two terminals. The tertiary is
initially not connected to any existing bus, but you can easily merge it with any existing bus of the same nominal kV.

To paste an object from clipboard, click first on the Paste button on the palette. Use the technique described
above to place the pasted object on the 1-line.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 57

Main Window
FILE MENU
NEW COMMAND
The New command in the Main Window lets you create a new binary data file.
TO CREATE A NEW BINARY DATA FILE:
1. Select the File | New command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the system base MVA.

2. Enter the system base MVA if you wish to use a value other than 100.
Press OK to close the dialog box.
The screen will turn to a white background with nothing on it. You can enter
buses and branches using commands under the Network | New menu or with
the drag-and-drop palette.
The new file is named "untitled" until you save it and give it a name.
Note: You can change base later with the Network | Options command.

58 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
FILE MENU
OPEN BINARY DATA FILE COMMAND
The Open Binary Data File command in the Main Window lets you open an existing binary data file for editing and
for simulating faults and coordinating relays.
TO OPEN AN EXISTING BINARY DATA FILE:
1. Select the File | Open Binary Data File command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the name of the binary data file to
open.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
binary data file.
Click on the "OK" button.
The dialog box will disappear and the Main Window will display the one-line
diagram.
The program locks the file you open with the "exclusive write" privilege until
you close the file or exit the program. When another user attempts to open the
same file, the program will warn him or her that the file can be opened for
"read only".

A read-only file can be saved only under another file name, with the File |
Save As command.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 59

Main Window
FILE MENU
OPEN TEXT DATA FILE COMMAND
The Open Text Data File Command in the Main Window reads in a text data file that contains the network parameters
of a power system. In most cases, the text data file is the output of a data conversion program.
TO OPEN A TEXT DATA FILE:
1. Select the File | Open Text Data File command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the name of the text data file to open.
A text data file has extension of .DXT.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to select the text data file.
Click on OK.
The dialog box will disappear.
If errors are encountered, the errors are listed in the TTY Window. The TTY
Window will open automatically.
If no errors are found, a dialog box will appear informing you of the size of
the system that has been read in and that none of the buses are visible.

You can make one or more buses visible on the one-line with the Diagram |
Place Bus command. At the minimum, the equipment you wish to fault must
be visible.
If one or more nodes have non-zero state-plane coordinates, the program will
ask you whether you want to place those nodes automatically, based on their
coordinates.

If you answer ‘Yes’, the dialog box of the Snap-to-State-Plain-Coordinates

command will appear. Please refer to the documentation of the Diagram | Snap
to State Plain Coordinates command for details.
If any of the nodes are not visible on the diagram, you can place them and
make them visible on the one-line with the Diagram | Place Bus command.

60 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
FILE MENU
CLOSE COMMAND
The Close command in the Main Window closes the current data file (the one-line diagram of which is being shown
on the main window).
TO CLOSE A BINARY DATA FILE:
1. Select the File | Close command.
If the current binary data file has been modified, a dialog box will appear
asking you whether the changes should be saved.
Click on "Yes" if you wish to save the updated data to disk under the current file
name; otherwise, click on "No".
The original binary data file, if any, is saved under the .BAK extension. The
changes you made during the session will be lost. The dialog box will
disappear.
If a previous curve collection (PCC) file is currently open and it has been
changed, another dialog box will appear asking you whether the changes
should be saved.

Click on "Yes" or "No".

The Main Window will show the ASPEN icon with a gray background.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 61

Main Window
FILE MENU
SAVE COMMAND
The Save command in the Main Window saves the current case to disk under the current binary data file name. The
old binary data file is saved under a .BAK extension for backup purposes. It is wise to periodically save the file you
are editing to guard against information loss in the event of a program error or power outage.
TO SAVE A BINARY DATA FILE:
1. Select the File | Save command.
Note: This menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated if (1) if the file has
not been modified or (2) the file was opened for "read only".
If the file was created with the File | New command or imported with the File |
Open Text Data File in the same session, the program will ask you for the
name of the binary data file.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to enter the binary data
file name. Click OK.
You may continue working with the current file.

62 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
FILE MENU
SAVE AS COMMAND
The Save As command in the Main Window saves the current case to disk under a different binary data file name.
The current binary data file is not altered.
TO SAVE THE BINARY DATA FILE UNDER A NEW NAME:
1. Select the File | Save As command.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the name of the binary data
file.
2. Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the binary
data file.
You should name all your binary data files with the .OLR extension.
3. Click on the "OK" button.
The new file name will appear in the title bar of the Main Window. You may
continue working with the new file.
Note: If this operation overwrites an existing data file, the original file is
saved automatically under a .BAK extension for backup purposes..

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 63

Main Window
FILE MENU
INFO | FILE COMMENTS COMMAND
File comments are notes that describe the binary data file. The Info | File Comments command in the Main Window
allows you to review and edit previously entered comments and to add new comments. The file comments are shown
on the title page of solution reports.
TO VIEW AND EDIT FILE COMMENTS:
1. Select the Info | File | File Comments command.
A dialog box will appear showing the current file comments. A blinking text
cursor indicates where new text will appear.

If you wish to review the file comments only, click on "Cancel" after you
are done looking at the comments.
2. Using the mouse and the keyboard, edit the comments or add new comments.
A file comment can have up to 5999 characters. You can force the program to
start a new line by hitting <Enter> with the <Ctrl> key held down.
Press OK to save the changes.

64 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
FILE MENU
INFO | STATISTICS COMMAND
The Info | Statistics command in the Main Window shows you the total number of various objects in the current file.
These include the number of buses, generators, lines, relays, etc.
TO VIEW SYSTEM STATISTICS:
1. Select the File | Info | Statistics command.
A dialog box will appear showing the system statistics. The system base MVA
and the system frequency are shown at the top of this dialog box.
There are two list boxes. The top one shows the number of network objects,
such as buses, lines and generators. A network element is counted if it is active
or out-of-service.
The bottom list box shows the number of protective equipment, including
fuses, reclosers, relays and coordinating pairs. A relay is counted if it is on-
line or off-line.

2. Click on Done when you are finished.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 65

Main Window
FILE MENU
INFO | TAGS COMMAND
The Info | Tags command in the Main Window helps you manage the tags within the file. The Info | Tags dialog box
shows you a list of all the tags, and, for each tag, the number of network elements and protective devices that has that
tag. You can also rename and delete tags within this dialog box.
Tags give you a power tool to manipulate groups of network elements and protective devices that are related for some
reason. For example, after assigning the tag “ABC” to the lines, transformers and relays that you plan to take out of
service for a month, you can take all these related equipment in and out of service with a single In/Out Service |
Equipment with Tag command. The following are all the commands that utilize tags:
• File | Info | Tags – View tags statistics. Rename and delete tags.
• Network | Delete | Equipment with Tags – Delete objects that have a certain tag.
• Network | In/Out Service | Equipment with Tags – Take all the objects with a certain tag in or out of service.
• Network | Apply tag – Assign the tag to a highlighted object.
• Diagram | Show/Hide | Show/Hide all with tag – Show or hide objects with a certain tag.
TO VIEW, RENAME AND DELETE TAGS:
1. Select the File | Info | Tags command.
A dialog box will appear showing a list of all the tags in the list box. The first
tag in the list is highlighted.

2. View Tag Statistics.

Click on a tag in the list box. The text to the right will show you the number
of network objects and protective devices that have this tag.
3. Rename a tag.
Highlight a tag on the list box. Click on ‘Rename‘ to give it a new name.
A dialog box will appear.

66 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Enter a new name for the tag. Press OK.
4. Remove a tag.
Highlight a tag on the list box. Click Remove to remove this tag from all
the objects.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 67

Main Window
FILE MENU
MERGE FILE COMMAND
The Merge File command in the Main Window allows you to augment an existing data file with contents of another
binary data file. The two files being merged must have the same MVA base.
If a bus with a certain name and nominal kV is found in both files, you have the option of (1) combining the two
buses into one automatically, and (2) renaming one of the buses to avoid duplication.
If you choose the “rename bus” option, the program will automatically adds a ‘~’ character at the beginning of one of
the bus names. The program will show a list of these duplicate buses in the TTY window. After the files are merged,
you can then manually combine these bus pairs (with the Merge Bus command) as needed to “stitch together” the two
files.
Note: This command allows you to add data from a binary data file only. To add data from a text data file with DXT
extension, we suggest that you first open the DXT file and saved it as an OLR file. You will then be able to use this
command.
TO MERGE CURRENT FILE WITH ANOTHER DATA FILE:
1. With the scrollbar controls, move the viewport to an empty space where you
want to place the center of the added network.
This “center” location need not be exact, because you will be able to move the added
network later in step 5.
2. Select the File | Merge File command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the name of the data file that you wish
to add.
3. Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the data
file. Click on the "OK" button.
Once the program accepts the file name, the dialog box will disappear.
4. Buses with same name and nominal kV.
You will see the following dialog box if there is a bus with the same name and
nominal kV in both files. You have two options: (1) Rename one of the buses
to avoid duplication, and (2) combine the two buses into a single bus.

RENAME ONE OF THE BUSES

Click on the “Rename new bus as” radio button and modify the bus name
to the right as needed.

68 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Mark the check box “Repeat above action for buses in kV range” and
enter a kV range if you want the program to make similar changes to
other buses that are found in both files. Otherwise, the program will
prompt you to take action for each occurrence of these buses.
Press OK.
MERGE THE BUSES AUTOMATICALLY
Click on the “Merge new us with existing bus of the same name” radio
button. Press OK. The program will automatically merge all the buses that
have the same name and nominal kV.
A ghosted one-line of the added network will appear on the screen.
5. Place the added network.
With the mouse, drag the ghosted image to the desired location in the
viewport.
Click the mouse outside the ghosted image to permanently place it on the
screen.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 69

Main Windows
FILE MENU
READ CHANGE FILE COMMAND
The Read Change File command in the Main Window allows you to modify the network of a binary data file using a
change file produced by the ASPEN Case Comparison Program. (See Appendix F for information on the Case
Comparison Program). The change file can be of the ASPEN or ANAFAS (5-digit bus number) format. The change
file includes three types of information:
• Commands to delete network elements or protective equipment
• Commands to add network elements or protective equipment
• Commands to modify the network elements or protective equipment
TO READ A CHANGE FILE:
1. Select the File | Read Change File command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the name of the change file.
Note: This menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated after you have
deleted one or more objects.
2. Use controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the change file.
The change file can be of the ASPEN format (with .CHF extension) or the
ANAFAS format (with .ANA extension).
Note: ANAFAS change files must be of the 5-digit bus number format.
Click on the "OK" button.
A series of dialog boxes will now appear asking you to confirm the changes,
one at a time.
3. Confirm or skip the changes.
When a change-file command is encountered, a dialog box will appear.

Click on:
Yes: to confirm the current command.
No: to ignore the current command but continue to read the
remaining commands.
Rest OK: to confirm the current command and the remaining
commands.
Cancel Rest: to ignore the current command and the remaining
commands.
After all the commands have been processed, the TTY Window will appear
listing all of the changes made to the network.
Select the Menu | Close Window command to close the TTY Window.

70 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 The program will automatically place new branches that span existing buses. You can
change their appearance with the mouse at any time. The program will show the
remaining branches when you place the buses.
4. Optional: Use the Save command to save the updated system file.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 71

Main Window
FILE MENU
EXPORT | NETWORK DATA COMMAND
The Export | Network Data command in the Main Window lets you create a new text data file that corresponds to the
current state of the network. The exported file is a text file in one of the following formats: ASPEN text data file
format (see Section 5 for details), PTI PSS/E format, ANAFAS format, ANAREDE format, GE Short Circuit (SCSC)
and Power Flow (PSLF) format. If you are planning to export to the PTI, GE or ANAFAS format, we suggest you
first execute the Check | Data Compatibility command to see if there are any data incompatibilities, and, if there are
any, fix them before you export the data.
The program will perform certain fix-ups during a PTI, GE, ANAFAS or ANAREDE conversion:
• Buses with zero bus number are given a unique positive bus number. These bus number assignments
are temporary.
• Branches and generating units with blank circuit IDs are given an ID of ‘1’. The ID assignments are
temporary.
• Switches are exported as lines with a very small reactance.
• For ANAFAS conversion only: Shunts, loads, phase shifters and dc lines are ignored.
• For conversion to PTI version 30 or lower: Multiple shunt units on a bus are lumped into a single
shunt. Generator and load units are not aggregated.
• 3-Winding transformers are converted to the standard T model. The T-model conversion is temporary
and does not affect the existing 3-winding transformer parameters.
Note: The exception to this rule is PTI PSS/E version 27 and later: Each 3-winding transformer in
ASPEN is exported as a 3-winding transformer object in the PTI format.
• For GE Conversion only: For bus shunts, the letter ‘b’ is added to the beginning of the ID of shunts (if
the ‘b’ is not there already). All bus names are truncated to 8 characters. Also, branch names are
truncated to 8 characters and are exported as the branches’ “long ID”. All these changes are temporary.
The graphical information of the one-line diagram is not included in the exported file.
TO EXPORT NETWORK DATA TO A NEW TEXT DATA FILE:
1. Select the File | Export | Network Data command.
A dialog box will appear.

72 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Note: This menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated after you have
deleted one or more objects.
2. Select either the entire network or an area or a zone.
Click on the radio button "Entire Network" to export everything.
Click on the radio button "Area no.". Then, select an area in the drop
down list box to export only the equipment within that area.
Click on the radio button "Zone no.". Then, select a zone in the drop
down list box to export only the equipment within that zone.
3. Mark the ‘Include tie lines’ check box to include them in the text data file.
This option is meaningful only if you are exporting network data from a single
area or zone. A “tie line” is a branch that spans the selected area or zone and
one of its neighbors. When this option turned on, the program will export tie
lines and their terminal buses, even though one of the tie-line bus terminals
does not belong in the selected area or zone.
4. Select the output data format. Click on:
ASPEN: To export the network data using the ASPEN format.
PTI: To export the network data using the PTI PSS/E format of
version 23 through 31.
GE PSLF+Short Circuit: To export the network data using the GE Power
Flow (PSLF) and short circuit (SCSC) format of version 14.
ANAFAS: To export the network data using the ANAFAS format with 5-
digit bus numbers.
ANAREDE: To export the network data using the ANAREDE format.
5. Click OK.
IF YOU SELECTED THE ASPEN, ANAFAS OR ANAREDE FORMAT:
A dialog box will appear asking you to name the new data file.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
new data file.
The default file extension is shown at the bottom of the dialog box.
The TTY Window will appear on top of the Main Window to inform you of
the program's progress.
Skip the rest of the instructions for this command.
IF YOU SELECTED THE GE FORMAT:
Two dialog boxes will appear asking you to name the new power flow data file
with .EPC extension, and the new short circuit data file with .SEQ extension.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
new data files.
The TTY Window will appear to inform you of the program's progress.
Skip the rest of the instructions for this command.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 73

IF YOU SELECTED THE PTI FORMAT:
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the PTI version number and
starting bus numbers.

Select the PTI format you want.

Enter first fictitious bus numbers: This parameter is used only for version
26 or earlier. The program will assign bus numbers to the midpoint us of the
equivalent T model of 3-winding transformers starting with this number,
unless you have specified a nonzero fictitious bus number in the 3-winding
transformer dialog box.
Enter first bus number for buses with no bus number. The program will
assign bus numbers, starting with this number, to buses with bus number
0. The number you enter must be smaller than 99998.
Click OK to close the "ASPEN-to-PTI…" dialog box and commence data
conversion.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the name of the new Raw Data
file with .raw extension, and the new Sequence Data File with .seq extension.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
PTI Raw and Sequence Data files.
Click OK.

74 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
FILE MENU
EXPORT | ONE-LINE DIAGRAM COMMAND
The Export | One-Line Diagram command in the Main Window creates a Window Metafile or Enhanced Window
Metafile that corresponds to the current state of the one-line diagram. Metafiles are vector-graphic files that can be
imported to other Windows programs, such as Word and AutoCad.
This command will export the one-line diagram of the entire network.
TO SAVE ONE-LINE GRAPHICS AS A WINDOWS METAFILE:
1. Select the File | Export | One-Line Diagram command.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the name of the file.

Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
file and whether it should be a Windows metafile or an enhanced
Windows metafile.
The extension of the file should be .WMF for Windows metafile and
.EMF for enhanced Windows metafile. A message box will appear
informing you that the graphical data has been exported.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 75

Main Window
FILE MENU
PRINT SETUP COMMAND
The Print Setup command in the Main Window allows you to set up your printer.
1. Select File | Print Setup command.
A dialog box will appear.

You should follow the procedure outlined in your Windows User’s Manual to
configure your printer.

76 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
FILE MENU
PRINT ONE-LINE DIAGRAM COMMAND
The Print One-Line Diagram command in the Main Window lets you print the one-line diagram using the current
printer. (You may change the current printer using the Print Setup command described on the previous page.) The
printed image is not limited to the portion of the one-line diagram that is visible on the screen. You can control the
size of the graphical symbols and the extent of the printed one-line diagram by varying a “scaling factor”.
TO PRINT THE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM:
1. Select the File | Print One-Line command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the scaling factor. The name of the
printer will be shown at the top of the dialog box.

2. Enter the desired margin on all sides of the printed page.

3. Enter a scaling factor to enlarge or reduce the image.
The scaling factor allows you to adjust the size of the image on the printed
page. When the scaling factor is 1.0, the program will map the portion of the
one-line diagram visible on the screen to the printed page. When the scaling
factor is less than 1.0, the magnification will be reduced allowing a larger
portion of the one-line diagram to be copied onto the printed page.
We suggest that you experiment with different values of the scaling factor to
find the one that works best for your printer and paper size.
4. Click on the Preview button to see how the one-line diagram will appear
on the printed page.
A pop-up window will appear to show you the portion of the one-line diagram
that will be printed. This window has the same aspect ratio as the printed
page. The bus names and other text in the Preview window are drawn with a
screen font that emulates the printer font’s typeface and size. Within the
preview window, the arrow pointer associated with mouse will change to a
small hand.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 77

 You can change the contents of the printed page by dragging the hand
icon with the mouse.
Close the Preview Window by double clicking on the control menu box at
the upper left corner.
5. Click on the "Change Font" button to select the printer font.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the font.
The fonts shown in the list box are those available on your printer. The
program uses Arial to paint on the screen. You may wish to select another
typeface if Arial is not available on your printer or you prefer the appearance
of another font.
Font size controls the height of the type in units of points where one point is
defined to be 1/72 of an inch (0.35 mm). The font size is not affected by the
scaling factor. Text printed using a 10-point font will be 10/72 inch high no
matter what the value of the scaling factor happens to be. For this reason, you
should specify a small font size to go with a small scaling factor.
Use the controls in the standard font selection dialog box to select the typeface
and font size you want. Click on the OK to close the font dialog box.
Optional: Press the Preview button to see how the new font looks on the one-line
diagram.
6. Mark the check box labeled ‘Print black and white’ if you want to print the one-
line diagram in black and white on a color-capable printer.
7. Click OK to close the dialog box and to commence printing.

78 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
FILE MENU
EXIT COMMAND
The Exit command in the Main Window lets you close the current binary data file and shut down the program.
TO EXIT THE PROGRAM:
1. Select the File | Exit command.
If the current binary data file has not been changed, the Main Window will
simply disappear.
If the current binary data file has been modified, a dialog box will appear
asking you whether the changes should be saved.

2. Click Yes if you wish to save the updated data to disk under the current file
name.
The dialog box will disappear.
The program will shut down and its window will disappear.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 79

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
PROPERTIES COMMAND
The Properties command in the Main Window lets you review and edit the parameters of a network element. To
execute this command you must first select the network element.
TO REVIEW OR EDIT THE PARAMETERS OF A NETWORK ELEMENT:
1. Select the network element.
Click the left mouse button once on the element you want to review or
edit.
The element will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Properties command.
The properties dialog box for the element will appear.
Make necessary modifications and click OK.
The dialog box will disappear and the modifications will be applied to the
element.

80 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | BUS COMMAND
The New | Bus command in the Main Window lets you add a new bus to the network. To execute this command you
must first select a position with the left mouse button. The 'bus' object is linked to circuit breaker information. You can
add new breakers with this command, also.
TO ADD A NEW BUS FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:

1a. Click on the New Bus button on the Device Palette. The cursor will become a
cross with a bus symbol attached to it.
2a. Click on the One-line where you want to place the new bus.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the parameters of the bus.
TO ADD A NEW BUS USING MENU COMMAND:
1. Select the bus location.
Click the left mouse button once at the desired position of the new bus.
2. Select the Network | New | Bus command.
A dialog box will appear asking for the parameters of the new bus.

3. Input the bus parameters.

Name: A 12-character name for the bus. Any alphanumeric characters
can be used, except '#', '$' and the string delimiter (single or
double quotation mark).
Nom. kV: Nominal line-to-line bus voltage.
Bus. No.: The bus number, if not zero, must have a unique value in the
range 1 to 9999999, inclusive. You will get a warning if the bus
number you chose is already in use.
Location: An 8-character location name. The program does not make use
of this datum at this time. It is for informational purposes only.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 81

 DistriView substation group no.: The group number must be between 0 and
999, inclusive. Enter a non-zero group number to designate this
bus as a “substation bus”. Please refer to the documentation of
the File | Export | Substation Data command for explanation of
the substation group number.
Area no.: An area number between 0 and 9999, inclusive.
Zone no.: A zone number between 0 and 9999, inclusive.
4. Select the bus type.
Mark the check box labeled “Tap bus” if this dialog box is for a tap bus.
Tap buses are commonly used to break down a transmission line into sections.
The program skips over tap buses when applying remote bus, line-end and
intermediate faults. The sum of impedance of all tapped line segments is
displayed on the R-X diagram in the distance relay window and several other
reports. Following logic is used to find all the tapped line segments:
1) If line is terminated at a tap bus and there are other lines, series
capacitor/reactor and/or closed switches at this bus then enumerate
all these lines and switches to determine the next tapped line
segment, otherwise stop.
2) Exclude lines having string “[T]” (no quotes) in the Name field or
having Ckt ID of “T” (no quotes);
3) If a line has the same value in Name field as that of the first line
segment OR the if the enumeration has reached the end, select it as
the next setment of the tapped line
4) Advance to the remote bus of the selected line/switches. Repeat step
1.
Mark the check box labeled “Transf. Midpoint” if this dialog box is for the
fictitious midpoint bus of the T circuit of a 3-winding transformer.
This option is designed primarily for users who work with network data of
ANAFAS format.
For Power Flow only: Mark the check box labeled “Power Flow slack bus”
if this dialog box is for a slack bus.
You must designate a generator bus in each island to be the slack bus. An
island is a set of contiguous network objects connected through lines,
transformers, phase shifters and switches. Islands that are connected by dc
lines must each have it own slack bus.
5. Optional: Enter state plane coordinates
The state-plane coordinates are floating point numbers that specify the
geographical location of the bus. You can use the Diagram | Snap to State
Plane Coordinates command to automatically place all the buses on the one-
line diagram.
6. Select the bus symbol style from the pull-down list
Bus symbol can be vertical bar, horizontal bar or dot.

82 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 7. Select whether or not to show the bus ID on the one-line diagram.
You must mark the “show ID on one-line” check box to see the bus ID (name,
number and nominal kV) and solution voltages on the one-line diagram for
short circuit and power flow simulations.
8. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this bus. It can have up to 512
characters.
9. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this bus.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please
see documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.
10. Click on the 'Breaker Data' page.
The 'Breaker Data' page is for circuit breakers that are linked to this bus. If
there are any breakers at this bus, their names will appear in the list box on the
left.
For the ‘Copy’, ‘Paste’ and ‘Delete’ functions, you can select one or more
items in this list box. For the ‘Edit’ and “In/Out-of-service” buttons,
however, you should select one, and only one, item.

TO EDIT BREAKER INFORMATION:

1. Select a breaker in the list and click on Edit’ to edit or view its parameters.
TO TOGGLE BREAKER IN/OUT-OF-SERVICE
1. Select one or more breakers in the list and click on "In/Out-of service”.
The program will toggle the status of the selected breakers. In-service breakers will
become out-of-service, and out-of-service breakers will become in-service. The
breaker-rating logic will ignore out-of-service breakers.
TO ADD A BREAKER:

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 83

 1. Click on "Add" to add a circuit breaker to this bus.
A dialog box will appear.
2. Enter the circuit breaker name.
The circuit breaker name is limited to 12 characters.
3. Click on the 'Rating method' drop down list box and select either:
IEEE - Symmetrical current: for breakers that are rated on a symmetrical-
current basis using ANSI/IEEE standards. Most breakers made
in the US after 1964 are rated this way.
IEEE - Total current: for breakers that are rated on a total-current basis
using ANSI/IEEE standards. Breakers made in the US before
1965 are rated this way.
IEC: for breakers rated using IEC standards. Breakers made by European
manufacturers are rated this way.
When in doubt, you can identify the breaker type by examining the nameplate.
The rating for an IEEE total-current rated breaker is in MVA, whereas the
rating for an IEEE symmetrical-current rated breaker is in amperes. The
nameplate for an IEC breaker usually shows both rated breaking current and
rated making current in amperes.
The appearance of the dialog box depends on the rating method you selected.
ANSI/IEEE total-current rated breaker properties screen:

84 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 ANSI/IEEE symmetric-current rated breaker properties screen:

IEC rated breaker properties screen:

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 85

 4. Enter the circuit breaker capabilities:
For breakers that are rated using ANSI/IEEE standards, enter ‘Rated
short circuit MVA’ and ‘Rated momentary amps’.
Note: Momentary current rating of breakers rated on symmetrical current
basis is usually not listed on the nameplate and is assumed to be 1.6 times the
short circuit rating. In such cases, enter N/A in ‘Rated momentary amps’ edit
box.
For breakers that are rated using IEC standards, enter ‘Rated
breaking amps’, ‘% dc component’ and ‘Rated ac making
amps’.
5. Enter the breaker’s maximum designed kV or rated kV in ‘Max design kV’ box.
6. Enter the breaker’s operating voltage in 'Operating kV'. The default value of this
quantity is the nominal kV of the breaker bus.
7a. Enter breaker interrupting time in cycles for breakers that are rated using
ANSI/IEEE standards.
The interrupting time is the time between energization of the trip circuit to the
extinction of the arc on the primary contacts. The interrupting time includes
the breaker opening time and arcing time. Breaker interrupting time should be
between 0 and 8 cycles.

7b. Enter rated short-circuit current percent dc component for breakers that are
rated using IEC standards.
8. Enter the voltage range factor, K, for breakers that are rated using ANSI/IEEE
standards.
The voltage range factor defines a range of voltages within which the
breaker’s interrupting capability is inversely proportional to the operating
voltage. When K equals 1, the interrupting capability is equal to the rated
interrupting capability regardless of the operating kV.
The factor ‘K’ is not used for IEC rated breakers.
9. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this breaker. It can have up to
512 characters.

86 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 10. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this breaker.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please
see documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.
11. Within each of the two Protected Device group boxes, enter devices that the
breaker must protect.
The breaker is said to “protect” a device if the breaker must open its contacts
to interrupt the fault current from that the device. A breaker can have more
than one protected devices. (See Breaker Rating Application Guide for
examples of protected devices in common breaker configurations.) For
flexibility in modeling you can put the protected devices into two separate
groups. The two protected device groups can have different contact parting
time and reclosing parameters.
Click on the Edit button within each protected device group box to
change the list of devices.
The following dialog box will appear.

The list includes the breaker bus and all generators, shunts, and branches
found in the vicinity of the breaker bus. The list does not include equipment
that belongs to the other protected device group of this breaker.
Select the check box in front of the equipment name to add it to the
group. Each group can contain up to 10 devices.
When a branch is selected, it’s assumed that the near-end bus of the branch is
the one that will be disconnected by the breaker operation.
Click on OK to close the Protected Devices dialog box.
12. Within each of the two Protected Device group boxes, click on “Total group
current” if the breaker must interrupt the sum of currents flowing through all the
devices listed above. Bus tie breaker is a typical example where breaker must be
checked with”Total group current”.
Click on “Max. device current” if the breaker must interrupt the current
flowing through each of the devices listed.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 87

 13. Within each of the two Protected Device group boxes, enter the breaker’s
contact parting time for fault on devices protected by this breaker.
The contact parting time is the time between the initiations of short circuit to
the parting of the primary arcing contacts. The contact parting time includes
the relay tripping delay and breaker opening time. Breaker contact parting
time should be between 0 and 12 cycles. Following table shows typical
minimum contact parting time (without relay tripping delay) for different
breakers:
8-cycle breaker: minimum contact parting time 4 cycles.
5-cycle breaker: minimum contact parting time 3 cycles.
3-cycle breaker: minimum contact parting time 2 cycles.
2-cycle breaker: minimum contact parting time 1.5 cycles.
14. Within each of the two Protected Device group boxes, select the number of total
operations and enter the reclosing intervals in seconds for breakers that are
rated using ANSI/IEEE standards.
15. Mark the ‘Do not derate breaker in reclosing operation’ check box, if
applicable, for breakers that are rated using ANSI/IEEE standards.
Note: The rated interrupting capabilities of only oil circuit breakers and air
magnetic circuit breakers need to be derated for reclosing. SF6 breakers are
usually not derated for reclosing.
16. Enter the ‘No-ac-decay ratio’ (NACD) for breakers that are rated using
ANSI/IEEE standards.
The No-ac-decay ratio is defined as:
NACD = (Itotal - Ilocal)/Itotal
Where:
Itotal is the breaker short-circuit current.
Ilocal is the short-circuit current from local generators that are located no more
than “one transformation” away or have external reactance in series that is less
than 1.5 times the generator subtransient reactance.
The default value for NACD ratio is 1, which implies that short-circuit
currents come entirely from remote sources and have no ac decay. This always
yields a conservative breaker duty.
For in-depth breaker duty studies, the NACD ratio can be determined by
simulating short circuits with and without local generators in service and
calculating NACD as the ratio of breaker current in the with and without
cases. This method will yield a breaker duty that is lower than, or equal to, the
duty in the case when NACD is set to 1.
17. Click on OK to close the 'Breaker Info' dialog box.
TO COPY BREAKER DATA TO CLIPBOARD
1. In the Breaker Data tab of the Bus Dialog Box, select one or more breakers in the
list and click on "Copy”.
The program copies the breaker data to Window’s clipboard.

88 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

TO PASTE BREAKER DATA FROM CLIPBOARD
1. In the Breaker Data tab of the Bus Dialog Box, click on "Paste” to paste breaker
data. This button is grayed and cannot be activated if there is no breaker data in
Window’s clipboard.
A breaker info dialog will appear to allow data input on new breaker name and
connection information.
Note: Protected device group information will not be copied when breaker is being
pasted to a different location.
TO DELETE A BREAKER:
1. In the Breaker Data tab of the Bus Dialog Box, select in the list box breakers that
you want to delete and click on "Delete" to remove the circuit breakers.
TO CLOSE THE BUS INFO DIALOG BOX:
1. When you are done editing bus and breaker data, click on OK to close the 'Bus
Info' dialog box.
The dialog box will disappear and the symbol for the new bus will appear on
screen.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 89

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | GENERATOR COMMAND

The New | Generator command in the Main Window lets you add a new generator to a bus. Each bus can have only
one generator, but the generator may have up to 32 generating units. Different units within the same generator are
differentiated by their 2-character identifiers. You can specify the impedance of each unit and whether it is on-line or
off-line.
TO ADD A NEW GENERATOR TO A BUS FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:

1a. Click on the New Generator button on the Device Palette. The cursor will
become a cross with a generator symbol attached to it.
2a. Click on the One-line where you want to place the new generator.
Note: You can click on an existing bus to place the new generator on the bus. A
bus can have at most one generator. The program will display an error message
if the bus or node already has a generator.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the parameters of the generator.
TO ADD A NEW GENERATOR TO A BUS USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select the bus.
Note: A bus can have at most one generator. This menu item is dimmed and
cannot be activated if the bus already has a generator.
Click the left mouse button once on the bus to which you want to add a
generator.
The bus symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2b. Select the Network | New | Generator command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the generator data.

90 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 3. Input the open-circuit voltage and the reference angle.
The magnitude and angle of the generator’s internal voltage source are used in
flat-generator-voltages start option only. They have no effect in flat-bus and
power-flow voltage start options.
Note: Instead of entering the reference angle manually, we suggest you use
the Network | Set Generator Ref. Angle command to automatically set the
reference angle of all the generators in the network. Please refer to the
description of that command and see Section 4.9 for details.
4. Enter the current limits.
The generators can have three current limits. They are referred to as limit ‘A’,
‘B’ and ‘C’. These limits are designed to simulate wind turbines with dc/ac
converter or doubly-fed generators. You must turn on the “Enforce current
limit” option in the Faults | Options dialog box to enforce these limits in fault
simulations.
5. Select the type of power flow regulation. Click on:
Regulates voltage: The generator regulates the voltage magnitude at its own
terminal bus or at another bus in a power flow solution.
Enter the target voltage magnitude (in pu) in the 'Hold V'
edit box.
In the drop down list box, select the bus whose voltage
magnitude is to be regulated by this generator.
Fixed P+jQ output: The generator's real and reactive power output is held
constant in a power flow solution.
6. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this generator. It can have up
to 512 characters.
7. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more
tags for this generator.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please
see documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.

TO ADD A NEW GENERATING UNIT:

1. Click on the "New" button to add a new generating unit to the bus.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the generating unit parameters.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 91

 Input the generating unit identifier in 'ID'.
The unit ID is a 2-character identifier used to differentiate between different
generating units on the same bus. The program automatically initializes the ID
of a new generating unit to a numeric value that has not been used by another
unit on the same bus.
This identifier can be used to mark the generating unit as a fictitious source
generated by network equivalence. Refer to the Diagram | Equivalent Branch
Color Code command for further discussion.
Input the MVA rating of the generating unit in 'MVA'.
The generator impedances are based on this MVA rating, and NOT the system
rating.
Input the following generating unit impedances: Subtransient impedance,
transient impedance, synchronous impedance, negative-sequence
impedance and zero-sequence impedance.
All the generating unit’s impedances must be based on its MVA rating.
As a shortcut, you can enter the subtransient impedance and press the
Copy button to copy the same impedance to all the other impedance edit
boxes.
Note: You can specify which impedance value (subtransient, transient or
synchronous) will be used in the positive-sequence model for short circuit
studies. Please refer to the Faults | Options command for more information.
Input the neutral impedance (in ohms) in 'Neutral Impedance …'.
Enter the actual neutral impedance without multiplying it by 3.
You can skip the rest of the generator-unit parameters if you are not interested
in power flow simulation.
Enter the real power generation in MW.

92 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Enter the reactive power generation in MVAR if the generator maintains
constant P+jQ. The program ignores the MVAR generation if the generator
maintains constant voltage.
Enter the following generation limits.
Pmax: Maximum real power output in MW.
Pmin: Minimum real power output in MW.
Qmax: Maximum reactive power output in MVAR.
Qmin: Minimum reactive power output in MVAR.
The Rating and the Pmin and Pmax limits are not used in this version of the
program, but they may be used to limit the output of the system and area slack
generators in later versions.
Click on "OK" to close the generating unit dialog box.
The generating unit you entered is listed in the list box as 'Unit 1' in the
Generator dialog box. Subsequent generating units will be labeled 'Unit 2',
'Unit 3', and so on.
2. Repeat step 1 for each generator unit. Click Done to close the generator
data dialog box.
The dialog box will disappear and a new generator symbol will be shown
attached to the bus.

TO EDIT OR DELETE A GENERATING UNIT:

1. Select the generator.
Click the left mouse button once on the generator to which you want to
add a generating unit.
2. Select the Network | Properties command.
A dialog box will appear listing all the units that are within this generator.
3. Click on a generating unit.
4. Click on On/Off-Line to toggle a generating unit from off-line to on-line or vise
versa.
5. Click on Edit to change the parameters of the generating unit.
6. Click on Delete to delete a generating unit.
7. When done, press the Done button in the Generator dialog box.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 93

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | LOAD COMMAND

The New | Load command in the Main Window lets you add a new load to a bus. Each bus can have only one load,
but the load may have up to 32 load units. Different units within the same load are differentiated by their 2-character
identifiers. You can break down the total MW +jMVAR consumption of a load into constant-power, constant-current
and constant impedance components. You can also specify whether each load unit is on-line or off-line.
TO ADD A NEW LOAD FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:
1a. Click on the New Load button on the Device Palette. The cursor will become a
cross with a load symbol attached to it.
2a. Click on the One-line where you want to place the new load.
Note: You can click on an existing bus to place the new load on the bus. A bus
can have at most one load. The program will display an error message if the bus
already has a load.
A dialog box will appear asking for the parameters of the new load.
TO ADD A NEW LOAD TO A BUS USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select the bus.
Note: A bus can have at most one load. This menu item is dimmed and
cannot be activated if the bus already has a load.
Click the left mouse button once on the bus to which you want to add a
load.
The bus symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2b. Select the Network | New | Load command.
A dialog box will appear.

3. Specify whether the load is grounded or not.

A load is grounded by default. Mark the Load not grounded check box if the
load is not grounded. This selection will be applied to all the load units in
this load.

94 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 4. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this load. It can have up to
512 characters.
5. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this load.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please
see documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.

TO ADD A LOAD UNIT:

1. Click on the "New" button to add a new load unit to the bus.
Note: This button is disabled if the load already has 32 units.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the load unit parameters.

Input the load unit identifier in 'ID'.

The unit ID is 2-character identifier used to differentiate between different
load units on the same bus. The program automatically initializes the ID of a
new load unit to a numeric value that has not been used by another unit on the
same bus.
Input the load unit parameters.
For each load unit, you can break down the total MW +jMVAR consumption
into constant-power, constant-current and constant-impedance components.
MW: Megawatts consumed by the load unit when the voltage is 1.0
per unit.
MVAR: Megavars consumed by the load unit when the voltage is 1.0 per
unit.
Note: The constant-current load model is not yet working in this version. The
load unit is ignored if all the MW and MVAR values are zero.
Click on the "OK" button to close the individual load unit dialog box.
The load unit dialog box will be displayed.
2. Repeat step 1 for each new load unit. Click on "Done" to close the load dialog
box.
The dialog box will disappear and a new load symbol will be shown attached
to the bus.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 95

TO EDIT OR DELETE A LOAD UNIT:
1. Select the load.
Click the left mouse button once on the load to which you want to add a
load unit.
2. Select the Network | Properties command.
A dialog box will appear listing all the units that are within this load.
3. Click on a load unit.
4. Click on On/Off-Line to toggle a load unit from off-line to on-line or vise versa.
5. Click on Edit to change the parameters of the load unit.
6. Click on Delete to delete a load unit.
7. When done, press the Done button in the Load dialog box.

96 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | SHUNT COMMAND

The New | Shunt command in the Main Window lets you add a new shunt to a bus. Each bus can have only one
shunt, but the shunt may have up to 32 shunt units. Different units on the same bus are differentiated by their 2-
character identifiers. You can specify the admittance of each unit and whether it is on-line or off-line.
TO ADD A NEW SHUNT FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:

1a. Click on the New Shunt button on the Device Palette. The cursor will become a
cross with a shunt symbol attached to it.
2a. Click on the One-line where you want to place the new shunt.
Note: You can click on an existing bus to place the new shunt on the bus. A bus
can have at most one shunt. The program will display an error message if the
bus already has a shunt.
A dialog box will appear asking for the parameters of the new shunt.
TO ADD A NEW SHUNT TO A BUS USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select the bus.
Note: A bus can have at most one shunt. This menu item is dimmed and
cannot be activated if the bus already has a shunt. Refer to the section below
"TO ADD A NEW SHUNT UNIT TO AN EXISTING SHUNT" to add more
shunt units.
Click the left mouse button once on the bus to which you want to add a
shunt.
The bus symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2b. Select the Network | New | Shunt command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the shunt data.

3. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this shunt. It can have up to
512 characters.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 97

 4. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this shunt.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please see
documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.

TO ADD A SHUNT UNIT:

1. Click on the "New" button to add a new shunt unit to the bus.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the shunt unit parameters.

Input the shunt unit identifier in 'ID'.

The ID is a 2-character identifier used to differentiate between different shunt
units on the same bus. The program automatically initializes the ID of a new
shunt unit to a numeric value that has not been used by another unit on the
same bus.
Input the shunt parameters.
You can input the positive and zero sequence admittances of the shunt
directly.
G, B: Positive-sequence admittance in per unit. Set both G and B to zero
for a zero-sequence shunt, such as a zig-zag grounding transformer.
G0, B0: Zero-sequence admittance in per unit. Set both G0 and B0 to zero
for an ungrounded shunt.
If you want to derive the admittances from the MW and MVAR ratings
of the shunt, click on the "Convert" button.
The 'Convert Shunt Data' dialog box will convert the MW+jMW load
consumption to the equivalent per-unit admittances G+jB. You must enter the
values G0 and B0 manually.
Click on the "3-winding transformer shunt" check box if the shunt is part of the
T model of a 3-winding transformer.
This has no other effect on the power flow solution or on the output.
See Section 4.2 for the shunt model.
2. Repeat step 1 for each new unit. When done, click on OK to close the shunt
dialog box.
The selected bus symbol will remain highlighted and a new shunt symbol will
be shown attached to the bus.

98 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

TO EDIT OR DELETE A SHUNT UNIT:
1. Select the shunt.
Click the left mouse button once on the shunt to which you want to add a
shunt unit.
2. Select the Network | Properties command.
A dialog box will appear listing all the units that are within this shunt.
3. Click on a shunt unit.
4. Click on On/Off-Line to toggle a shunt unit from off-line to on-line or vise versa.
5. Click on Edit to change the parameters of the shunt unit.
6. Click on Delete to delete a shunt unit.
7. When done, press the Done button in the Shunt dialog box.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 99

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | SWITCHED SHUNT COMMAND

The New | Switched Shunt command in the Main Window lets you add a new switched shunt to a bus. Each switched
shunt can have up to eight banks of capacitors and reactors. Each bank can be turned on in steps or it can be turned on
in a continuous manner. The power flow program has the capability of adjusting the switched shunt to regulate
voltage.
TO ADD A NEW SWITCHED SHUNT FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:

1a. Click on the New Switched Shunt button on the Device Palette. The cursor
will become a cross with a switched shunt symbol attached to it.
2a. Click on the One-line where you want to place the new switched shunt.
Note: You can click on an existing bus to place the new switched shunt on the
bus. A bus can have at most one switched shunt. The program will display an
error message if the bus already has a switched shunt.
A dialog box will appear asking for the switched shunt data.

TO ADD A NEW SWITCHED SHUNT TO A BUS USING MENU COMMAND:

1b. Select the bus.
Click the left mouse button once on the bus to which you want to add a
switched shunt.
The bus symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2b. Select the Network | New | Switched Shunt command.
Note: A bus can have at most one switched shunt. This menu item is dimmed
and cannot be activated if the bus already has a switched shunt.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the switched-shunt data.

100 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 3. Specify the control mode. Click on:
The power flow logic adjusts the switched shunt in one of three ways:
Fixed: If the susceptance of the switched shunt is fixed at the value of
susceptance (B) you enter.
Discrete: If the susceptance of the shunt banks is switched on and off
incrementally in discrete steps to regulate voltage.
Continuous: If the susceptance of the shunt banks is adjusted continuously to
regulate voltage. A continuous shunt can have multiple banks.
4. Click on the drop down list box and select a controlled bus.
This information is ignored when the control mode is on “Fixed.”
5. Enter the maximum and minimum target voltage in per-unit.
This information is ignored by the power-flow logic when the control mode is on
“Fixed.”
6. Enter the parameters of the banks.
A switched shunt can have up to 8 banks of capacitors and reactors. You can
enter their parameters in the 8 rows of edit boxes under the heading of “No. of
steps”, “B/step” and “B0/step.” You must specify the banks in the order they
are switched on because the program logic is designed to exhaust the
susceptance available in the first bank before it uses those in the second bank,
and so on.
If a switched shunt contains banks of reactors (B<0) and capacitors (B>0), you
must list the reactor banks first. It should be noted that the program logic for
regulating voltage does not mix reactor and capacitor banks. When the
program turns on one or more capacitor banks, the prior reactor banks are
switched off.
The number of steps in each bank can be any integer between 1 through 9,
inclusive. The step size is taken into account when the control is “discrete”.
The step size and the number of steps are used only to calculate the maximum
and minimum susceptance of the switched shunt when the control is
“continuous.”
No. of steps: The number of steps for a bank must be an integer between 1
and 9, inclusive. A value of 0 means that this bank, as well as all
subsequent banks, are not in used.
B: Per-unit positive-sequence susceptance of each step of a bank.
Enter a positive value for a capacitor, and a negative value for a
reactor.
B0: Per-unit zero-sequence susceptance of each step of a bank.
Enter a positive value for a capacitor, and a negative value for a
reactor. Enter zero if the bank is ungrounded.
7. Enter the positive-sequence susceptance.
B: Per-unit positive-sequence susceptance of the switched shunt.
Enter a positive value for a capacitor, and a negative value for a
reactor. You must make sure that the value you enter can be
realized by switching on the capacitor or reactor banks
available. This value of B is taken to be the susceptance of the
switched shunt when the control mode is on “Fixed.”
Otherwise, this value of B is considered to be the initial value of

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 101

 the switched shunt. In all cases, the zero-sequence of the
switched shunt is calculated automatically by the program. You
can see the value of B0 in use in the Data Browser.
8. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this switched shunt. It can
have up to 512 characters.
9. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this switched shunt.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please see
documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.
10. Click OK.
The selected bus symbol will remain highlighted and a new switched shunt
symbol will be shown attached to the bus.

102 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | LINE COMMAND
The New | Line command in the Main Window lets you add a new transmission line between two buses. The two
terminal buses of a line must have the same nominal kV.
TO ADD A NEW LINE FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:
1a. Select New Line on the Device Palette
Click on the New Line pane on the Device Palette. The cursor will
become a cross with a line symbol attached to it.
2a. Drag-and-Drop the new line
Click the left mouse button on the one-line diagram where you want to
place the first end of the new line. With the mouse button held down,
move the cursor toward the spot where you want to place the other end of
the line. A new line symbol will appear with its far end moving with the
cursor.
Note: Clicking on an existing bus will attach the new line to that bus. Clicking on
the end segment of an existing branch will place the new line in series with that
branch.
Release the mouse button where you want the line to terminate. A dialog
box will appear asking you for the line data.
Note: When you move the line’s far end over an existing bus having the same
nominal kV, the bus symbol will be highlighted in red. You can release the
mouse button to attach the second end of the line to that bus.
Enter nominal kV for the new line’s terminals where neither terminal is
connected to an existing bus.

Note: If you place the second end too close to the first one, the New Line
command will be ignored.
TO ADD A NEW LINE USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select the two terminal buses. They must have the same nominal kV.
Click the left mouse button once on one of the terminal buses. Then with
the <Shift> key held down, click the left button once on the other bus
terminal.
Both bus symbols will turn dotted red when selected. The first bus you select
will be the Bus1 of the line model and the second will be Bus2.
2b. Select the Network | New | Line command.
Note: The Line menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated if the nominal
kVs of the two terminal buses are different.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the line data.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 103

 3. Input the transmission line identifiers.
The line’s terminal buses are listed at the top of the dialog box. The first bus
listed will be referred to as Bus1, and the second Bus2.

Name: A 12-character name for the transmission line.

Ckt ID: A two-character circuit identifier that is commonly used to
differentiate between parallel lines. The program automatically
initializes the circuit ID of a new line to a numeric value that
has not been used by a parallel line. The circuit ID can also be
used to mark the line as a fictitious line generated by network
equivalence. Refer to the Diagram | Equivalent Branch Color
Code command for further discussion.
4. Input the transmission line's electrical parameters.
You can either input the parameters directly or have the program calculate it
for you, using information in the Line Table File.
TO ENTER THE PARAMETERS MANUALLY:
Input the following parameters.
Length: Physical length of line. This item and the ‘Unit” are used for
informational purposes only.
Unit: Select unit of length: "mi", "ft", "kt", "m" or "km".
R, X: Positive-sequence impedance in per unit.
R0, X0: Zero-sequence impedance in per unit.
G1, B1: Positive-sequence shunt admittance in per unit at the Bus1 side.
G2, B2: Positive-sequence shunt admittance in per unit at the Bus2 side.
G10, B10: Zero-sequence shunt admittance in per unit at the Bus1 side.
G20, B20: Zero-sequence shunt admittance in per unit at the Bus2 side.

104 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 See Section 4.3 for the line model.
TO HAVE THE PROGRAM CALCULATE THE PARAMETERS FOR
YOU:
Enter the following data.
Length: Physical length of line in the unit to be selected next.
Unit: Select unit of length: "mi", "ft", "kt" (1000 ft), "m" or "km".
Type: Select one of the types available in the Line Table File. The
Line Table contains the parameters of various lines and cables.
You can edit this file with any text editor.
Click on "Recompute from table" button.
The program will now calculate the series impedances and shunt admittances
for the transmission line and put them into the edit boxes.
5. Input current ratings in 'A', 'B', 'C' and 'D'.
You can enter up to four current ratings for the line in amperes. These ratings
can be the summer rating, winter rating, emergency rating, etc. The Check |
Relay Loadability command utilizes these ratings. Also, the Power Flow
Program checks for overloads with these ratings.
6. Input I^2T current ratings in amp^2 second.
This parameter will be used in a future version of the program.
7. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this line. It can have up to 512
characters.
8. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this line.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please see
documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.
9. Select a metering location.
Select the end at which the losses and the inter-area flow (if it is a tie line) will be
computed. This option is for Power Flow users.
10. Click on the “Mutuals” button to display the mutual coupling parameters.
Note: This button is enabled only if the line is mutually coupled to one or
more lines in the zero sequence.
See documentation for the Network | Mutual Coupling | Mutual Coupling Pair
Properties command for details.
11. Press OK.
The selected bus symbols will remain highlighted and a new line symbol will
be shown connecting the two terminal buses.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 105

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | SERIES CAPACITOR/REACTOR COMMAND
The New | Series Capacitor/Reactor command in the Main Window lets you add a new series capacitor or series reactor
between two buses. Series can be protected by an MOV. Both series capacitors and reactors can be bypassed.
TO ADD A NEW SERIES CAPACITOR/REACTOR FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:
1a. Select New Series Capacitor/Reactor on the Device Palette

Click on the Series capacitor/reactor button on the Device Palette. The

cursor will become a cross with a capacitor symbol attached to it.
2a. Drag-and-Drop the new series capacitor
Click the left mouse button on the one-line diagram where you want to
place the first end of the new series capacitor/reactor. With the mouse
button held down, move the cursor toward the spot where you want to
place the other end of the series capacitor/reactor. A new series capacitor
symbol will appear with its far end moving with the cursor.
Note: Clicking on an existing bus will attach the first end of the new series
capacitor to that bus. Clicking on end segment of an existing branch will place
the new series capacitor/reactor in series with that branch.
Release the mouse button where you want the series capacitor to
terminate. A dialog box will appear asking you for the series
capacitor/reactor data.
Note: When you move the series capacitor’s far end over an existing bus
having the same nominal kV, the bus symbol will be highlighted in red. You
can release the mouse button to attach the second end of the series capacitor
to that bus.
Enter nominal kV for the new series capacitor’s terminals when neither
terminal is connected to an existing bus.

Note: If you place the second end too close to the first one, the program will
ignore the command.
TO ADD A NEW SERIES CAPACITOR USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select the two terminal buses.
Note: Two buses can be connected by a series capacitor only if they have the
same nominal kV. (The nominal kV values appear on the one-line diagram
below the bus names.)
Click the left mouse button once on one of the terminal buses. Then with
the <Shift> key held down, click the left button once on the other terminal
bus.
Both bus symbols will turn dotted red when selected. The first bus you select will
be Bus1 of the series-capacitor model, and the second will be Bus2.

106 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 2b. Select the Network | New | Series Capacitor/Reactor command.
Note: The Series Capacitor/Reactor menu item is dimmed and cannot be
activated if the nominal kVs of the two terminal buses are not the same.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the series capacitor data.
3. Input the series capacitor/reactor identifiers.
The series capacitor/reactor’s terminal buses are listed at the top of the dialog
box.

Name: A 12-character name for the series capacitor/reactor.

Ckt ID: A two-character circuit identifier that is commonly used to
differentiate between parallel branches.
4. Input the series capacitor’s electrical parameters.
R and X: The resistance and reactance of the capacitor/reactor in per unit.
Enter a negative reactance for a capacitor and positive value for
a reactor.
Bypass flag: When this flag is checked, the program will model the series
capacitor or reactor with a very small reactance (the switch
reactance) in place of the capacitor/reactor impedance. Please
refer to the documentation for the Network | Options command
for details on the switch reactance.
MOV-bypass protective level current: This parameter is for series
capacitors only. The protective level current is used to
characterize the MOV that is in parallel with the series
capacitor. The protective-level current is defined as
Vpk/(1.414*X), where Vpk is the maximum capacitor voltage
maintained by the MOV, and X is the reactance of the capacitor
bank. The protective-level current is typically 2.0 to 2.5 times
the rated current of the capacitor bank. Please refer to Section
4.3 for more information on MOV-protected series capacitor
modeling.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 107

 Note: MOV-protected series capacitors are nonlinear device. To simulate these
devices properly, the short circuit logic has to iterate the solution until
convergence. The iteration logic is ‘off’ by default. You can turn it ‘on’ in the
Faults | Options dialog box.
5. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this series capacitor or
reactor. It can have up to 512 characters.
6. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this series capacitor or reactor.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please see
documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.
7. Press OK.
A new series capacitor/reactor symbol will be shown connecting the two
terminal buses.

108 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | 2-WINDING TRANSFORMER COMMAND
The New | 2-Winding Transformer command in the Main Window lets you add a new 2-winding transformer between
two buses.
TO ADD A NEW 2-WINDING TRANSFORMER FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:
1a. Select New Transformer on the Device Palette

Click on the 2-winding transformer button on the Device Palette. The

cursor will become a cross with a transformer symbol attached to it.
2a. Drag-and-Drop the new transformer
Click the left mouse button on the one-line diagram where you want to
place the first end of the new transformer. With the mouse button held
down, move the cursor toward the spot where you want to place the other
end. A new 2-winding transformer symbol will appear with its far end moving
with the cursor.
Note: Clicking on an existing bus will attach the first end of the new transformer
to that bus. Clicking on end segment of an existing branch will place the new
transformer in series with that branch.
Release the mouse button where you want to place the second terminal. A
dialog box will appear asking you for the transformer data.
Note: When you move the transformer’s far end over an existing bus, the bus
symbol will be highlighted in red. You can release the mouse button to attach
the second end of the transformer to that bus.
Enter the nominal kV for the new transformer’s terminals when one or
both terminals are not connected to an existing bus.

Note: If you place the second end of the transformer too close to the first one,
the program will ignore the command.
TO ADD A NEW 2-WINDING TRANSFORMER USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select the two terminal buses.
Click the left mouse button once on one of the terminal buses and then
with the <Shift> key held down, click the left button once on the other
terminal bus.
Both bus symbols will turn dotted red when selected.
2b. Select the Network | New | 2-W Transformer command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the transformer parameters.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 109

 3. Input the transformer identifiers.
The transformer’s terminal buses are listed at the top of the dialog box. The first
bus listed will be referred to as Bus1, and the second Bus2.

Name: A 12-character name for the transformer.

Ckt ID: A two-character circuit identifier that is commonly used to
differentiate between parallel transformers. The program
automatically initializes the circuit ID of a new transformer to a
numeric value that has not been used by a parallel branch of the
same type. This ID can be used to mark the transformer as a
fictitious transformer generated by network equivalence. Refer to
the Diagram | Equivalent Branch Color Code command for further
discussion.
4. Select a winding configuration.

The following winding configurations are shown graphically in the drop-down

listbox.
1. Wye-Wye
2. Auto-Wye
3. Wye-Delta, delta lags 30 degrees
4. Wye-Delta, delta leads 30 degrees
5. Delta-Delta
6. Zigzag-Wye, wye lags 30 degrees
7. Zigzag-Wye, wye leads 30 degrees
8. Zigzag-Delta
Note: The winding configurations are labeled in the lower left corner with
both American and British transformer labels. The American labels are listed

110 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 first. The British labels (British Standard BS171 1970) are listed enclosed in
parentheses.
Select a winding configuration by scrolling through the selections in the
graphical drop-down list box and choose one by clicking the left mouse
button once on the picture.
Note: The program will automatically initialize the winding configuration to
wye-wye or wye-delta, with the delta leading or lagging, depending on the
phasing of the two terminal buses.
5. Swap terminal buses if needed.
Click on the "Swap Sides" button to swap the two terminal buses when
you have (1) a wye-delta transformer and the delta winding is on the
Bus1 side, or (2) a zigzag-delta (or wye) transformer and the zigzag
winding is on the Bus 2 side.
The terminal buses of the transformer are listed on the two Tap kV group
boxes. The left and right terminal buses correspond to the left and right
windings in the configuration box. The tap voltages are also swapped with the
terminal bus names. The neutral impedances are not swapped. You may need
to change them if they are not zero.
6. Input the transformer parameters.
MVA1, MVA2, MVA3: MVA ratings of the transformer. The Power Flow
Program checks for overloads using these ratings.
MVA Base: MVA base for all per-unit quantities – with the exception of the
line shunts admittances, G1, G10, G2, G20, B1, B10, B2, and
B20, which are always based on system base MVA and the
nominal kVs. You can enter the MVA base directly in the edit
box if the transformer object is new. To change the MVA base
of an existing transformer, you must first press the “Change”
button. A dialog box will ask you for the new MVA base:

R, X: Positive-sequence impedance in per unit (based on the

transformer’s MVA base and tap voltages).
B: Positive-sequence magnetizing susceptance in per unit (based
on the transformer’s MVA base and tap voltages).
R0, X0: Zero-sequence impedance in per unit (based on the
transformer’s MVA base and tap voltages).
B0: Zero-sequence magnetizing susceptance in per unit (based on
the transformer’s MVA base and tap voltages).
Zg1, Zg2, Zgn: Grounding impedances in ohms.
Tap kV: The tap voltages are set initially to the bus nominal kV rating.
The tap voltages affect the turns ratio of the transformer and the
short circuit impedances.
G1, B1: Positive-sequence admittance of the line shunt on the Bus1 side
in per unit (based on system base MVA and nominal kV of

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 111

 Bus1). A line shunt is a shunt that is switched on and off with
the transformer.
G10, B10: Zero-sequence admittance in per unit of the line shunt on the
Bus1 side.
G2, B2: Positive-sequence admittance of the line shunt on the Bus2 side
in per unit (based on system base MVA and nominal kV of
Bus2).
G20, B20: Zero-sequence admittance in per unit of the line shunt on the
Bus2 side.
Note: The line shunts were implemented mainly for PSS/E compatibility. We
recommend that you NOT use them, if possible. The reason is that they may
complicate the computation of relay currents.
Note: See Sections 4.5 and 4.6 for a discussion of the transformer model. See
also Appendix B for answers to some commonly asked questions about the
modeling of 2-winding transformers.
7. Select the metering location.
Select the end at which the losses and the inter-area flow (if it is a tie line) will be
computed. This option is intended for power flow users.
8. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this transformer. It can have
up to 512 characters.
9. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this transformer.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please see
documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.
TO SPECIFY THE LOAD TAP CHANGER PARAMETERS:
1. Click on the "LTC” button.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the load tap changer (LTC)
parameters.

112 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Note: The LTC is for Power Flow users only. The parameters here have no
effect on short-circuit simulations.
2. Select the location of movable taps. Click on:
None: If the transformer does not have movable taps.
At Bus1: If the movable tap is on the Bus1 terminal side.
At Bus2: If the movable tap is on the Bus2 terminal side.
3. Specify the LTC tap settings.
Center: Center tap position in kV.
Max: Maximum tap in per unit based on the center-tap kV.
Min: Minimum tap in per unit based on the center-tap kV.
Step size: Step size in per unit based on the center-tap kV. Enter zero if
continuous.
4. The "Voltage" radio button in the 'Controls' box is automatically selected.
5. Click on the "at" drop down list box and select the controlled bus.
The program will move the tap to regulate the voltage magnitude of the
controlled bus.
6. Specify the controlled quantity limits.
Controlled bus: Select controlled bus from the dropdown list.
Maximum V (pu): Maximum controlled bus voltage level in per unit.
Minimum V (pu): Minimum controlled bus voltage level in per unit.
These values (plus/minus a tolerance of 0.003pu) define the upper and lower
limits for the Power Flow program to control the bus voltage level.
7. Select an adjustment priority.
Leave this setting to ‘normal’ except when this LTC belongs to a group of
tightly coupled LTCs that must be adjusted in a certain order. An
example of this are LTCs in a radial network, where the LTCs closest to the
source need to be adjusted first before those downstream.
Assign ‘High’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Normal’ priority to this LTC according to
the order this LTC needs to be adjusted relative to other closely coupled
LTCs in the vicinity.
Within a power-flow iteration, the high-priority LTCs are adjusted first. The
program then recalculates the bus voltages before adjusting the medium-
priority LTCs, and so on.
8. Mark the ‘Ganged’ button if this LTC is moving its tap in locked step with one or
more LTCs that control the same bus voltage.
Note: The ganged LTCs must have the same adjustment priority, same voltage range,
and same range of tap movement.
9. Click on "OK" to close the LTC properties dialog box.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 113

TO CLOSE THE TRANSFORMER DIALOG BOX:
1. Click on "OK" to close the transformer properties dialog box.
A new 2-winding transformer symbol will be shown connecting the two
terminal buses. The program adds a diagonal slash to the symbol when the
LTC is active.

114 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | PHASE SHIFTER COMMAND
The New | Phase Shifter command in the Main Window lets you add a new phase shifter between two buses.
TO ADD A NEW PHASE SHIFTER FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:
1a. Select New Phase Shifter on the Device Palette

Click on the phase shifter button on the Device Palette. The cursor will
become a cross with a phase shifter symbol attached to it.
2a. Drag-and-Drop the new phase shifter
Click the left mouse button on the one-line diagram where you want to
place the first end of the new phase shifter. With the mouse button held
down, move the cursor toward the spot where you want to place the other
end. A new phase shifter symbol will appear with its far end moving with the
cursor.
Note: Clicking on an existing bus will attach the first end of the new phase shifter
to that bus. Clicking on end segment of an existing branch will place the new
phase shifter in series with that branch.
Release the mouse button where you want to place the second terminal. A
dialog box will appear asking you for the phase shifter data.
Note: When you move the phase shifter’s far end over an existing bus, the bus
symbol will be highlighted in red. You can release the mouse button to attach
the second end of the phase shifter to that bus.
Enter the nominal kV for the new phase shifter’s terminals when one or
both terminals are not connected to an existing bus.

Note: If you place the second end of the phase shifter too close to the first
one, the program will ignore the command.
TO ADD A NEW PHASE SHIFTER USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select the two terminal buses.
Click the left mouse button once on one of the terminal buses and then
with the <Shift> key held down, click the left button once on the other
terminal bus.
Both bus symbols will turn dotted red when selected.
Note: The order in which you select the buses is unimportant as long as you
choose the correct sign for the shift angle. (The shift angle is defined below).
2b. Select the Network | New | Phase Shifter command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the parameters of the new phase
shifter.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 115

 3. Input the phase shifter identifiers.
The terminal buses of the phase shifter are listed at the top of the dialog box.
The first bus listed will be referred to as Bus1, and the second Bus2.

Ckt ID: A two-character circuit identifier that is commonly used to differentiate

between parallel phase shifters. The program automatically initializes
the circuit ID of a new phase shifter to a numeric value that has not
been used by a parallel phase shifter. This ID can also be used to mark
the phase shifter as a fictitious phase shifter generated by network
equivalence. Refer to the Diagram | Equivalent Branch Color Code
command for further discussion.
Name: A 12-character name for the phase shifter.
4. Input the phase shifter parameters.
MVA Base: MVA base for all per-unit quantities. You can enter the MVA
base of the phase shifter directly in the edit box if the phase
shifter object is new. To change the MVA base of an existing
phase shifter, you must first press the “Change” button. A
dialog box will ask you for the new MVA base:

Shift Angle: The phase shift angle in degrees. A positive value will cause
Bus1 to lead Bus2 in the positive sequence, where Bus1 and
Bus2 are the two bus names listed at the top of the dialog box.
R, X: Positive-sequence impedance in per unit, based on the phase
shifter’s MVA base and nominal kV.

116 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 R2, X2: Negative-sequence impedance in per unit, based on the phase
shifter’s MVA base and nominal kV. The negative-sequence
impedance of an actual phase shifter is always equal to the
positive-sequence value. Only equivalent branches generated by
network equivalence have different values in the positive and
negative sequences.
R0, X0: Zero-sequence impedance in per unit, based on the phase
shifter’s MVA base and nominal kV.
B, B2, B0: Positive-, negative- and zero-sequence magnetizing susceptance
in per unit, based on the phase shifter’s MVA base and nominal
kV.
Note: See Section 4.4 for the phase shifter model.
5. Specify the impedance correction table number.
The impedance of a phase shifter can change drastically as the shift angle
changes. An impedance correction table is a set of multipliers that are used by
the program to tract the variation of the impedance as a function of the shift
angle. Each multiplier can be a complex number.
Enter “N/A” (without the quotes) if the impedance is assumed to be fixed.
Otherwise, select an existing table number in the drop down combo box
or create a new correction table by entering a table number between 1
and 96, inclusive, in the dropdown combo box. Press the button labeled
“…” to view and edit the entries in the correction table.
A sample impedance table is shown below.

On the third row of this table, the multiplier is set to 1 when the shift angle is
at zero degree. This suggests that the impedances (R+jX and Ro+jXo) in the
phase shifter dialog box are valid when the shift angle is 0. The first two rows
of the table tell us that the impedance is 40% higher when the shift angle is at -
10 degrees and 20% higher when the shift angle is at -5 degrees. The program
will automatically interpolate linearly for values not equal to the shift angles
specified in the table.
You can enter up to 11 rows in each correction table.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 117

 The new rows you enter in the table need not be in any sort order. The
program automatically sorts the rows in ascending order of the shift
angle when you press the OK button.
6. Specify whether the phase shifter angle is fixed or adjustable in the Power Flow
Program.
Click on ‘Off’ if the angle is fixed, and ‘On’ otherwise.
7. Specify maximum and minimum angle limits in degrees.
These values are ignored when the MW flow control is off. Otherwise, the
Power Flow Program will adjust the phase shift between these limits. The
program requires the maximum angle to be more than 1 degree larger than the
minimum angle.
8. Specify maximum and minimum target range for real power flow in megawatts.
These values are ignored when the MW flow control is off. Otherwise, MW is
positive when flowing from Bus1 to Bus2, and negative when flowing from Bus2 to
Bus1.
9. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this phase shifter. It can have
up to 512 characters.
10. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this phase shifter.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please see
documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.
11. Click on the "OK" button to close the dialog box.
The program will ask you for confirmation if you have entered a new
impedance-correction table number.

Press Yes to create the new correction table entry. If you press No, the
program will give you another chance to enter a correction table number.
The selected bus symbols will remain highlighted and a new phase shifter
symbol will be shown connecting the two terminal buses.

118 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | SWITCH COMMAND
The New | Switch command in the Main Window lets you add a new switch between two buses of the same nominal
kV. Within the program, switches are modeled as low impedance lines. You can adjust the impedance in the Network
| Options command. The program does not allow parallel switches between two buses.
TO ADD A NEW SWITCH FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:
1a. Select New Switch on the Device Palette
Click on the New Switch button on the Device Palette. The cursor will
become a cross with a transformer symbol attached to it.
2a. Drag-and-Drop the new switch
Click the left mouse button on the one-line where you want to place the
first terminal of the switch. With the mouse button held down, move the
cursor toward the spot where you want to place the other terminal. A new
switch symbol will appear with its second terminal moving with the cursor.
Note: Clicking on an existing bus will attach the switch to that bus. Clicking on
the end segment of an existing branch will place the new switch in series with
that branch.
Release the mouse button where you want to place the second terminal. A
dialog box will appear asking you for the switch data.
Note: When you move the second terminal over an existing node having the
same kV, the bus will be highlighted in red. You can release the mouse button
to attach the switch to this node.
Enter nominal kV for the new switch’s terminals where neither terminal
is connected to an existing bus.

Note: If you place the second terminal too close to the first one, the New Switch
command will be ignored.
TO ADD A NEW SWITCH USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select the two terminal buses.
Click the left mouse button once on one of the terminal buses or nodes.
Then with the <Shift> key held down, click the left button once on the
other terminal bus. The two terminal buses must have the same nominal
kV.
Both bus symbols will turn dotted red when selected.
2b. Select the Network | New | Switch command.
Note: The Switch menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated if the
nominal kVs of the two terminal buses are not the same.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the switch data.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 119

 3. Enter the switch parameters.

Name: A 16-character name for the switch.

Current rating in amps: The Power Flow program uses this rating to check for
overloaded switches.
Switch position: Click on either 'Open' or 'Close'.
4. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this switch. It can have up to
512 characters.
5. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this switch.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please see
documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.
6. Click OK to close the 'Switch Info' dialog box.
A new switch symbol will be shown.

120 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | 3-W TRANSFORMER COMMAND
The New | 3-W Transformer command in the Main Window lets you add a new 3-winding transformer among three
buses.
TO ADD A NEW 3-WINDING TRANSFORMER FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:
1a. Select New 3-Winding Transformer on the Device Palette

Click on the 3-winding transformer button on the Device Palette. The

cursor will become a cross with a transformer symbol attached to it.
2a. Drag-and-Drop the new transformer
Click the left mouse button on the one-line diagram where you want to
place the first end of the new transformer. With the mouse button held
down, move the cursor toward the spot where you want to place the
second end. A new 3-winding transformer symbol will appear with its far end
moving with the cursor. The transformer’s third terminal will be shown
connected to a new bus.
Note: Clicking on an existing bus will attach the first end of the new transformer
to the bus. Clicking on end segment of an existing branch will place the new
transformer in series with that branch.
Release the mouse button where you want to place the second terminal. A
dialog box will appear asking you for the transformer data.
Note: When you move the transformer’s far end over an existing bus, the bus
symbol will be highlighted in red. You can release the mouse button to attach
the second end of the transformer to that bus.
Enter the nominal kV for the new transformer’s terminals when one or
more terminals are not connected to an existing bus.

Note: If you place the second end of the transformer too close to the first one,
the program will ignore the command.
After completing data input for the new transformer, you can connect its
terminal to any existing node having the same kV using the Merge Bus
command.
TO ADD A NEW 3-WINDING TRANSFORMER USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select the three terminal buses.
Click the left mouse button once on the first terminal bus. Then, with the
<Shift> key held down, click the left mouse button once on the second bus
and once on the third bus.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 121

 Note: The third bus you click on should always be the tertiary bus. The order
in which you click on the first two buses is important only if you are making a
wye-delta connection. In that case, the bus that is connected to the wye
winding must be selected first.
The three bus symbols will turn dotted red when selected.
2b. Select the Network | New | 3-W Transformer command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the parameters of the new 3-winding
transformer.
3. Input the transformer identifiers.
The transformer’s terminal buses are listed at the top of the dialog box. The first
bus listed will be referred to as, from left to right, Bus1, Bus2 and Bus3. Bus3 is
also referred to as the “tertiary”.

Ckt ID: A two-character circuit identifier that is most commonly used to

distinguish between parallel transformers. The circuit ID can
also be used to mark the transformer as a fictitious transformer
generated by network equivalence. Refer to the Diagram |
Equivalent Branch Color Code command for further discussion.
Name: A 12-character name for the transformer.

122 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 4. Select a winding configuration.
The following nine winding configurations are shown graphically in the drop-
down list box.
1. Wye-wye-wye
2. Auto-wye-wye
3. Wye-wye-delta, delta lags
4. Wye-wye-delta, delta leads
5. Auto-wye-delta, delta lags
6. Auto-wye-delta, delta leads
7. Wye-delta-delta, delta lags
8. Wye-delta-delta, delta leads
9. Delta-delta-delta
Select a winding configuration by scrolling through the selections in the
graphical drop-down list box and choose one by clicking the left mouse
button once on the picture.
5. Input the transformer parameters.
MVA1, MVA2, MVA3: MVA ratings of the transformer. The Power Flow
Program checks for overloads using these MVA ratings.
Tap kV: The transformer tap kV at the three bus terminals.
MVA Base: MVA base for all per-unit quantities. You can enter the MVA
base of the transformer directly in the edit box if the transformer
object is new. To change the MVA base of an existing
transformer, you must first press the “Change” button. A dialog
box will ask you for the new MVA base:

Fict. bus no. for data export: When you convert the network data to PTI
PSS/E (Version 26 or prior), GE, and ANAFAS format, the
conversion logic will assign this bus number to the middle bus
of the T-equivalent.
Zps, Zpt, Zst: Positive-sequence short-circuit impedances in per unit (based
on the transformer’s base MVA and the tap voltages).
Estimate from + Seq. Impedances: Press this button to get a set of zero-
sequence impedances that is “equal” to the positive-sequence
parameters Zps, Zpt and Zst. The word “equal” is in quotes
because a transformer with same winding impedances in the
positive and zero sequence may not have equal short-circuit
impedances when tested with positive- and zero-sequence
voltage sources. We recommend that you use this method to get
the zero-sequence impedances when there is no zero-sequence
test information available.
Zps0, Zpt0, Zst0: Zero-sequence short-circuit impedances in per unit (based
on the transformer’s base MVA and the tap voltages).
For wye-wye-delta transformers, you can alternatively enter the T-model impedances in
per unit (based on the transformer’s base MVA and the tap voltages). Click on the
radio button Classical T-Model Impedances and enter the following:

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 123

 Zpm0, Zsm0, Zmg0: Impedance of the T model in per unit (based on the
transformer’s base MVA and the tap voltages). Zpmo is the
impedance between Bus1 and the middle bus, Zsm0 is the
impedance between Bus2 and the middle bus, and Zmg0 is the
impedance between the middle bus and ground.
B, B0: Positive- and zero-sequence magnetizing susceptances in per
unit (based on the transformer’s base MVA and the tap
voltages).
Zg1, Zg2, Zg3, Zgn: Grounding impedances in ohms. Some of these edit
boxes may be hidden.
Note: See Sections 4.5 and 4.7 and Appendix C for discussions of the
transformer model.
6. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this transformer. It can have
up to 512 characters.
7. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this transformer.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please see
documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.
TO SPECIFY THE LOAD TAP CHANGER PARAMETERS:
1. Click on the "LTC” button.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the load tap changer (LTC)
parameters.
Note: The LTC is for Power Flow users only. The parameters here have no
effect on short circuit simulations.

124 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 2. Select the location of movable taps. Click on:
None: If the transformer does not have movable taps.
At Bus1: If the movable tap is on the Bus1 terminal side.
At Bus2: If the movable tap is on the Bus2 terminal side.
At Bus3: If the movable tap is on the Bus3 terminal side.
3. Specify the LTC tap settings.
Center: Center tap position in kV.
Max: Maximum tap in per unit based on the center-tap kV.
Min: Minimum tap in per unit based on the center-tap kV.
Step size: Step size in per unit based on the center-tap kV. Enter zero if
continuous.
4. The "Voltage" radio button in the 'Controls' box is automatically selected.
5. Click on the "at" drop down list box and select the controlled bus.
The program will move the tap to regulate the voltage magnitude of the
controlled bus.
6. Specify the controlled quantity limits.
Controlled bus: Select controlled bus from the dropdown list.
Maximum V (pu): Maximum controlled bus voltage level in per unit.
Minimum V (pu): Minimum controlled bus voltage level in per unit.
These values (plus/minus a tolerance of 0.003pu) define the upper and lower
limits for the Power Flow program to control the bus voltage level.
7. Select an adjustment priority.
Leave this setting to ‘normal’ except when this LTC belongs to a group of
tightly coupled LTCs that must be adjusted in a certain order. An
example of this are LTCs in a radial network, where the LTCs closest to the
source need to be adjusted first before those downstream.
Assign ‘High’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Normal’ priority to this LTC according to
the order this LTC needs to be adjusted relative to other closely coupled
LTCs in the vicinity.
Within a power-flow iteration, the high-priority LTCs are adjusted first. The
program then recalculates the bus voltages before adjusting the medium-
priority LTCs, and so on.
8. Mark the ‘Ganged’ button if this LTC is moving its tap in locked step with one or
more LTCs that control the same bus voltage.
Note: The ganged LTCs must have the same adjustment priority, same voltage range,
and same range of tap movement.
9. Click on "OK" to close the LTC properties dialog box.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 125

TO CLOSE THE TRANSFORMER DIALOG BOX:
1. Click on "OK" to close the transformer properties dialog box.
A new 3-winding transformer symbol will be shown connecting the terminal
buses. The program adds a diagonal slash to the symbol when the LTC is
active.

126 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | 2-TERMINAL DC LINE COMMAND
The New | 2-Terminal DC Line command in the Main Window lets you add a new 2-terminal dc line between two
buses. The dc line object includes the commutation transformers at both terminals.
TO ADD A NEW DC LINE FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:
1a. Select New 2-Terminal DC Line on the Device Palette
Click on the dc line button on the Device Palette. The cursor will
become a cross with a dc line symbol attached to it.
2a. Drag-and-Drop the new dc line
Click the left mouse button on the one-line diagram where you want to
place the first converter terminal of the new dc line. With the mouse
button held down, move the cursor toward the spot where you want to
place the other end. A new dc line symbol will appear with its far end
moving with the cursor.
Note: Clicking on an existing bus will attach the first converter terminal of the
new dc line to that bus. Clicking on end segment of an existing branch will place
the new dc line in series with that branch.
Release the mouse button where you want to place the second converter
terminal. A dialog box will appear asking you for the dc line data.
Note: When you move the dc line’s far end over an existing bus, the bus
symbol will be highlighted in red. You can release the mouse button to attach
the second end of the dc line to that bus.
Enter the nominal kV for the new dc line’s converter terminals when one
or both terminals are not connected to an existing bus.

Note: If you place the second end of the dc line too close to the first one, the
program will ignore the command.
TO ADD A NEW DC LINE USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select the two terminal buses.
Click the left mouse button once on one of the terminal buses and then
with the <Shift> key held down, click the left button once on the other
terminal bus.
Both bus symbols will turn dotted red when selected.
2b. Select the Network | New | 2-Terminal DC Line command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the parameters of the new dc line.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 127

 3. Input the dc line identifiers.
The two converter terminals of the dc line are listed as captions of two large
group boxes. Initially, the first bus you selected is assumed to be the rectifier
terminal, and the second the inverter terminal.
Reverse flow: Press this button to change the role of the two converter
terminals: The rectifier will become the inverter; the inverter
will become the rectifier. The caption of the two group boxes
will change accordingly.

Ckt ID: A two-character circuit identifier that is commonly used to differentiate

between parallel dc lines. The program automatically initializes the
circuit ID of a new dc line to a numeric value that has not been used by
a parallel dc line.
Name: A 12-character name for the dc line.
4. Input the dc line parameters.
Maintains: Select one of three possible control modes in the drop-down list
box: constant power at the rectifier, constant power at the
inverter, or constant current.
At: The exact labeling is “at (MW)” if constant power, and “at (A)”
if constant current. Enter the control target in the edit box. This
value must be positive.
Margin: Enter the control margin in per-unit. When the dc line is under
constant-power control and the rectifier’s voltage is too low, the
program will reduce the MW target by this amount.
Scheduled dc voltage: Scheduled dc voltage magnitude in kV. This value
must be positive.
DC line R: Resistance of the dc line in ohms. This value must be positive.

128 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 5. Input the converter parameters.
Enter the following parameters for both the rectifier and the inverter.
No. of bridges: Number of bridges that are connected in parallel on the ac
side and in series on the dc side. This value must be a positive
integer.
Angle Max: Maximum value of alpha in degrees at the rectifier, or
maximum gamma at the inverter.
Angle Min: Minimum value of alpha in degrees at the rectifier, or minimum
gamma at the inverter.
Transformer tap max: Maximum tap position of the commutation
transformer in per-unit. The movable tap is assumed to be on
the ac side of the transformer.
Transformer tap min: Minimum tap position of the commutation transformer
in per-unit.
Transformer tap step size: Enter 0 if the tap can be moved continuously.
Otherwise, enter the step size in per-unit.
Transformer tap: The tap is initialized to 1.0 per unit at the beginning of
each power flow solution. After convergence, this edit box
shows the tap position given by the power flow solution.
MVA rating per bridge: The MVA rating of each commutation transformer.
Nominal kV on dc side: The nominal kV at the dc side of the commutation
transformer. (The nominal kV at the ac side is assumed to be the
nominal kV of the terminal bus.)
Transformer R, X: The impedance of the commutation transformer in per-
unit, based on the “MVA rating per bridge” and the nominal
kVs.
6. Enter a memo.
The memo is for any notes you wish to keep for this dc line. It can have up to
512 characters.
7. Press the text in blue, to the right of the label ‘Tags’ to enter one or more tags for
this dc line.
The tags are for organizing objects that are related for some purpose. Please see
documentation for File | Info | Tags for more information.
8. Press OK to close the dialog box.
A new dc line symbol will be shown connecting the terminal buses.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 129

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | ANNOTATION COMMAND
The New | Annotation command in the Main Window lets you add an annotation anywhere in the one-line diagram.
You can use the annotations to label the substations or to highlight certain features and modifications that warrant
special attention. You can also use the annotations as temporary labels for printing and delete them immediately
afterwards. The user interface for the annotations is the same as that for the network elements: You can move an
annotation with the mouse; you can highlight it by clicking on it with the mouse button and you can change it by
double-clicking. The annotations will be saved within the .OLR file; therefore, they stay on the one-line diagram
once you have created them. To execute this command you must first select the location where you would like the
annotation to appear.
You can attach one or more annotations to any object on the one-line diagram. When you move the object, the
program will automatically move the attached annotations.
TO ADD A NEW ANNOTATION:
1. Select the annotation location.
Click the left mouse button once on the desired location of the new
annotation.
2. Select the Network | New | Annotation command.
A dialog box will appear to let you enter the new annotation.

3. Enter the annotation in the Header box.

The header can have up to 50 characters. This part of the annotation will
appear on the one-line diagram.
4. Choose a color from the drop down combo box.
The annotation will be drawn with this color.

130 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 5. Enter additional text in the memo field.
The memo box allows you to type in additional comments of up to 500 characters, but
the memo text will not be shown on the one line diagram. This is designed to reduce
clutter on the one-line diagram. The ellipses symbol (…) after the annotation indicates
the presence of the associated memo.
6. Click OK to close the memo dialog box.
The annotation will appear at the location you selected with the mouse.
TO ATTACH AN ANNOTATION TO AN OBJECT:
1. Attach the annotation to an object.
To attach the annotation to an object first left click on the annotation and then
shift-right click on the object to be attached to.
A floating menu will appear.
Click on the "Attach annotation to Object" menu item to attach the annotation.
A "*" at the beginning of the note indicates that it is attached to an object. You can
attach more than one annotation to an object.
TO DETACH AN ANNOTATION FROM AN OBJECT:
1. Detach an annotation from an object.
If an annotation is already attached to an object it can be detached as follows:
First right clicking to bring up the floating menu and choosing the "Detach from
Object" command.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 131

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
NEW | POWERCALC SHEET COMMAND
The New | PowerCalc Sheet command in the Main Window lets you embed a spreadsheet object on the one-line. A
PowerCalc spreadsheet can be used to perform calculations and to display custom data on the one-line.
ASPEN makes available a number of PowerCalcc spreadsheet functions to read network data and
simulation solution. Many commonly used Excel calculation functions are supported.
TO ADD A NEW POWERCALC SHEET:
1. Select the PowerCalc Sheet location.
Click the left mouse button once on the desired location of the new
PowerCalcSheet.
2. Select the Network | New | PowerCalc Sheet command.
The PowerCalc spreadsheet window will appear. Refer to annotations in
picture below for commands that you can perform on the spreadsheet.

After you close the spreadsheet, the text in PowerCalcc spreadsheet Title field
will appear on the one-line diagram. If you specified any display fields in the
spreadsheet, the current content of the fields will also be displayed
See SECTION 8 POWERCALC SPREADSHEET for more information on PowerCalc spreadsheet
usage and a list of PowerCalc functions.

132 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
DELETE | OBJECT COMMAND
The Delete | Object command in the Main Window lets you delete a piece of equipment from the network. To
execute this command you must first select the equipment.
TO DELETE A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT:
1. Click the left mouse button once on the piece of equipment you want
deleted.
The equipment symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Delete | Object command.
IF YOU ARE DELETING A BUS:
When you delete a bus, the program automatically deletes everything that is
attached to the bus. This includes the generator, load and shunt on the bus as
well as all the connected branches. The bus and the attached equipment will
disappear from the one-line diagram.
IF YOUR ARE DELETING A LOAD, GENERATOR, SHUNT, LINE,
PHASE SHIFTER, TRANSFORMER OR DC LINE:
The selected equipment will disappear from the one-line diagram. The
program will automatically update the network data.
IF YOU ARE DELETING A RELAY GROUP:
The program will ask for your confirmation to delete the relay group and all
the protective devices that are within the group. If you answer ‘Yes’, the relay
group will disappear from the one-line diagram.
Note: You can alternatively use the command Relay | Delete Relay Group to
remove a relay group.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 133

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
DELETE | EQUIPMENT WITH TAG COMMAND
The Delete | Equipment With Tag command in the Main Window lets you delete objects with or without certain tags
you select.
TO DELETE EQUIPMENT WITH OR WITHOUT TAG:
1. Select the Network | Delete Equipment With Tag command.
A dialog box will appear. The list box lists all the tags.

2. Select one or more tags.

Highlight one or more tags with the mouse.
To start afresh, click on Clear Selection to clear all the select tags in the
list box.
3. Click on combo box ‘Scope’ to select the objects to delete.
The program gives you the following choices:

The term ‘network equipment’ refers to transmission lines, series

capacitors/reactors, transformers, phase shifters, dc lines, switches, generators,
shunts, loads and switched shunts. It does not include buses.
4. Click on ‘Delete All’ to delete selected elements.
The one-line diagram will refresh. The deleted elements will no longer be
visible.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 as needed. Click Done to close the dialog box.

134 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
DELETE | ALL IN AREA/ZONE COMMAND
The Delete | All In Area/Zone command in the Main Window lets you delete all the buses in a specific area or zone.
The program also deletes all the equipment that is attached to these buses.
TO DELETE ALL EQUIPMENT IN AN AREA OR ZONE:
1. Select the Network | Delete | Delete All in Area/Zone command.
A dialog box will appear. The list box contains a complete list of all the areas
and zones.

2. Select the areas and zones to be deleted.

Highlight one or more entries in the list box.
Mark the “Retain all tie branches” check box if you want the program to
keep lines, transformers, switches and other branches that connect the
area/zone being deleted to the rest of the system.
Note: To retain the tie branches will necessitate retaining some of the
boundary buses of the area or zone to be deleted.
3. Click Delete.
The program will delete all the equipment, including buses, branches and
relays, in the selected area or zone. The deleted elements will disappear from
the one-line diagram.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 if needed. When finished, press Done.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 135

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
DELETE | ALL INSIDE REGION COMMAND
The Delete | All Inside Region command in the Main Window lets you delete all the buses that are within a rectangle
region you define with the mouse. The program will also delete everything that is attached to those buses.
TO DELETE BUSES AND EQUIPMENT INSIDE A REGION:
1. Specify the region.
Drag with the right mouse button down to delineate a rectangular region
on the one-line diagram.
The region will be enclosed by a rectangle drawn with the dotted red pen.
2. Select the Diagram | Delete | All Inside Region command.
A Confirmation dialog box will appear showing all buses inside selected
region.

Click on Add/Remove... button if you want to modify the selection

Check Retain all tie branches if you want to keep boundary buses from
being removed.
The program will delete all the buses that are within the region. The program
will also delete all the equipment that is attached to these buses. The deleted
equipment will disappear from the one-line diagram.
Note: This command is dimmed and cannot be activated if there are no buses
within the region.
3. Remove the dotted red rectangle.
Click mouse button on an empty space outside of the rectangle to de-
activate it.

136 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
DELETE | ALL OUTSIDE REGION COMMAND
The Delete | All Outside Region command in the Main Window lets you delete all the buses that are outside of a
rectangular region you define with the mouse. The program will also delete all the equipment that is attached to those
buses.
TO DELETE BUSES AND EQUIPMENT INSIDE A REGION:
1. Specify the region.
Drag with the right mouse button down to delineate a rectangular region
on the one-line diagram.
The region will be enclosed by a rectangle drawn with the dotted red pen.
2. Select the Diagram | Delete | All Outside Region command.
A Confirmation dialog box will appear showing all buses outside selected
region.

Click on Add/Remove... button if you want to modify the selection

Check Retain all tie branches if you want to exclude boundary buses from
being removed.
The program will delete all the buses that are within the list. The program will
also delete all the equipment that is attached to these buses. The deleted
equipment will disappear from the one-line diagram.
Note: This command is dimmed and cannot be activated if there are no buses
outside the region.
3. Remove the dotted red rectangle.
Click mouse button on an empty space outside of the rectangle to de-
activate it.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 137

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
DELETE | ALL BREAKERS COMMAND
The Delete | All Breakers command in the Main Window allows you to delete all the circuit breakers in your binary
data file.
TO DELETE ALL CIRCUIT BREAKERS:
1. Select the Network | Delete | All Breakers command.
Note: This menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated if there are no
circuit breakers in your data file.
A dialog box will appear asking you to confirm the deletion of all breakers.

2. Enter ‘Delete all’ (without the quotes) in the edit box.

3. Click OK.
The dialog box will disappear and all the circuit breakers will be deleted from
your binary data file.

138 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
RESTORE COMMAND
The Restore commands in the Main Window let you restore a bus, generator, load, shunt or branch that was deleted
earlier in the session. (Note: A session ends when you issue the New, or the Open, or the Import, or the Exit
command under the File menu.) Equipment that was deleted in previous sessions cannot be restored.
Note: You may want to use the Tools | Undo command if the item you want to restore was deleted recently in the
same session.
TO RESTORE A GENERATOR, LOAD OR SHUNT:
1. Select the Network | Restore | Gen., Load, Shunt command.
A dialog box will appear. The list box in the dialog box will display in
alphabetical order all the generators, loads and shunts that can be restored.

2. Select a generator, load or shunt to restore by clicking once on the name of the
piece of equipment and then clicking on Restore.
The restored generator, load or shunt will be drawn on the one-line diagram.
The symbol will be highlighted.
If the bus to which the generator, load or shunt is attached is not active, you
get the following error message when you issue the restore command.

TO RESTORE A BUS OR BRANCH:

The instructions for restoring a bus or a branch are similar to restoring a
generator, load or shunt. Please refer to the previous section for instructions.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 139

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
CHANGE | TOGGLE SWITCH COMMAND
The Network | Change | Toggle Switch command in the Main Window changes the switch position from open to
close, or vise versa. This command works on regular switch objects as well as on bypass switch of series
capacitor/reactors.
TO TOGGLE A SWITCH:
1. Select the switch or series capacitor/reactor.
Click the left mouse button once on a switch or a series capacitor/reactor.
The object symbol will become highlighted.
2. Select the Network | Change | Toggle Switch (or Toggle Bypass Switch)
command.
The object will remain highlighted and the switch position will change.

140 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
CHANGE | NOMINAL kV COMMAND
The Change | Nominal kV command in the Main Window lets you change the nominal kV of one or more buses that
are connected via transmission lines and switches. Depending on the options you specify, the program will also
modify the impedances and tap voltages of the network elements that are connected to one or more of the affected
buses. You must select a bus before executing this command.
TO CHANGE THE NOMINAL kV:
1. Select a bus by clicking the left mouse button once on its symbol.
The bus symbol will turn dotted red when selected. Your selection will define
a set of buses that are connected via transmission lines and switches. The
nominal kV of these buses will be changed by this command.
2. Select the Network | Change | Nominal kV command.
A dialog box will appear to let you specify the new nominal kV and whether
or not to modify the network impedances and transformer taps. The number
of affected buses is shown at the top.

3. Press the "Bus List" Button to see a list of buses that will be affected by this
command.
4. Input the new nominal kV in the edit box.
5. Specify update options on PU Impedances (excluding those of transformer).
This option will affect all the network elements (generators, shunts, loads,
transmission lines, switches and phase shifters) that are connected to one or
more of the affected buses. None of these options will automatically change
the MW and MVAR of the loads or the per-unit impedances of the phase
shifters.
Do not change: Click this button if you want the program NOT
to change any of the per-unit impedances of
transmission lines, generators and shunts.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 141

 Update automatically for the new nominal kV : Click this button if you
want the program to recalculate the per-unit
impedances for the new nominal kV. The
program will scale the per-unit impedances of
transmission lines, generators and shunts by the
ratio (kVold/kVnew)**2.
Update manually one by one: Click this button if you want to change
the parameters for each piece of equipment by
hand. A series of Info dialog boxes will appear to
let you modify the parameters.
The mutual coupling impedances are updated automatically if your option is
not set to “Do not change.”
6. Specify update options on Transformer taps.
This option will affect all the 2- and 3-winding transformers that are connected
to one or more of the affected buses. None of these options will automatically
change the per-unit impedance of the transformers.
Do not change: Click this button if you want the program NOT
to change the transformer tap voltages.
Update automatically to the new nominal kV: Click this button if you
want the program to automatically reset the
transformer tap voltages to the new nominal
kV.
Update manually one by one: Click this button if you want to change
the tap voltages and the per-unit impedances for
each transformer by hand. A series of Info
dialog boxes will appear to let you modify the
transformer parameters.
7. Press OK.
The program will change the nominal kV of the affected buses. Depending on
the options you specified, the program will automatically update the per-unit
impedances and transformer tap voltages, or will display a series of Info
dialog boxes to let you update them manually.
Note: The default option is to have the program (1) adjust the per-unit
impedances of generators, shunts, transmission lines and the mutual-coupling
parameters automatically for the new nominal kV, and (2) not change the
transformer taps, the per-unit impedances of transformers and phase shifters,
the MW and MVAR of loads. With these options and in the absence of loads
on the affected buses, the fault impedances will remain the same before and
after the nominal kV changes.

142 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
CHANGE | T TO 3-W TRANSFORMER COMMAND
The Change | T to 3-W Transformer command in the Main Window lets you convert the old T model for wye-wye-
delta transformers to ASPEN’s 3-Winding transformer model. Two classical ‘T’ equivalent circuits for a wye-wye-
delta 3-winding transformer, one with the tertiary bus and one without, are shown below. The branch between the
fictitious bus and the primary or secondary bus can be a transmission line or 2-winding transformer. The shunt
connected to the fictitious bus in the second ‘T’ circuit is a reactor, representing the effect of the delta winding on the
zero-sequence current. To execute this command you must first select the fictitious bus with the mouse.

TO CHANGE "T" EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT TO 3-W TRANSFORMER:

1. Select the fictitious bus.
Click the left mouse button once on the fictitious bus.
The bus symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Change | T to 3-W Transformer command.
Note: This menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated if the positive
sequence admittance (G+ jB) of the shunt is not zero, or if there is a load or
generator on the fictitious bus.
If the ‘T’ circuit is the second one without the tertiary bus, a dialog box will
appear asking you for the nominal kV of the tertiary bus.

Enter the nominal kV of the tertiary bus in the last edit box. Press OK.
The program will automatically erase the old fictitious bus and all the
branches and the shunt on it and then create a new 3-winding transformer with
the correct parameters.
Note: The second ‘T’ circuit does not provide sufficient information to
compute Zpt. The program computes Zpto and sets Zpt to be the same as
Zpto.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 143

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
CHANGE | LINE TO SERIES CAPACITOR/REACTOR COMMAND
The Change | Line to Series Capacitor/Reactor command in the Main Window lets you change a transmission line to a
series capacitor or series reactor. You must select a line before executing this command.
TO CHANGE A LINE TO A SERIES CAPACITOR:
1. Select a line by clicking the left mouse button once on its symbol.
The line symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Change | Line to Series Capacitor/Reactor command.
Note: This menu item is enabled only if all the following conditions are met:
(1) the line’s resistances R and R0 are zero, (2) the line’s positive- and zero-
sequence reactances are the same (X=Xo), and (3) the line’s shunt
admittances (B,Bo,G,Go) are all zero, and (4) the line is not mutually coupled
to other lines.
The Series Capacitor/Reactor dialog box will appear. The program
automatically copies the name, circuit ID and the reactance of the line to this
new series-capacitor/reactor object. The protective-level current is initially
zero.
3. For MOV-protected capacitor only: Enter the protective-level current in
amperes.
4. Press OK to close the dialog box.
The line symbol will be replaced by a series capacitor or reactor symbol on the
one-line diagram.

144 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
CHANGE | BUSES IN REGION COMMAND
The Change | Buses in Region command in the Main Window lets you change the area or zone number of all the
buses that are within in a rectangular region on the one-line diagram. You must create a region on the one-line
diagram before executing this command.
TO CHANGE THE AREA OR ZONE NUMBER OF BUSES IN A REGION:
1. Specify the region.
Drag with the right mouse button down to delineate a rectangular region
on the one-line diagram.
You can do this under any zoom setting. The region will be enclosed by a
rectangle drawn with the dotted red pen.
2. Select the Network | Change | Buses in region command.
If there are hidden buses in the region, the program will display a dialog box
allowing you to choose whether or not to include them in the change
command.
The Change Buses In Region box will appear. The program automatically lists
the name of all the buses in the selected region. All the entries are highlighted
initially.

3. Remove highlight from buses that you wish to exclude from the list.
4. Select change option.
With the drop-down list box, select whether you want to change (1) the
area number for the selected buses in the list, or (2) the zone number for
the selected buses in the list.
5. Make the change.
Click on Do It. A dialog box will appear asking for the new area or zone
number.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 145

 Enter the new Area or Zone number and click on OK.
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 if needed. Click on Done to close the Change Buses In
Region dialog box

146 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
IN/OUT OF SERVICE | PUT IN SERVICE COMMAND
The In/Out Of Service | Put In Service command in the Main Window lets you put back in service a piece of
equipment that was previously taken out of service. This command, when applied to a bus, will put all of the attached
equipment in service. To execute this command you must first select a piece of equipment.
TO PUT A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT BACK IN SERVICE:
1. Select a branch, generator load, shunt or bus.
Click the left button once on the symbol of the piece of equipment you
want to put back in service.
The symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | In/Out Of Service | Put In Service command.
Note: The menu item will be dimmed and cannot be activated if the
equipment selected had not previously been taken out of service.
The selected equipment will be put back in service. If you have selected a bus
in step 1 above, all attached equipment will be put back in service. The
symbol(s) will be drawn in its normal style and color.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 147

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
IN/OUT OF SERVICE | TAKE OUT OF SERVICE COMMAND
The In/Out Of Service | Take Out of Service command in the Main Window lets you take a piece of equipment out of
service. This command, when applied to a bus, will take all of the attached equipment out of service. Unlike deleted
equipment, out-of-service equipment remains part of the one-line diagram and can be put back in service at any time
even after the current session has ended. (Note: A session ends when you issue the New, or the Open, or the Import,
or the Exit command under the File menu.) To execute this command you must first select a piece of equipment.
TO TAKE A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT OUT OF SERVICE:
1. Select a branch, generator, load, shunt or bus.
Click the left button once on the symbol of the piece of equipment you
want to take out of service.
The symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | In/Out Of Service | Take Out Of Service command.
The selected equipment will be taken out of service and the symbol will be
drawn with a dotted black line.

148 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
IN/OUT OF SERVICE | EQUIPMENT WITH TAGS COMMAND
The In/Out Of Service | Equipment with Tags command in the Main Window lets you take out of service, or put in
service, all the network and protective equipment with certain tags.
TO PUT EQUIPMENT WITH TAGS IN SERVICE OR OUT OF SERVICE:
1. Select the Network | In/Out of Service | Equipment with Tags Command.
A dialog box will appear. The list box lists all the tags available.

2. Select the tags.

Select one or more tags by highlighting them with the mouse.
To start over, click on Clear Selection to remove all the highlights.
3. Click on combo box ‘Scope’ to select objects that you want to change.
The program gives you the following choices:

The term ‘network equipment’ refer to transmission lines, series

capacitors/reactors, transformers, phase shifters, DC lines, switches,
generators, shunts, loads and switched shunts. It does not include buses.
4. Press ‘Take Out of Service’ or ‘Put in Service’ to make the desired change.
The program will redraw the one-line diagram to reflect the latest change.
5. Repeat steps 2 - 4 as needed. Press Done when finished.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 149

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
APPLY TAG COMMAND
The Apply Tag command in the Main Window lets you assign tags to a network element without opening its info
dialog box. You must highlight the network element with the mouse before issuing this command.
TO ASSIGN TAG TO A PIECE OF NETWORK EQUIPMENT:
1. Select a branch, generator, load, shunt or bus.
Click on the equipment with the mouse. The equipment symbol will become
dotted red.
2. Select the Network | Apply Tag command.
A dialog box will appear.

3. Enter the tags that you wish to assign.

Type the tags in the edit box. Separate adjacent tags with semicolons.
Alternatively, click on the button labeled ‘…’.
The Tags dialog box will appear.

Select the tags you want by highlighting them with the mouse.
Press the Add button.
The tags you selected will be added to the edit box of the Apply Tag dialog
box.
4. Press OK in the Apply Tag dialog box to apply the tags to the network element.

150 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
COPY COMMAND
The Copy command in the Main Window lets you copy network elements, protective relays and network region into
the Windows clipboard. This command, in conjunction with the Paste command, is designed to help you copy system
components from one location to another. This command will copy devices attached to busses and branches, as well
as relays.
TO COPY DATA OF A NETWORK ELEMENT TO THE CLIPBOARD:
1. Select the network object.
The system elements that you can copy include generators, loads, shunts,
switched shunts, transmission lines, series capacitors, 2- and 3-winding
transformers, phase shifters, and switches.
Click the left mouse button once on the system component you want to
copy to the clipboard.
The system component symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Copy command.
The data for the system component will be copied to the clipboard.
TO COPY MUTUAL COUPLING PAIR DATA TO THE CLIPBOARD:
1. Select the two lines in the mutual pair.
Click the left mouse button once on the first line in the mutual pair. Then,
with the <shift> key held down, click on the second line.
The two lines symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Copy command.
The mutual pair data will be copied to the clipboard.
TO COPY THE DATA OF ALL THE RELAYS IN A RELAY GROUP TO THE CLIPBOARD:
1. Select the relay group.
Click the left mouse button once on the relay group you want to copy.
The relay-group symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Copy command.
The data for all the relays within the relay group will be copied to the
clipboard.
Note: The Copy command is dimmed and cannot be activated if the relay
group has no relays.
TO COPY THE DATA OF A SINGLE RELAY IN A RELAY GROUP TO THE CLIPBOARD:
1. Open the relay group.
Double click the left mouse on the relay group of interest.
A dialog box will appear, with all the relays listed in a list box
2. Select the relay you want to copy and press the Copy button in the dialog box.
The data for the selected relay will be copied to the clipboard.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 151

TO COPY EQUIPMENT AND RELAYS IN A REGION TO THE CLIPBOARD:
1. Specify the region.
Drag with the right mouse button down to delineate a rectangular region
on the one-line diagram.
The region will be enclosed by a rectangle drawn with the dotted red pen.
2. Select the Network | Copy Equipment in Region to Clipboard command.
The data for the selected region will be copied to the clipboard.

152 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
PASTE COMMAND
The Paste command in the Main Window lets you paste data from the clipboard. You can paste network element data
onto a bus, or between two or three buses. You can paste relay data into a relay group. You can paste a region
anywhere on the 1-line diagram. This command, in conjunction with the Copy command, is designed to help you copy
system components from one location to another. You can use either the drag-drop method with the device palette or
the menu command methods for pasting an element.
TO PASTE A NETWORK ELEMENT USING THE DEVICE PALETTE:

1. Click on the Paste button on the device palette. The cursor will become a cross
with a symbol of the copied element attached to it.
2. Use drag-drop technique to place the element to the desired location on the one-
line diagram.
TO PASTE A LOAD, GENERATOR, SHUNT, OR SWITCHED SHUNT ONTO A BUS USING MENU
COMMAND:
1. Select the destination bus by clicking on it with the left mouse button.
2. Select the Network | Paste command.
Note: This menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated if there is no system
component data in the clipboard or if there is an incompatibility between the
object in the clipboard and the item you selected.
A symbol for the pasted equipment will appear on the highlighted bus.
TO PASTE A LINE, 2-WINDING TRANSFORMER, SWITCH, OR PHASE SHIFTER BETWEEN TWO BUSES
USING MENU COMMAND:
1. Select the first bus by clicking on it with the left mouse button. Then, with the
<shift> key held down, click on the second bus.
Note: If you are pasting a wye-delta transformer, the first bus you select will be the
wye side winding.
2. Select the Network | Paste command.
Note: This menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated if there is no system
component data in the clipboard or if there is an incompatibility between the
object in the clipboard and the item you selected.
A symbol for the pasted equipment will appear.
TO PASTE A 3-WINDING TRANSFORMER BETWEEN THREE BUSES USING MENU COMMAND:
1. Select the first bus by clicking on it with the left mouse button. Then, with the
<shift> key held down, click on the second bus and then the third bus.
Note: The first bus you select will be bus1, the second will be bus2, and the third will
be the tertiary bus.
2. Select the Network | Paste command.
A symbol for the pasted transformer will appear on the highlighted bus.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 153

TO PASTE MUTUAL COUPLING PAIR DATA USING MENU COMMAND:
1. Click the left mouse button once on the first line in the mutual pair. Then, with
the <shift> key held down, click on the second line
The two lines symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Paste command.
The mutual pair dialog box will appear showing the newly pasted mutual pair
data.
Review mutual impedance and percent field values, make any necessary
edit and click OK to close the dialog box
TO PASTE A RELAY GROUP ONTO A BRANCH USING MENU COMMAND:
1. Select the destination branch.
Click on the branch symbol near the terminal where you want to paste the relay
group.
The branch symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Paste Relay command.
The relay group, as well all the relays within it will be pasted onto on end of
the branch.
TO PASTE A RELAY GROUP ONTO ANOTHER RELAY GROUP:
1. Select the destination relay group by clicking on the relay-group symbol.
The relay-group symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Paste Relay command.
All the relays in the clipboard will be added to the destination relay group.
Note: When necessary, the program will alter the name of pasted relays to
avoid having multiple relays with the same name in a relay group.
TO PASTE A SINGLE RELAY ONTO A RELAY GROUP USING MENU COMMAND:
1. Open the destination relay group by double-clicking on the relay-group symbol.
A dialog box will appear, with all the relays listed in a listbox.
2. Press the Paste button.
A relay will be pasted. You will see its name shown in the listbox.
Note: When necessary, the program will alter the name of pasted relays to
avoid having multiple relays with the same name in a relay group.
TO PASTE EQUIPMENT AND RELAYS IN A REGION USING MENU COMMAND:
1. Click the mouse button at an empty spot on the one-line diagram.
This spot will become the center of the pasted equipment.
2. Select the Network | Paste Equipment command.
The pasted equipment will appear on the screen in a ghosted form. You can
move the equipment with the mouse. Clicking the mouse outside of the
ghosted area will finalize the pasting process.
Note: When necessary, the program will alter the name of pasted buses to
avoid having multiple buses with the same name and nominal kV.

154 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
BUS | SPLIT BUS COMMAND
The Bus | Split Bus command in the Main Window lets you split a bus into two buses. You can split a bus only if it is
shown as either a horizontal bar or a vertical bar. You cannot split a bus that is shown as a dot.
TO SPLIT A BUS INTO TWO:
1. Rearrange equipment on the bus.
The bus will be split at the point where you click on it in Step 2. Before
issuing this command, use the mouse to rearrange the attached equipment,
including generators, shunts, loads and branches. All equipment that is to
remain attached to the old bus should be moved to the upper portion of the bus
symbol if the bus is a vertical bar, or to the left portion if the bus is a
horizontal bar. All equipment that is to remain attached to the new bus should
be moved to the remaining portion of the bus symbol.
2. Specify where to split the bus.
Click the left mouse button once on a point on the bus symbol between the
two groups of attached equipment.
The split will be made where you click on the bus. The bus symbol will turn
dotted red when selected.
3. Select the Network | Bus | Split Bus command.
The program will automatically assign an unused name to the new bus and hide the
name from displaying on the diagram. To change new bus attributes double click on
it’s symbol and follow direction in the command Network | New Bus.
4. Press OK.
After the command is executed successfully, the bus symbol will appear to
have both solid and dotted portions. Actually, you are seeing two bus symbols
with the new highlighted bus next to the old bus. Use the mouse to drag one of
the symbols away from the other.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 155

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
BUS | MERGE BUSES COMMAND
The Bus | Merge Buses command in the Main Window lets you merge two buses into one. The buses being merged
must have the same nominal kV. This command is the Split | Bus command in reverse.
TO MERGE BUSES USING THE MOUSE:
1a. Drag and drop the first bus on the second bus of the same nominal kV.
Hold down the <Ctrl> key and drag the first bus over the second bus.
Release the mouse button when the second node turns dotted red.
After the buses are merged, the bus you dragged will no longer exist. All its
equipment will be attached to the merged bus.
TO MERGE BUSES USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Align the two buses.
Drag the first bus until its symbol is aligned with that of the second bus
symbol.
2b. Select the two buses.
Click the left mouse button once on the first bus. Then, with the <Shift>
key held down, click the left button once on the bottom bus.
Both bus symbols will turn dotted red when selected.
3b. Select the Network | Bus | Merge Buses command.
Note: This command is dimmed and cannot be activated if the two buses
being merged have different nominal kVs,
The first bus will be merged into the second bus.

156 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
BUS | INSERT TAP BUS COMMAND
The Bus | Insert Tap Bus command in the Main Window lets you insert a tap bus into a transmission line.
TO INSERT A TAP NODE FROM THE DEVICE PALETTE:
1a. Select New Bus in the device palette.
Click on the New Bus button . The cursor will become a cross with a
node symbol attached to it.
2a. Click on the line to which you want to insert a tap node.
A dialog box will appear asking where you want to locate the tap node. Go to
step 3 below.
TO INSERT A TAP BUS USING MENU COMMAND:
1b. Select a transmission line.
Click the left mouse button once on the transmission line to which you
want to insert the tap bus.
The transmission line symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2b. Select the Network | Bus | Insert Tap Bus command.
A dialog box will appear asking where you want to locate the tap bus.

3. Enter the position of the tap bus as a percentage of the length of the
line. Then, click on "OK".
Note: The percentage is limited to 0.01% to 99.9%. If you use a percentage
value near either extreme, you should check the impedance of the shorter line
segment to make sure that it is not too small.
A tap bus will appear at an intermediate point of the line. A small ‘T’ is drawn
below this bus to indicate that it is a tap bus. The name of the tap bus is
assigned by the program – e.g., “Bus0”. You can change the bus name by
double clicking on the tap bus.
If the original line is mutually coupled to one or more lines, the program will
automatically change the mutual coupling parameters to account for the tap
bus.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 157

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
BUS | REMOVE TAP BUS COMMAND
The Remove Tap Bus command in the Main Window lets you remove a tap bus and merge the attached line segments
into one. This is the exact opposite of the Network | Bus | Insert Tap Bus command. To execute this command you
must first select a tap bus.
TO REMOVE A TAP BUS:
1. Select a tap bus.
Click the left mouse button once on the tap bus you want to remove.
The bus symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Network | Bus | Remove Tap Bus command.
The tap bus will be deleted and the two transmission lines will be merged
together.
Note: This command does not work if the line segments on either side of the
tap bus are mutually coupled. Please consider using the Tools | Undo
command if the tap bus was inserted recently in the same session. The Undo
command will work even if the original line was mutually coupled.

158 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
RESET TRANSFORMER TAPS COMMAND
The Reset Transformer Taps command in the Main Window automatically resets the tap kVs of all the 2- and 3-
winding transformers to 1.0 per-unit voltage. It also resets the center position of all LTCs to 1.0 per-unit voltage.
TO RESET ALL TRANSFORMER TAPS AND LTCS’ CENTER KV TO NOMINAL:
1. Select the Network | Reset Transformer Taps command.
A dialog box will appear.

Mark the first check box to reset the tap kVs of all 2- and 3-winding
transformer to the nominal kV of the respective terminals.
Mark the second check box to reset the center position of all LTCs on 2-
and 3-winding transformers to the nominal kV of the tap-side bus.
Note: In the event that the nominal kV is not within the LTC’s range of tap
positions, the program will set the center position to the midpoint between the
maximum and minimum positions. Whenever possible, the program will limit
the center position to the range of [0.95, 1.05] per-unit.
Press OK.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 159

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
SHOW OUTAGE LIST COMMAND
The Show Outage List command in the Main Window creates a TTY report listing all the deleted and out-of-service
equipment.
TO GET AN LIST OF DELETED AND OUTAGED EQUIPMENT:
1. Select the Network | Show Outage List command.
The TTY window will appear displaying a list of all the deleted and out of
service equipment.

Each line of this list is for one network element. The line begins with ‘O:’ if
the equipment is out of service, and ‘D:’ if the equipment was deleted.

160 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
NETWORK MENU
OPTION COMMAND
The Network | Option command lets you change modeling settings that affect both short circuit and power flow
simulations. This command also allows you control the default values used for new objects and the string delimiters in
exported data files.
TO CHANGE NETWORK OPTIONS:
1. Select the Network | Option command.
The network option dialog box will appear.

2. Change the system base MVA.

In the top edit box, overwrite the existing base MVA with the new base
MVA.
The program will recalculate all the per-unit quantities when you close this
Options dialog box.
3. Select system frequency: 50 or 60 Hz.
The program uses the system frequency to convert parameters in cycles to
seconds.
4. Select switch reactance in per-unit.
The program models switches as low-impedance lines. The same impedance is
also used to simulate a bypassed series reactor or capacitor.
The reactance value selected must be small to avoid introducing unwanted
changes to the network model. However, switches with very small impedance
can cause numerical problems and result in incorrect short circuit solutions.
The smallest switch impedance one can use is a function of the system being
modeled. In most cases, the impedances should be 0.0001 per unit or larger.
If you are changing the system base MVA, the program will automatically
adjust this reactance to the new MVA base. You need not change it yourself.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 161

 5. Select desired level of line capacitance emulation
To emulate the effect of natural line capacitances when no line G+jB is entered, the
program automatically adds a very small capacitive shunt at the two ends of the
transmission line. The ‘Default’ level is selected empirically to be large enough to
avoid mathematical singularity and, at the same time, small enough to have an
insignificant effect on short-circuit solutions. However, in ungrounded and weakly
grounded systems, the default emulation level may still result in unreasonable X/R
ratios in short-circuit simulations. In these cases, the ‘Low’ level is recommended.
6. Mark the check box "Ignore Phase shift" to ignore the phase shifts of wye-delta
and zigzag-wye transformers and phase shifters.
This option is put here (instead of the Faults | Options dialog box) because the ignore-
phase-shift option will affect both short circuit and power flow simulations.
7. Select a string delimiter.
Character strings in text data files (*.DXT) and relay data file (*.RAT) are enclosed
by quotes. You can choose either the single quote or the double quote for that
purpose. The single quote was used exclusively prior to version 9. The double quote
was added as an option because it allows users to have apostrophes in names and
comments.
8. Enter an ID for fictitous generators and branches.
The boundary-equivalent algorithm creates fictitious branches and fictitious
generators at the boundary of the retained network. The fictitious elements are
given a special ID, which you can specify here. The default is ‘N’. The
ficitious branches and generators are drawn on the one-line diagram with a
different color. See documentation for the Diagram | POWER FLOW
COMMAND for more information.
9. Select default parameters for new objects.
When the “Use the last object’s data as default values” checkbox is marked, the
program will automatically use data from the last entered object as default values
when it displays the data dialog box for new objects. Otherwise, the program will
show you a blank info dialog box for new objects.
10. Press OK to close the Network Options dialog box.

162 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
COPY ONE-LINE GRAPHICS TO CLIPBOARD COMMAND
The Copy One-Line Graphics to Clipboard command in the Main Window lets you to copy a region of the one-line
diagram graphics to the window clipboard. The graphical data is stored in the enhanced Windows metafile format in
the clipboard. You can paste the picture into other Windows programs, such as Microsoft Word and AutoCad.

TO COPY A PORTION OF THE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM TO CLIPBOARD:

1. Specify the region.
Drag with the right mouse button down to delineate a rectangular region
on the one-line diagram.
The region will be enclosed by a rectangle drawn with the dotted red pen.
Note: The picture in the clipboard will include the objects that are within, or
partially within, the rectangle.
2. Select the Diagram | Copy One-Line Region to Clipboard command.
A dialog box will appear informing you that a portion of the one-line diagram
has been copied to the clipboard.
Click OK to continue.
3. Remove the dotted red rectangle.
Click mouse button on an empty space outside of the rectangle to de-
activate it.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 163

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
OPTIONS COMMAND
The Diagram | Options command in the Main Window lets you specify the various options that affect the appearance
of the one-line diagram. These include (1) whether to show the one-line diagram in color or black & white, (2) the
unit of time, (3) choice of American or European transformer symbols, (4) bus sorting preference, (5) whether to
show tap-bus names, bus numbers and annotations (6) the font size and (7) the unit of length. The program will store
your preferences in Window registry on your PC.
TO SPECIFY OPTIONS FOR THE MAIN WINDOW:
1. Select the Diagram | Options command.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the main window options.

2. Select your color preference. Click on:

"In color" to display everything in color. This is the default setting if you
have a color monitor or a black-and-white monitor with multiple shades of
gray.
"Back and white" radio button to display everything in black and white.
Some users that have black-and-white monitors with multiple shades of gray
prefer this setting because the screen is more legible.
3. Select the units of time. Click on:
"Seconds" to use seconds as the units of time.
"Cycles " to use cycles as the units of time.
Note: You must make sure that the correct system frequency is specified in
the Network | Options dialog box.
This selection will affect the textual output of the relay operating times on the
one-line diagram.
4. Select either "American" or "European" to display either American or
European (IEC) transformer symbols.

164 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 5. Select sorting preference.
Click on either ‘Bus names’ or ‘Bus numbers’.
This option will affect how the program sorts items within dialog boxes, data
browsers, and reports.
6. Select whether to hide tap bus names.
Click on "Tap bus names" to hide the identifier of tap buses. Otherwise,
the bus identifier of tap buses will appear on the one-line diagram.
7. Select whether to hide bus numbers.
Click on "Bus numbers" to not show the bus numbers. Otherwise, the bus
number, if not zero, is shown as part of the bus identifier on the one-line
diagram.
8. Select whether to hide annotations.
Click on "Annotations" to not show the annotations on the one-line
diagram. Otherwise, the annotations will appear on the one-line diagram.
9. Show results with horizontal text only.
Version 11 is capable of showing the text horizontally and vertically. When
this option is turned on, all the text will be drawn horizontally as it was done
in prior versions of the program.
10. Select the screen font size.
Click on the 'Screen Font Size' drop down list box and select the desired
font size.
Font sizes 8 to 28 are available. The program will use the selected font size for
the text in the one-line diagram.
11. Select the unit of length.
Click on the 'Preferred Unit of Length' drop down list box and select the
desired unit of length.
Units of length available are: "ft", "kt" (1000 ft), "mi", "m" or "km". Your
preferred unit will be used as the default for new transmission lines and as the
unit for existing lines of zero length,.
12. Press OK to save the options.
The dialog box will disappear and the new options will take effect
immediately.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 165

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
COLOR | KV COLOR CODE COMMAND
The Color | kV Color Code command lets you customize the appearance of the one-line diagram by using colors to
distinguish network elements within different voltage ranges. You can also use this command to hide equipment in
certain voltage ranges by giving them the color "invisible". (Note: Coloring equipment "Invisible" has no effect on
the system. These changes affect only the visual appearance of the one-line diagram and DO NOT remove, delete or
take out of service any equipment.) As the program draws the one-line diagram, it colors each piece of equipment
according to the follow logic:
if ( The equipment is a fictitious branch or generator ) {
if ( The color* for ficitious branch or gnerator is not "invisible" ) {
Draw with the special color for this type of equipment.
}
} else if ( The equipment has (or does not have) certain special tags ) {
if ( The color* for special tags is not "invisible" ) {
Draw with the special color for this type of equipment.
}
} else {
if ( The equipment is a branch ) {
if ( All the end buses of the branch have visible colors ) {
Draw each portion of the branch with the color corresponding to
the kV of the end bus to which it is attached.
} else if ( Only one end bus of the transformer has a visible color ) {
Draw the visible half normally and the invisible half
with dotted lines.
}
} else {
if ( The equipment has a visible color ) {
Draw the equipment with the color according to its kV value.
}
}
}

*Note: You can assign these colors with the the Diagram | POWER FLOW COMMAND.

TO ASSIGN COLORS TO DIFFERENT kV RANGES:

1. Select the Diagram | Color | KV Color Code command.
A window will appear to show you the current color assignments.

The dialog box has a horizontal ruler with markings between 0 kV and 1100
kV. Thirteen triangular knobs are attached to the bottom of the ruler marking
the kV ranges. One of the knobs will be colored and a square with its color
will be highlighted in the lower portion of the dialog box.

166 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 2. Select the kV range.
Click the left mouse button on the triangular knob at the minimum value
of the kV range and drag it to the new desired voltage.
All the knobs can be dragged except for the leftmost one. Each knob controls
the maximum voltage of the kV range to its left and the minimum voltage of
the kV range to its right. As the knob is dragged, its position is shown at the
upper left corner.
3. Select the color of the kV range.
Click the left mouse button once on the triangular knob at the minimum
value of the kV range. The knob will become highlighted. Click the left
mouse button once on the new color square.
The knobs and the ruler will be drawn to show the new selection.
The program will redraw the one-line diagram as you are making changes to
the color and to the kV range.
4. Select the Menu | OK command to close this window.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 167

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
COLOR | SPECIAL COLOR CODE COMMAND
The Color | Special Color Code command in the Main Window allows you to assign special colors to identify (1)
fictitious branches and generators created by boundary equivalence, and (2) network equipment with certain tags.
These special colors override the colors that would have been assigned on the basis of the equipment's nominal kV.
The colors you assign in this command, including the color ‘white’ (which makes the equipment invisible), have no
effect on the network model.
TO ASSIGN SPECIAL COLORS:
1. Select the Diagram | Color | Special Color Code command.
A dialog box will appear.

3. Select a special color for fictitious branches and generators.

The boundary-equivalent algorithm creates fictitious branches and fictitious
generators at the boundary of the retained network. The fictitious elements are
given a special ID, which is shown at the caption of the top group box. The
ficitious branches and generators are drawn on the one-line diagram with a
different color, which you can specify here.
Note: You can change the ID for fictitious branches and generators with the
Network | OPTION COMMAND.
Use the drop-down combo box in the top group box to select a color.
4. Select a special color for network elements with certain tags.
Press the button labeled “…” to select one or more tags.
If you selected more than one tag, then the special color is used only if the
network element has all of the selected tags.
Click on the radio buttons “With tag” and “Without tag”, depending on
whether you want to assign the special color to network elements with the
tags, or without the tags you specified.
Use the drop-down combo box in the bottom group box to select a color.
5. Press OK.
The one-line diagram will be redrawn with the new color.

168 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
PLACE BUSES COMMAND
Some buses in the system may not be visible on the one-line diagram because (1) they came from a text data file and
have not been placed previously, or (2) they were placed and subsequently made invisible with the Diagram | Hide
Bus or Diagram | Hide Area commands. This Place Buses command in the Main Window lets you place a hidden bus
on the one-line diagram and make it visible. The program will automatically display any branches connecting this bus
to neighboring buses that are already visible on the one-line. If the bus to be placed was hidden previously with the
Diagram | Hide Bus command, you have the option of restoring the bus to its old position.
TO PLACE A BUS ON THE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM:
1. Select the Diagram | Place Buses command.
A dialog box will appear. Displayed in the left list box are all the buses in the
system in ascending order of bus name or bus number, depending on your bus-
sorting selection in the Diagram | Options dialog box. The visible buses are
shown with the letter ‘A’ following the bus name. One of these buses is
selected. The list box on the right shows its neighboring buses. Again, the
letter ‘A’ denotes visible buses.

2. Select a bus to be placed on the one-line diagram.

If the buses are sorted by name, enter one or more characters of the bus
name in 'Search For'. If the buses are sorted by bus number, enter one or
more digits of the bus number.
The bus with the best match will automatically appear in the window
highlighted.
3. Select the neighboring buses to be placed on the one-line diagram.
Click on "Place All" if you want to place not only the selected bus but
also all its neighboring buses. You may alternatively select them
individually.
4. Click on "Use Old Location" to place buses at their previous locations.
A bus has a “previous location” if it was visible at one time, before it was hidden. The
“Use Old Location” option is dimmed and unavailable if there is no previous location
information.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 169

 5. Click on "OK".
The dialog box will disappear. The selected bus and its neighboring buses
will be drawn on the screen. If the selected bus is out of the viewable portion
of the screen, the program will scroll the one-line diagram to bring the selected
bus to the center of the Main Window. The neighboring buses will
automatically be placed around the bus.
All of the branches that connect the bus to its neighboring buses will be
automatically added along with any attached equipment, such as generator,
load or shunt.
A bus is drawn with a hollow bus symbol if it has one or more invisible
neighbors.
After the last bus is placed on the screen a message box will appear informing
you that the one-line diagram has been completed.

170 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
BUS SYMBOL | DOT/HORIZONTAL BAR/VERTICAL BAR/
LONGER/SHORTER/ROTATE COMMANDS
This set of Bus Symbol commands in the Main Window lets you change the way a bus is displayed on the one-line
diagram. These commands change only the appearance of the one-line diagram, and they have no effect on the
simulation results. You must first select the bus you would like to change before executing any of these commands.
1. Select a bus.
Click the left mouse button once on the bus you would like to hide.
It will turn dotted red.
2. Select the symbol or action.
TO SHOW A BUS AS VERTICAL BAR:
Select the Diagram | Bus Symbol | Vertical Bar command.
TO SHOW A BUS AS HORIZONTAL BAR:
Select the Diagram | Bus Symbol | Vertical Bar command.
TO SHOW A BUS AS A DOT:
Select the Diagram | Bus Symbol | Dot command.
TO MAKE BUS SYMBOL LONGER:
Select the Diagram | Bus Symbol | Longer command.
TO MAKE BUS SYMBOL SHORTER:
Select the Diagram | Bus Symbol | Shorter command.
TO ROTATE BUS SYMBOL:
Select the Diagram | Bus Symbol | Rotate command.
The bus symbol will change from a horizontal bar to a vertical bar, or vise
versa.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 171

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
BUS SYMBOL | SHOW (OR HIDE) ID COMMAND
This Bus Symbol | ID command in the Main Window lets you toggle the display status of the “bus ID”, which include
the bus name, bus number and nominal kV. It also includes the solution voltage when the solution of a power flow or
short circuit is being displayed. The Show and Hide commands change only the appearance of the one-line diagram,
and they have no effect on fault-simulation results. You must first select the bus before executing this command.
TO HIDE OR SHOW THE BUS ID:
1. Select a bus.
Click the left mouse button once on the bus you would like to hide.
It will turn dotted red.
2. Select the Diagram | Bus Symbol | Show (or Hide) Bus ID command.
The appearance of the bus ID will change accordingly.

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
SHOW/HIDE | SHOW ALL INSIDE/OUTSIDE REGION COMMAND
This Show/Hide | Show All Inside Region and Show/Hide | Show All| Outside Region commands in the Main
Window let you show all the hidden buses that are within (or outside of) a region you define. The program also makes
visible all the equipment that is attached to these buses. These commands change only the appearance of the one-line
diagram, and they have no effect on fault-simulation results.
TO SHOW BUSES AND EQUIPMENT INSIDE OR OUTSIDE A REGION:
1. Specify the region.
Drag with the right mouse button down to delineate a region on the one-
line diagram.
The region will be enclosed by a rectangle drawn with the dotted red pen.
2. Select the Diagram | Show/Hide | Show All Inside Region or Diagram |
Show/Hide | Show All Outside Region command.
The program will you show all the hidden buses that are within (or outside of)
the region. The program also makes visible all the equipment that is attached
to these buses.
3. Remove the dotted red rectangle.
Click mouse button on an empty space outside of the rectangle to de-
activate it.

172 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
SHOW/HIDE | HIDE SELECTED BUS COMMAND
The Show/Hide | Selected Bus command in the Main Window hides the selected bus and all the attached components,
including generators, loads, shunts and branches. This command changes only the appearance of the one-line
diagram, and it has no effect on the simulation results. You must first select the bus that want to hide before executing
this command.
TO HIDE A BUS:
1. Select a bus.
Click the left mouse button once on the bus you would like to hide.
Its symbol will turn dotted red.
2. Select the Diagram | Show/Hide | Hide Selected Bus command.
The bus and all the attached components will disappear. Neighboring buses
that are connected to the hidden bus will be drawn with a hollow bus symbol.

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
SHOW/HIDE | HIDE ALL INSIDE/OUTSIDE REGION COMMAND
This Show/Hide | All Inside Region and Show/Hide| All Outside Region commands in the Main Window let you hide
all the buses that are within (or outside of) a rectangular region you define. The program also shows/hides all the
equipment that is attached to these buses. These commands change only the appearance of the one-line diagram, and
they do not affect the simulation results.
TO HIDE BUSES AND EQUIPMENT INSIDE OR OUTSIDE A REGION:
1. Specify the region.
Drag with the right mouse button down to delineate a rectangular region
on the one-line diagram.
The region will be enclosed by a rectangle drawn with the dotted red pen.
2. Select the Diagram | Show/Hide | Hide All Inside Region or Diagram | Show/Hide
| Hide All Outside Region command.
The program will hide all the buses that are within (or outside of) the region.
The program also hides all the equipment that is attached to these buses.
3. Remove the dotted red rectangle.
Click mouse button on an empty space outside of the rectangle to de-
activate it.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 173

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
SHOW/HIDE | SHOW/HIDE ALL IN AREA OR ZONE COMMAND
This command lets you hide or display all of the network elements within certain areas or zones. To show the
equipment in an area or zone that is currently invisible, you must have placed the buses in that area or zone previously
with the Diagram | Place Bus command. This command changes only the appearance of the one-line diagram, and it
has no effect on the simulation results.
TO HIDE OR SHOW AN ENTIRE AREA OR ZONE:
1. Select the Diagram | Show/Hide | Show/Hide All In Area or Zone command.
A dialog box will appear asking for the area or zone you would like to hide or
display.

2. Click on “By Area” or “By Zone” to list the areas or zones in the list box.
3. Highlight one or more entries in the list box. Click on:
Show: To display all the buses and branches in the selected areas or zones.
Hide: To hide all buses and branches in the selected areas or zones.
The program will immediately redraw the one-line diagram to reflect the latest
change.
4. Press Done to close the dialog box.

174 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
SHOW/HIDE | SHOW/HIDE ALL WITH TAGS COMMAND
This Show/Hide All With Tags command in the Main Window lets you hide or display network elements that have
certain tags you specify. This command changes only the appearance of the one-line diagram. It has no effect on the
simulation results.
TO HIDE OR SHOW EQUIPMENT WITH CERTAIN TAGS:
1. Select the Diagram | Show/Hide | Show/Hide All With Tags command.
A dialog box will appear.

2. Select the tags.

Select one or more tags by highlighting them with the mouse.
To start over, click on Clear Selection to remove all the highlights.
3. Press one of the four buttons on the right to make the desired change.
The program will redraw the one-line diagram to reflect the latest change.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as needed. Press Done when finished.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 175

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
SNAP TO STATE PLANE COORDINATES COMMAND
The Snap to State Plane Coordinates command in the Main Window re-positions all the buses according to their state-
plane coordinates. This command also makes visible all the buses that have state-plane coordinates but were not
placed previously.
Many users create their text data files by exporting information from their GIS database. If the buses’ state-plane
coordinates are within these files, the user can use this command to place all the buses automatically according to
their geographic location.
TO RE-POSITION ALL NODES USING THEIR GPS COORDINATES:
1. Select the Diagram | Snap to State Plane Coordinates command.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the screen parameters. The
program will fill in the three edit boxes with estimates computed based on the
coordinates available. These estimates work well in most cases. You can edit
them if you wish.

2. Enter in 'X' and 'Y' the state-plane coordinate for the position being displayed at
the center of your screen.
3. In 'Screen Width in State Plane Coordinates', enter the width of the computer
screen in state-plane coordinates.
4. Mark the 'Place All Invisible Buses With State Plane Coordinates' check box to have
the program place all hidden buses that have state-plane coordinates.
5. Mark the ‘Invert Y-axis’ check box if the program logic places the buses up side
down.
6. Click OK.
The 'Snap to State Plane Coordinates' dialog box will disappear. All the buses
with state plane coordinates will be re-positioned according to their
coordinates. Buses and nodes with coordinate of (0,0) will not be moved.

176 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
ACQUIRE GRAHICS FROM ANOTHER FILE COMMAND
The Acquire Graphics From Another File command in the Main Window is designed to transfer one-line diagram
graphics from one OLR file to another. After importing data from a DXT file, you can use this command to acquire
graphical coordinates of buses and branches, as well as annotations, from another OLR file. The network in the two
files need not be exactly the same. The program will acquire the graphics for all the equipment that the two files have
in common. The buses that are not found in the external OLR file will not be affected.
TO ACQUIRE GRAPHICS FROM ANOTHER FILE:
1. Select Diagram | Acquire Graphics from Another File.
A standard window file selection dialog box will appear.
Use the dialog box control to select the OLR file with graphics you want to
transfer and click Open.
A dialog box will appear

2. Select bus correlation method.

Depending on the network data in the two files, one correlation method may work
better than the other.
3. Mark the “Copy attached annotation” if you wish to acquire also the attached
annotations from the other file.
4. Click OK.
The program will re-draw the one-line diagram using the layout from the external file.
Buses that could not be correlated with the external OLR file will remain unchanged.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 177

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
ATTACH/DETACH ANNOTATION TO/FROM OBJECT COMMAND
The Attach Annotation To Object and Detach Annotation from Object commands in the Main Window let you attach
an annotation to, or detach it from, an object on the one-line diagram. A note that is attached to an object will move
with the attached object.
TO ATTACH A NOTE TO AN OBJECT:
1. Select the note or annotation by clicking on it with the left mouse button.
A dotted red box will be drawn enclosing the note.
2. Hold down the <Shift> key and click on the object to which the note is to be
attached.
The object will turn dotted red.
3. Select Diagram | Attach Annotation to Object command.
A * will appear at the beginning of the note signifying that it is attached to an object.
TO DETACH A NOTE:
1. Select the note by clicking on it with the left mouse button. Then select the
Diagram | Detach Annotation from Object command.
Once the note is detached from the object, and the * marking will disappear.

178 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
RESET TEXT POSITION COMMAND
The Reset Text Position command in the Main Window resets the position of the text blocks to their default positions.
Text blocks are used to display text associated with bus equipment (generators, loads and shunts) and branches (lines,
transformer, phase shifters and switches). You can reset position of all text blocks on the one-line diagram or just the
text blocks of a single object.
TO RESET TEXT POSITION OF A SINGLE OBJECT:
1. Select the object.
Click the left mouse button once on the symbol of a generator, load, shunt
or branch.
The symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select Diagram | Reset Text Position command.
The text blocks associated with this branch will be moved to their default
position.
TO RESET TEXT POSITION ON THE ENTIRE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM:
1. Un-select any object that is currently selected.
Click the left mouse button once on an empty area on the diagram away
from visible objects.
Any symbol that was highlighted dotted red will be redrawn with a solid-color
pen.
2. Select Diagram | Reset Text Position command.
A confirmation dialog will occur.

Click Yes to reset position of all text blocks to their default position.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 179

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
INSERT LINE KINK COMMAND
The Insert Line Kink command in the Main Window lets you introduce more segments into a line symbol. This
command changes only the visual appearance of the one-line diagram and has no effect on the system mode or
simulation results.
The figure below shows the effect of inserting a kink on the graphic symbols of a line.
Before inserting After inserting

TO INTRODUCE MORE SEGMENTS INTO A LINE SYMBOL:

1. Select the branch.
Click the left mouse button once on the line symbol. The kink will be
inserted near where you clicked.
The line symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the Diagram | Insert Line Kink command.
Note: This menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated if the selected
transmission line already has a total of 49 vertical and horizontal segments.
3. Edit the line symbol.
Edit the line by dragging different portions of the line until the result is
esthetically pleasing.

180 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
SCALE/SHIFT ONE-LINE COMMAND
The Scale/Shift One-Line command in the Main Window lets you scale or shift the entire one-line diagram. A
common usage is to blow up the entire diagram to give more room between adjacent symbols. This is done by
multiplying all x and y coordinates by a scaling factor ‘a’ that you specify.
TO SCALE OR SHIFT THE ONE-LINE:
1. Select the Diagram | Scale/Shift One-Line command.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the scaling/shifting parameters 'a', 'b',
and 'c'.

The one-line diagram is within a rectangle with the following coordinates:

Xmin, Ymin, Xmax, Ymax. The program will use the following formula to
calculate the new coordinates ( x', y' ) on the one-line diagram:
x' = a * x + b
y' = a * y + c
2. Input the scaling/shift factors.
a: Scaling Parameter: expands (a >1) or shrinks (a < 1) the one-
line diagram.
b: Horizontal Shift Parameter: shifts the one-line diagram right or
left.
c: Vertical Shift Parameter: shifts the one-line diagram up or
down.
3. Click OK.
The dialog box will disappear and the Main Window will display the modified
one-line diagram.
Note: Sometimes unexpected placement of symbols results when you
cascading two or more Scale/Shift commands. We suggest that you undo a
scale/shift operation before re-applying it with different scale and shift
factors.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 181

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
DISGUISE FILE IDENTITY COMMAND
The Disguise File Identity command in the Main Window removes identification information from the data file so
that your confidentiality is protected when you send the file to ASPEN for debugging purposes. Specifically, the
program makes the following modifications:
The name and number of each bus are replaced by “BUSXXXXXXX” and XXXXXXX,
respectively, where XXXXXXX is an internal index that has no meaning.
The name of each area is replaced by “AREAXXXX”, where XXXX is an internal index that has
no meaning.
The name of each zone is replaced by “ZONEXXXX”, where XXXX is an internal index that has
no meaning.
The “location” field of buses is blanked out.
All the annotations are removed.
The memo fields of all the objects are removed.
The data tags of all the objects are removed.
You may want to make these additional modifications:
Blank out the file comments with the File | Info | File Comments command
Remove all circuit breaker data with the Network | Delete All Breakers command
TO REMOVE IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION FROM A FILE:
1. Optional, but strongly recommended: Make a copy of your data file.
Open your file, then execute File | Save As to save it under another name.
2. Select the Diagram | Disguise File Identity command.
A message box will appear to ask you to confirm.

Press Yes to proceed, and No to abort.

182 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
DIAGRAM MENU
LOCK ONE-LINE COMMAND
The Lock One-Line command in the Main Window is designed to prevent the user from modifying the graphical one-
line diagram and from deleting or additing network elements. Subsequent executions of this command toggle the
locked and unlocked status.
Even when the one-line is locked, the user can still:
• modify parameters of network elements
• take network elements in/out of service
The lock/unlock option is saved within the olr file.
TO LOCK THE ONE-LINE GRAPHICS:
1. Select the Diagram | Lock One-Line command.
When locked, the words “1-Line locked” will appear in the status area near the
bottom of the Main Window. In addition, a checkmark will appear next to the
Lock One-Line menu item.
TO UNLOCK THE ONE-LINE GRAPHICS:
1. Select the Diagram | Lock One-Line command again.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 183

Main Window
VIEW MENU
FIND BUS BY NAME COMMAND
The Find Bus by Name command in the Main Window helps you quickly locate a bus by its name and nominal kV.
Note: For invisible buses, use the “Locate On 1-Line” button in the Tools | Data Browser command to locate the
nearest visible bus.
TO FIND A BUS BY NAME:
1. Select the View | Find Bus By Name command.
A dialog box will appear displaying an alphabetical listing of all the visible
buses in the network. Each entry consists of the bus name, the nominal kV
and the bus number.

2. Select the bus.

Type in one or more characters of the bus name. The bus name will appear
in the list box highlighted. Use the scroll bar as needed to locate the bus
name.
3. Click on the bus name to select it, if it is not selected already.
Click OK.
The dialog box will disappear and the selected bus will appear highlighted in
dotted red in the screen. The program also displays a green arrow next to the
target bus to help you find it.

184 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
VIEW MENU
FIND BUS BY NUMBER COMMAND
The Find Bus by Number command in the Main Window helps you quickly locate a bus by its bus number.
Note: For invisible buses, use the “Locate On 1-Line” button in the Tools | Data Browser command to locate the
nearest visible bus.
TO FIND A BUS BY BUS NUMBER:
1. Select the View | Find Bus By Number command.
A dialog box will appear displaying a list of all the visible buses in the
network, in ascending order of the bus number. Each entry consists of the bus
name, the nominal kV and the bus number.

2. Select the bus.

Type in one or more digits of the bus number. A bus with the number you
entered will appear in the list box highlighted. Use the scroll bar as needed
to locate the bus.
3. Click on the bus name to select it, if it is not selected already.
Click OK.
The dialog box will disappear and the selected bus will appear highlighted in
dotted red in the screen. The program also displays a green arrow next to the
target bus to help you find it.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 185

Main Window
VIEW MENU
FIND ANNOTATION COMMAND
The Find Annotation command in the Main Window helps you quickly locate an annotation by its text. This feature
effectively allows you to use the annotations as bookmarks in the one-line diagram.
TO FIND ANNOTATIONS:
1. Select the View | Find Annotation command.
A dialog box will appear displaying a list of all the annotations in alphabetical
order. The “Header” portion of each annotation occupies one line in the
dialog box.

2. Select the annotation.

Type in one or more characters of the annotation. The annotation that
begins with the letters you entered will appear in the list box highlighted.
3. Select the annotation by clicking on it.
Click OK.
The dialog box will disappear and the annotation will appear in the center of
the screen.

186 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
VIEW MENU
GO TO END BUS COMMAND
The Go to End Bus command in the Main Window helps you move quickly between the end buses of a transmission
line or 2-winding transformer. Using the command repeatedly will toggle between the two ends of a line or
transformer.
TO GO TO THE END BUS:
1. Select a transmission line, a 2-winding transformer, or a relay group.
Click the left mouse button on the line, transformer, or relay group of
interest.
The relay group you select must be on a transmission line or 2-winding
transformer. Otherwise this command will not work.
The selected symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the View | Go To End Bus command.
If you selected a relay group, the program will automatically repaint the one-
line diagram to bring the other end bus to the center of the screen.
If you selected a line or transformer, the program will automatically center the
one-line diagram on the end bus that is farthest from the center of the screen.
If you selected a line and there are one or more tap buses on that line, the
program will pop up a dialog box to ask you to select either a tap bus or one of
the line ends.

Click on a bus on the list and click OK.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 187

Main Window
VIEW MENU
HIGHLIGHT ATTACHED OBJECT COMMAND
The Highlight Attached Object command in the Main Window helps you identify the object to which the selected
annotation is being attached.
TO HIGHLIGHT ATTACHED OBJECT:
1. Select an annotation that is attached to an object.
You can tell that an annotation is attached to something if the annotation is
displayed starting with the ‘*’ character.
Click the left mouse button on the annotation of interest.
The selected symbol will turn dotted red when selected.
2. Select the View | Highlight Attached Object command.
The program will automatically scroll the one-line diagram to bring the object
to the center of the screen and highlight it in dotted red.

188 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
VIEW MENU
PLAIN 1-LINE COMMAND
The Plain 1-Line command in the Main Window lets you view the one-line diagram without additional information
such as voltages, currents, branch impedances or mutual pair information. The modeless dialog box for stepped event
analysis will be closed by this command.
TO SHOW A PLAIN ONE-LINE DIAGRAM:
1. Select the View | Plain 1-line command.
If voltages, currents or branch impedances are being displayed the screen will
be redrawn to show a plain one-line diagram.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 189

Main Window
VIEW MENU
IMPEDANCES COMMAND
The View | Impedances command in the Main Window displays the branch impedances, generator impedances, shunt
admittances, and load MW and MVAR on the one-line diagram.
TO SHOW IMPEDANCES ON THE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM:
1. Select the View | Impedances command.
The one-line diagram will be redrawn showing the branch impedances,
generator impedances, shunt admittances, and load MW and MVAR. The
branch impedances shown are as follows:
1. For lines, phase shifters and 2-winding transformers, the positive-sequence
impedances will be displayed at one end of the branch symbol and the zero-
sequence impedances at the other end.
2. For 3-winding transformers, the short-circuit impedances Zps and Zpso will
be shown next to the primary bus, the impedances Zst and Zsto next to the
secondary bus and the impedances Zpt and Zpto next to the tertiary bus.

190 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
VIEW MENU
BRANCH NAMES COMMAND
The View | Branch Names command in the Main Window displays the branch names on the one-line diagram.
Branch names are optional and are entered in the 'Name' edit field in the properties dialog boxes. This command also
displays transmission lines length value when this field is not zero.
TO SHOW BRANCH NAMES ON THE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM:
1. Select the View | Branch Names command.
The one-line diagram will be redrawn showing the branch names.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 191

Main Window
VIEW MENU
AREAS, TIE LINES COMMAND
The View | Area, Tie Lines Command in the Main Window displays the area and zone numbers for each bus. In
addition, it displays a “Tie Line” label on transmission lines and transformers that span two different areas. This
command is intended primarily for power flow users.
TO DISPLAY AREA/ZONE NUMBERS AND TIE LINE LABELS ON THE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM:
1. Select the View | Areas, Tie Lines command.
The one-line diagram will be redrawn displaying the area/zone numbers and
tie line labels. The area and zone numbers for each bus are shown below the
bus identifier.

192 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
VIEW MENU
TTY WINDOW COMMAND
The TTY Window command in the Main Window lets you open the TTY Window and view its contents.
TO VIEW THE TTY WINDOW:
1. Select the View | TTY Window command.
The TTY Window will appear.
2. Use the scroll bars on the TTY Window to view different sections.
3. Close the TTY Window by selecting the Menu | Close Window command.

Main Window
VIEW MENU
TOOLBAR COMMAND
The Toolbar command in the Main Window lets you show or hide the toolbar. You can use the toolbar for quick
access to commonly used commands. See section 8.1 for an explanation of the toolbar symbols.
TO SHOW OR HIDE THE TOOLBAR:
1. Select the View | Toolbar command.
The toolbar will be displayed or hidden. This command toggles the toolbar
between those two states. The program puts a checkmark to the left of the
menu item when the toolbar is visible.

Main Window
VIEW MENU
DEVICE PALETTE COMMAND
The Device Palette command in the Main Window lets you show or hide the Device Palette. The device palette
allows you to build the one-line diagram conveniently and effortlessly.
TO SHOW OR HIDE THE DEVICE PALETTE:
1. Select the View | Device Palette command.
The palette will either be displayed or hidden from view. A picture of the
palette is shown below.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 193

Main Window
PFLOW MENU
POWER FLOW COMMAND
This command solves the power flow and displays the solution on the one-line diagram.
TO SOLVE THE POWER FLOW:
1. Select the PFlow | Power Flow command.
A dialog box will appear.

2. Specify the Convergence Criteria. Enter:

Maximum number of iterations: The iterative solution will stop when the
iteration count reaches this number, even if the power flow has
not converged. The default is 20.
MW and MVAR convergence tolerance: The power flow is considered
converged if the maximum MW and MVAR bus mismatch are
less than their respective tolerances and the auto adjustment
constraints (if any) have been met. The default convergence
tolerances are 1 MW and 1 MVAR.
3. Specify the Automatic Adjustment Thresholds. Enter:
MW and MVAR thresholds for automatic adjustments: The values you
enter here are meaningful only if the LTC, Q-limit, area-
interchange or remote voltage-control constrains are being
enforced. The program checks and enforces these constraints
whenever the maximum bus mismatch goes below these
thresholds. The auto-adjustment thresholds must be at least
twice as large as the convergence tolerances. The default values
are 20 MW and 20 MVAR.

194 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 4. Click on the 'System slack bus' drop down list box and select the system slack
bus.
The combo box contains all the generator buses that are Power flow slack
buses. You must select one of these buses to be the system slack bus. The
voltage angle of the system slack will be set to zero degrees in the solution,
and its MW output will be adjusted to balance total generation against total
load and loses.
Note: To make a generator bus a power-flow slack bus, first open the bus
dialog box and then mark the “Power flow slack bus” checkbox. The
generator must be regulating its own bus voltage.
5. Mark the "Start from last voltage solution" checkbox to initialize the bus
voltages with the voltages of the previous power flow solution.
Note: This check box is dimmed if no previous solution is available.
6. Mark the "Start with LTC taps at center position" checkbox to initialize the
transformer’s tap KV on the LTC side to the LTC’s center-kV position.
We strongly recommend that you turn on this option if there are any LTCs in
your network. The benefits are improved convergence and repeatability of the
solution.
7. Mark the "Start with dc-line commutation transformer taps at 1.0" checkbox to
reset the transformer tap position of dc lines.
The commutation transformers for dc converters are modeled within the dc-
line object. You can set the tap position of these transformers within the dc-
line dialog box. With this option turned on, the program will reset the
transformer tap position to 1.0 per-unit prior to solving the power flow. We
strongly recommend that you turn on this option if there are dc lines in your
network. The benefits are improved convergence and repeatability of the
solution.
8. Mark the "Solution Monitor" checkbox to output a detailed solution report to
the TTY Window.
For each power-flow iteration, the solution-monitor output will show the
highest mismatches, the highest and lowest voltages, and the auto adjustments
that were made. This output is useful in cases where the power flow fails to
converge because of automatic adjustments.
9. Mark the "Generator VAR limits" checkbox to limit the MVAR output of all the
constant-voltage generators to within their maximum and minimum MVAR limits.
The Q limit of each generator can be set within the generator info dialog box.
When this option is turned on, the program enforces the Q-limit constraints as
follows: When the MVAR output of a voltage-controlling generator goes
outside the limit, the program pegs the MVAR output at the relevant limit and
switches the generator bus to a PQ bus (with constant MW and MVAR
output). The program checks the voltage of these buses in subsequent
iterations and reverts the generator to a voltage controlling bus when possible.
The Q limits are not enforced on the system slack buses.
10. Mark the "Transformer LTC taps" checkbox to adjust the LTCs (load tap
changing transformers) on 2- and 3-winding transformers.
You can input the LTC parameters within the transformer info dialog box.
With this option turned on, the program adjusts the transformer taps to hold
the voltage of the controlled bus to within the limits specified.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 195

 11. Mark the "Area interchange" checkbox to enforce the area-interchange
constraints.
The area-interchange constraints are stated in the form of “net MW export” for each
of the areas. You can change the area net exports in the Area dialog box (which you
can open within the Areas page of the Data Browser). With the “Area Interchange”
option turned on, the program adjusts the output of the area slack bus to hold the net
area MW export to a specific value.
12. Mark the "Gen remote volt. control" checkbox to enforce generator remote-
voltage controls.
The voltage-control constraints of a generator can be set within the generator
info dialog box. Most generators control the voltage at its bus terminal, but
you can direct the generator to control the voltage at a remote bus. With this
option turned on, the program enforces these remote-bus voltage constraints
by varying the MVAR output of the generators.
13. Mark the “Switched shunt” checkbox to adjust the output of switched shunts to
control voltage:
A switched has multiple blocks of reactors and capacitors. When this option is
turned on, the program turns these reactor and capacitor blocks on and off to
keep the voltage magnitude of the controlled bus within limits.
14. Mark the “Phase shifter” checkbox to adjust the phase shifters to control MW
flow:
When this option is turned on, the program varies the phase shift of the phase
shifters to control the MW flow. The impedance of the phase shifters are
varied automatically if impedance-correction table is in use.
15. In the edit box labeled “In areas:” enter the areas in which the automatic
controls are adjusted:
This allows you to limit the automatic-control adjustment to only certain areas.
The area numbers can be entered as “1, 3-7, 12” for areas 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and
12, for example.
16. Mark the “Stagger automatic control” checkbox to change the sequencing of
control adjustments:
Normally the different automatic controls are adjusted one after the other
during a single iteration. If this option is turned on, the program will adjust
only one type of control (e.g., LTCs) for a number of iterations until they are
within limits before adjustment another type of control (e.g., generator remote
voltage controls). The program will revert to the normal adjustment
sequencing only after all the control types have been adjusted independently.
17. Mark the “Move LTC taps to the nearest step after convergence” checkbox to
finalize the adjustment of LTCs with discrete taps in the last iteration.
18. Click OK to start the power flow solution.
The dialog box will disappear. After a brief pause, the Main Window will display
the power flow solution on the one-line diagram.
In case the power flow fails to converge, please refer to section 7.6, “What If the
Power Flow Does Not Converge”, for advice on what to do.

196 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
PFLOW MENU
CONTINGENCY BATCH CASES COMMAND
The Contingency Batch Case feature helps you simulate a large number of cases involving branch, bus and/or
generator outages. These contingencies are stored in a text file called the contingency batch case file. A sample
contingency batch case file is shown below. The first case has two simultaneous outages: a generator outage and a
branch outage. The second case is a branch outage involving the transmission line between North 500kV and North
G2 20kV.
[ASPEN POWER FLOW BATCH CASES]
app="ASPEN OneLiner and Power Flow"
ver= 2007 11.1
date="Wed Apr 08 10:25:39 2009"
Created from file="C:\ASPEN08\Aspen9.olr"

[CASE 1]
TITLE="Example generator and branch outages"
GENERATOR_OUTAGE=0 "North G1" 20 1
BRANCH_OUTAGE=L 0 "South" 500 0 "Station S" 500 " "

[CASE 2]
TITLE="Example branch outage"
BRANCH_OUTAGE=T 0 "North" 500 0 "North G2" 20 " "

This Contingency Batch Cases command lets you recall and edit a contingency batch case file. With a case file
opened, you can simulate individual cases and display the solution on the screen, or ask the program to simulate all
the cases and generate a report file. You can alternatively ask the program to generate a contingency batch case file
for an N-1 study.
You must solve a base-case power flow solution before executing this command. The base-case solution will serve as
the starting point of all the contingency cases.
TO CREATE OR OPEN A CONTINGENCY BATCH CASE FILE:
1. Select the PFlow | Contingency Batch Cases command.
The first page of the Contingency Batch Cases wizard will appear. The page
asks you what you want to do. The pages that follow will depend on your
selection.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 197

PATH 1: OPEN AN EXITING CONTINGENCY BATCH CASE FILE:
1a. Click on “Open an existing batch-case file”. Press Next.
The standard file-open dialog box will appear.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to open a contingency case
file, which has the extension of .CAS.
The next page of the wizard looks like this.

The contingency case file name is shown above the list box. The contingency
cases within the file are listed in the list box.
Proceed to step 2.
PATH 2: CREATE AN EMPTY CONTINGENCY BATCH CASE FILE AND OPEN IT:
1b. Click on “Create an empty batch-case file and open it”. Press Next.
The standard file-save dialog box will appear to ask you to name the new file.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to create a case file with
extension .CAS.
The next page of the wizard looks like that.

198 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 The contingency case file name is shown above the list box. The contingency
cases list box is empty.
Proceed to step 2.
PATH 3: CREATE AN N-1 CONTINGENCY BATCH CASE FILE AND OPEN IT:
1c. Click on “Create an N-1 batch-case file and open it”. Press Next.
An “N-1” contingency study typically includes all possible single
contingencies involving branch and generator outages. The standard file
dialog box will appear to ask you to name the new file.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to create a case file, which
has the extension of .CAS.
The next page of the wizard asks you to specify the kind of outages you want
to include in the N-1 study and the extent of the outages.

The extent of the outages is specified in the form of a list of “outage buses.”
For instance, if you wish to limit the outages to within a certain area, then the
outage buses should be the buses within that area.
Specify the outage buses as follows: Click on “For the entire network” if all
the buses in the network will be considered outage buses. Otherwise click
on “For selected buses and attached equipment” and press the button
labeled “…” to specify the outage buses. The second option will cause the
Bus Selector to appear. See Appendix D for information on how to use the
Bus Selector.
For each outage bus, specify the outages you want by marking on or more the
following checkboxes.
Mark the checkbox labeled “Branch outages” to outage lines,
transformers, switches and phase shifters that are attached to the outage
buses. Each of these branch outages will be considered a separate
contingency case.
Mark the checkbox labeled “Generator outages” to outage generators that
are attached to the outage buses. Each of these generator outages will be
considered a separate contingency case.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 199

 Mark the checkbox labeled “Bus outages” to outage each of the outage
buses. In a bus-outage case, the program will outage the bus, as well as all the
generators, loads, shunts, and branches that are connected to that bus.
Note: Whenever a generator is disconnected because of an outage, the
generation deficit will be made up automatically by the system slack bus.
If the outage list of a case includes the power flow slack bus, the program will
omit the case. If the outage list includes an area slack bus, the program will
ignore the area-interchange constraint for that area.
Press Next.
The next page of the wizard lists all the contingency cases that were generated
by the program.

Proceed to step 2 to remove unwanted cases or to add new ones. Proceed

to step 6 if no changes are needed.
TO EDIT A CASE:
2. On the “Review and Edit Contingency Batch Cases” page, click on a case in the list
box and press “Edit Case” to edit it.
The Case Specification dialog box will appear. Each case has a title, and one
or more generator, branch and bus outages. The example case below has only
a single branch outage involving the transformer between bus North G1 20kV
and bus North 500kV.

200 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Please refer to the instructions under “To Add A New Case” on how to
edit the contents of this dialog box.
Press OK when finished.
TO ADD A NEW CASE:
3. Press "Add Case" to add a new case.
The Case Specification dialog box will appear.

Enter a title with up to 80 characters in the edit box labeled 'Title'.

Press Add to the right the 'Generator Outages' list box to add a generator outage.
A dialog box will appear asking you to select the generators to be outaged.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 201

 Select one or more generators from the list box and press OK. The
generators you selected will appear in the Generator Outages list. You can
outage up to 12 generators at a time.
Press Add to the right the Bus Outages' list box to add bus outages. A bus outage
causes all the equipment connected to the bus – branches, generators, loads and shunts
– to be outaged at the same time.
A dialog box will appear asking you to select the buses to be outaged.

Select one or more buses from the list and press OK. The buses you
selected will appear in the Bus Outages list. You can outage up to 12 buses at
a time.
Press Add to the right of the 'Branch Outages' list box to add a branch outage.
A dialog box will appear asking you to select a branch to be outaged.

202 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Each branch is identified by two end buses, the circuit ID and the branch type
(‘L’ is for transmission lines; ‘T’ is for transformers; ‘P’ is for phase shifters;
‘X’ is for 3-winding transformers; ‘W’ is for switches).
Click on one of the end buses of the branch in the left list box.
The bus name will be highlighted. The opposite terminal of all the branches
attached to ‘Bus1’ will appear in the list box on the right.
Click on the other terminal bus of the outaged branch in the right list box.
The ‘Bus2’ name will become highlighted.
Press OK in the "Branches to be outaged" dialog box.
The selected branch will appear in the branch outage list. You can repeat this
step to add up to 12 branches in the outage list for a case.
Once you have specified all the outages in the current case, press OK in the
Power Flow Case Specification dialog box to append the new case to the
contingency case file.
The new case will be inserted in the list box on the Review and Edit
Contingency Cases page of the wizard.
TO REMOVE A CASE:
4. On the Review and Edit Contingency Cases page of the wizard, click on a case in
the list box to select it. Click “Remove Case”.
The selected case will be removed from the list box.
5. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 to add, remove and edit the cases as needed. Press Save
File or Save File As to save the changes to the contingency batch case file. Press
Next.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 203

TO SPECIFY REPORT FORMAT:
6. The report-format page of the wizard will appear.

Select one of the entries in the “Bus-by-Bus” drop-down combo box to

select a report format. Select “Omit (recommended)” if you are interested
only in the summaries. We recommend this option because it generates the
least amount of output and still gives you the summaries you need.
Mark one or more check boxes in the Summaries group box to include the
summaries of voltage violations, branch overloads, etc. in the report file.
Specify the extent of the bus-by-bus output and the summaries. Click on
either “Entire network” or “Certain selected buses”. If you selected the
second option, you must press the button labeled “…” to open the Bus
Selector.
Information on the bus selector is available in Appendix D.
Press Next.

204 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

TO SPECIFY OUTPUT AND VIOLATION-CHECKING PARAMETERS:
7. A last page of the wizard will appear to let you specify the output and violation-
checking parameters.

Enter the maximum and minimum voltage limits (in per-unit) for voltage-
violation checking.
Enter the line current rating (A, B, C or D), transformer rating (MVA1, MVA2
or MVA3), and warning threshold level for branch-overload checking.
Enter the heading that will appear in the first page of the report. This heading
can have up to 130 characters.
In the dropdown list box near the bottom, choose one of the output options:
Output to report file, or Output to printer.
In the edit box labeled “Lines per page=”, enter the number of lines of text that fit
within a printed page.
Press Finish.
If you choose “Output to Printer” as the report destination, the standard font
selection dialog box will appear to ask you to specify a printer font. Select a
printer font and press OK.
If you choose “Output to Report File”, the standard file dialog box will appear
to ask you to specify the report file name. Use the controls to specify a file
name with .TXT extension and click on OK.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 205

TO SPECIFY POWER FLOW SOLUTION PARAMETERS:
8. A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the power flow solution parameters to
be used for the contingency cases.

The “Start from last volt. solution” checkbox is marked because each
contingency case will start from the solved base case. You are not allowed to
change this option.
The checkboxes within the “Enforce” group box are not marked initially. For
the contingency cases you do not have to enforce the same automatic controls
as the base case. We suggest you use the same, or fewer, automatic controls
for the contingency cases.
Please refer to the documentation for the PFlow | Power Flow command if you
are unsure of the other options in this dialog box.
The solution of the batch cases will begin. A message box will appear when
the simulation ends.

206 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
PFLOW MENU
BATCH CASES COMMAND
The Batch Cases command in the Main Window complements the Contingency Batch Cases command by allowing
you to simulate a case within a contingency case file and view the power flow solution on the screen.
Similar to the Contingency Batch Cases command, this command lets you create, edit and open batch cases. A solved
power flow base case is not a prerequisite for this command.
The primary output of this command is the graphical depiction of the power flow solution on the one-line diagram.
Aside from a solution log in the TTY Window, this command does not generate summaries or check for overloads
and abnormal voltages. You must execute the PFlow | Solution Report command manually if you are interested in
these reports.
TO CREATE OR OPEN A BATCH CASE FILE:
1. Select the PFlow | Batch Cases command.
The Power Flow Batch Cases dialog box will appear.

2. Click on New File to create a new case file, or click on Open to open an existing
case file.
When you click on either New File or Open, a standard file dialog box will
appear asking you to specify the file name.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
file you want to create or open.
The Batch Cases dialog box will look like this after you open an existing case
file. Note the file name above the list box and the additional buttons that were
not visible previously.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 207

ADDING, REMOVING AND EDITING CASES:
Use the “Add Case”, “Remove” and “Edit Case” buttons to add, remove and edit
cases. Please see instructions in the PFlow | Contingency Batch Cases command.
TO SOLVE A CASE AND DISPLAY THE SOLUTION ON THE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM:
1. Select the case in the list box and click on "Solve Case" to solve the case and
display the solution on the one-line diagram.
The Power Flow Options dialog box will appear. Please see documentation for
the Pflow | Power Flow command for details.

Press OK when finished.

The program will first restore any generators, buses and branches that are
temporarily taken out of service in the previous batch case. The program will
then outage the generators, buses and branches in the current case, solve the
power flow and display the power flow solution of the selected case.
After you are done viewing the batch cases, we recommend that you restore
the outaged equipment of the last case with the Tools | Undo command.

208 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
PFLOW MENU
SHOW SOLUTION ON 1-LINE COMMAND
The Show Solution on 1-Line command in the Main Window lets you control how the power flow solution is
displayed on the one-line diagram. The choices include (1) the flow of real and reactive power, (2) system losses, and
(3) current flowing within the network. There are other options allowing you to display voltage and current angles
and to use arrows to show the direction of power flow.
TO CHANGE THE DISPLAY OF A POWER FLOW SOLUTION:
1. Select the PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line command.
Note: The menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated if no power flow has
been solved or if you have modified the network since the last power flow
solution.
A dialog box will appear to let you select the output quantities.

2. Select what you would like to see on the one-line diagram. Click on:
MW + jMVAR: To display the flow of real and reactive power in MW and
MVAR.
Losses: To display the system losses. The losses are in kW and kVAR.
3. Click on ‘Power arrows’ to have the direction of power flow indicated by an
arrow.
4. Click on ‘Voltage and current angles’ to have the angle (in degrees) display
following the magnitude of all the voltages and currents.
5. Specify whether you want the solution text (power flow and losses) shown on
both ends of branches.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 209

 6. Select how the bus voltage will be displayed. Click on:
Per unit: To display the voltage in per unit.
kV line-to-line: To display the voltage in kV, line-to-line.
PU x: And enter a value in the edit box. This will display the voltages as
the per-unit value multiplied by the constant you entered. This
option is most commonly used to display the voltage as the
equivalent household voltage in volts.
7. Enter the acceptable voltage range.
Min pu: Minimum voltage level in per unit.
Max pu: Maximum voltage level in per unit.
The program will display voltages in different colors, depending on their
magnitude:
• Red if the voltage is too high.
• Black if the voltage is acceptable.
• Green if the voltage is too low.
8. Select how overloaded branches will be displayed.
Enter a percentage between 0 and 100 in 'Highlighted if >' to define the
overload threshold.
For the purpose of highlighting overloaded branches, the current rating of
transmission lines and the MVA rating of transformers are adjusted by this
percentage. For example, a value of 85% will cause all the branches whose flows
are above 85% of their ratings to be shown in red on the one-line diagram.
Click on the 'Line rating' drop down list box and select one of the four (A,
B, C, D) current ratings for transmission lines.
These ratings refer to the four ratings that are assigned to each transmission
line. You can change these ratings within the lines’ info dialog boxes. The
program will display the current or power flow in red if the current rating is
exceeded; otherwise, the results are shown in black.
Click on the 'Transformer rating' drop down list box and select one of the
three (MVA1, MVA2, MVA3) MVA ratings.
For a transformer, the program will display the current or power flow in red if
the MVA rating is exceeded; otherwise, the results are shown in black.
9. Press OK to close the dialog box.
The dialog box will close and the program will refresh the solution on the one-
line diagram.

210 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Real and Reactive Power Flow (with power arrows turned on)

System Losses. Amounts shown are in kW and kVAR.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 211

 Current Flow in the network (with voltage and current angles)

212 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
PFLOW MENU
SOLUTION REPORT COMMAND
This command writes the power flow solution, in the traditional text form, to a disk file, to the TTY Window or to a
printer. The output format is described in Section 6.
TO GENERATE THE SOLUTION REPORT:
1. Select the PFlow | Solution Report command.
Note: This menu item is dimmed and cannot be selected if no power flow has
been solved or if you have modified the network since the last solution.
A dialog box will appear, asking you to specify the report format and
summaries.

2. Specify the Bus-By-Bus Report format. Click on:

ASPEN format: To output the report in ASPEN format.
WSCC format: To output the report in WSCC format.
Omit: To omit the bus-by-bus report.
The bus-by-bus report gives you a detailed description of each bus. This
includes the (1) power injections from generators, (2) power consumed by
loads and shunts, (3) and power flowing into the bus from branches. Please see
Section 6 for more information.
3. Specify the output summaries to be included in the report. Mark the check
boxes to select summaries on "Area Interchanges", "Voltage Violations",
"Branch Overloads", "LTC Transformers", "Generators ", “Loads and
Shunts”, "Tie Lines" and "Out-of-service Equipment".
You may change the acceptable voltage limits and the criterion for branch
overload for the summaries by executing the PFlow | Show Solution on 1-Line
command.
4. Edit the first page heading.
This text, with up to 130 characters, will appear on the top of the first page.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 213

 5. Select the output option.
Select one of the following options in the dropdown list box near the bottom:
Output to Report File, Output to TTY Window, and Output to Printer.
6. Enter the page size.
In the edit box labeled “Lines per page=”, enter the number of lines of text that fit
within a printed page.
Press OK.
The Bus Selector dialog box will appear asking for the output coverage. The
buses you selected here will affect the bus-by-bus output, as well as the
coverage of the summaries you selected.
7. Select the output coverage using the Bus Selector.
Instructions on how to use the Bus Selector is available in APPENDIX E: BUS
SELECTOR.
8. Specify printer font or file name.
If you choose “Output to Printer” as the report destination, the standard font
selection dialog box will appear to ask you to specify a printer font. Select a
printer font and press OK.
If you choose “Output to Report File”, the standard file-save dialog box will
appear to ask you to specify the report file name. Use the controls in the
standard file box to specify a file name and press OK.

214 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
PFLOW MENU
SOLUTION BROWSER COMMAND
This command activates the Power Flow Solution Browser, a tool that allows you to view the power flow solution in a
tabular form. Each page of the browser lists one type of object, which can be buses, generators, shunts, switched
shunts, loads, transmission lines, dc lines, 2-winding transformers, 2-winding load tap changers (LTCs), 3-winding
transformers, 3-winding LTCs, phase shifters, and areas.
The Solution Browser is organized much the same way as the Data Browser. Both browsers have the same buttons,
and reporting and sorting capabilities. There are, however, some important differences between the two browsers:
• The Data Browser lists the object parameters, such as names, impedances and control limits. The Solution
Browser lists the solution quantities, such as voltages, currents, MVA flow, and the status of automatic controls.
The Solution Browser also issues warning flags for over- and under-voltages, branch overloads, and other
constraint violations.
• The Data Browser lists active and out-of-service objects in the entire network. The Solution Browser lists only
active objects that are in the same contiguous network as the system slack bus.
• The Data Browser lists generators, loads and shunts on a unit-by-unit basis. The Solution Browser lists at most
one load, one generator, and one shunt at each bus, with the output being the aggregate of all the units at that bus.
The sorting capabilities of the Solution Browser make it a very powerful tool for analyzing the solution of a large
network. For instances, by clicking on the header of the “V (pu)” column in the Buses page, you will see the buses
sorted by the magnitude of the solution voltage, from low to high.
TO OPEN THE SOLUTION BROWSER:
1. Select the PFlow | Solution Browser command.
The Solution Browser will appear on the screen. The Lines page of the Power
Flow Solution Browser is shown below.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 215

 The Solution Browser dialog box works the same way as the Data Browser.
Please refer to documentation on the Tools | Data Browser command for more
information.
Note: The command is gray and cannot be activated if there is no power flow
solution available

216 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
CHECK MENU
NETWORK ANOMALIES COMMAND
The Network Anomalies command in the Main Window looks for anomalies in the network data and reports its
findings in the TTY Window. The user can also direct the program to automatically check for anomalies each time
when a binary file is opened.
TO CHECK FOR NETWORK ANOMALIES:
1. Select the Check | Network Anomalies command.
A dialog box will appear asking you to select which network anomalies to look for.

2. Click on "Branch with impedance less than.." and enter a threshold value (in per
unit) to look for branches with impedances smaller than the threshold.
Branches with very small impedance can cause numerical problems and result in
grossly incorrect short circuit solutions. The smallest impedance one can use for lines
and transformers is a function of the system being modeled. In most networks, branch
impedances that are 0.001 per-unit or larger do not cause problems.
3. Click on "Transformer tap too high" and enter a threshold value (in per unit) to
look for transformers with unusually high tap ratios.
Click on "Transformer tap too low" and enter a threshold value (in per unit) to look
for transformers with unusually low tap ratios.
The program will list any 2-winding transformers whose tap KVs are outside of the
“normal” range you specified. The same is done for 3-winding transformers.
4. Click on "Transformer with wrong phasing" to look for 2- and 3-winding
transformers with incorrect phase shift.
An example of a system with wrong phasing is shown below. Here, the sub-
transmission system is connected to the transmission system though two wye-delta
transformers, one with the delta leading and the other with the delta lagging.
Phasing errors in practice are rarely this obvious. The program logic is capable of
finding them nonetheless.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 217

 Note: The program will check only the transformers that are in the same contiguous
network as the generator being shown in the “Generator Angle Ref” drop-down
listbox.

5. Click on "Parallel branches with same circuit ID" to look for parallel
transmission lines and transformers that have the same circuit ID.
Parallel lines must have different circuit IDs so that the program can tell them apart.
The same is true with transformers, phase shifters, and other branch types.
Note: Two 3-winding transformers are considered in parallel when they share the
same primary and secondary bus.
This function also looks for parallel switches, which are not allowed.
6. Click on “Generators with wrong reference angle” to look for generators whose
reference angles are inconsistent with the phase shift of the network elements.
Perform this check only if you are using the “from a linear network solution” starting
option for short circuit simulations. See the Faults | Options command for more
information on prefault voltage profile.
Select a generator in the “Generator Angle Ref” drop-down list box below. The
program will use this generator’s angle as the reference and temporarily compute the
reference angle of all the other generators in the same contiguous network. The
program will then compare the computed reference angle to the reference angle in the
generators’ info dialog boxes. It will report on any differences found.
Note: The generator’s reference angles are not changed by this command. If you want
the program to set the generator reference angle automatically, see the Network | Set
Generator Ref Angle command.
Note: The program will check only the generators that are in the same contiguous
network as the generator being shown in the “Generator Angle Ref” drop-down
listbox.
7. Click on “3-W transformers with questionable parameters” to look for 3-
winding transformers with dubious short-circuit impedances or winding
configurations. Specifically, the program will report on wye-wye-delta transformers
with Zpso greater than, or equal to, Zps.
8. Click on “Circuit breakers with questionable protected device list” to look for
circuit breakers with either (1) no protected devices, (2) protected devices that
are out of service, and (3) protected devices that are not connected to the same
bus as the circuit breaker.

218 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 9. Select “Things to check when an OLR file opens”.
Mark one or more of the three checking options available if you want the
program to perform the checks automatically when it opens an OLR file.
The program will show a message box when it detects any anomalies. The
details are in the TTY Window.
10. Click OK to close the dialog box.
Anomaly checking will commence if you have marked one or more items in the
“Things to check now” group box.
The program will look for all of the anomalies you selected above and output
the result to the TTY Window. If there are any anomalies, you must correct
them manually.
Close the TTY window when you are done.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 219

Main Window
CHECK MENU
DATA COMPATIBILITY COMMAND
The Check | Data Compatibility command in the Main Window checks for potential problems when converting data
to either PTI PSS/E, GE PSLF or ANAFAS format. These include invalid bus numbers and circuits IDs. The warning
messages are shown in the TTY Window. This command does not change any of the data.
TO CHECK FOR DATA COMPATIBILITY:
1. Select the Network | Data Compatibility command.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify which format you would like to
check for possible data compatibility problems.

2. Select the data type. Click on:

PTI PSS/E: To check for possible data compatibility problems with recent
versions (30 and higher) of the PTI PSS/E format. Specifically
these include:
• Bus number outside of the valid range of [1, 999997].
• Zone with number 0.
• Area with number 0.
• Generator ID that is blank.
• Branch IDs that are blank or begin with ‘&’.
GE PSLF: To check for possible data compatibility problems with recent
versions (14 and higher) of the GE PSLF format. Specifically
these include:
• Bus number outside of the valid range of [1, 9999999].
• Zone with number outside of the valid range of [0,999].
• Area with number outside of the valid range of [0,999].
• Bus name with more than 8 characters.
ANAFAS: To check for possible data compatibility problems with the 5-
digit-bus-number version of the ANAFAS format. Specifically
these include:
• Bus number outside of the valid range of [1, 99998].
• Branch IDs that are blank or not numeric.
3. Click OK to begin checking.
The TTY Window will appear showing any warnings found.
Close the TTY window when you are done.

220 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
TOOLS MENU
UNDO COMMAND
The Undo command in the Main Window allows you to discard changes brought on by recent commands or
drag/drop editing. Virtually all commands in the program can be undone, but these few exceptions:
• File | Open, File | Close and File | Save As commands.
• File | Read Change File command.
• Network | Boundary Equivalent command.
• Network | Options, Diagram | Options and Faults | Options command.
TO UNDO A COMMAND:
1. Select the Tools | Undo ‘command_name’.
Note: The actual label of this menu will show the name of the command to be
undone.
The network and one-line diagram will be brought back to the state that
existed prior to the command being undone. At any time, you can undo up to
the last 8 commands.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 221

Main Window
TOOLS MENU
DATA BROWSER COMMAND
The Data Browser command activates the Data Browser, a tool that allows you to review and edit data for all the
network elements and protective devices, including those that are not visible on the one-line diagram. Each page of
the browser lists one type of object. There are separate pages for buses, generators, loads, shunts, switched shunts,
switches, transmission lines, dc lines, 2-winding transformers, 3-winding transformers, phase shifters, areas, zones,
mutual-coupling parameters, circuit breakers, series capacitors, and relays. You may also filter the output by the
objects’ area and zone affiliation, by their nominal kV or tags and other by additional selection criteria.
The Area and Zone pages provide the only means of modifying the area and zone data.
The “Scale Generator” and “Scale Load” commands are available within the generator and load pages.
You can customize each page of the Browser by specifying which parameters you want listed and the sort order. See
“TO CUSTOMIZE THE DATA BROWSER” below.
TO OPEN THE DATA BROWSER:
1. Select the Tools | Browser command.
The Data Browser will appear on the screen. The Browser dialog box is
resizable: You can make it bigger or smaller by clicking on an edge and drag it
with the mouse.
2. Select the type of object to be listed.
Click on the Type drop down list box and select one of the following:
Areas: Attributes of areas, including the scheduled inter-area
import/export schedule and area slack bus.
Impedance Correction Table: Attributes of impedance correction tables for
phase shifters.
Breakers: Attributes of circuit breakers.
Buses: Attributes of buses. The bus type is “PV” if it is a generator bus
and it regulates voltage. Otherwise, it is a “PQ” bus.
DC Lines: Attributes of 2-terminal dc lines.
Generators: Attributes of generators. One generating unit per line.
Loads: Attributes of loads. One load unit per line.
LTC Transformers: Attribute of load tap changes.
Shunts: Attribute of capacitors and reactors. One shunt unit per line.
Switched Shunts: Attributes of switched shunts.
Series Capacitor/Reactors: Attribute of series capacitor (with or without
MOV) and series reactors.
Switches: Attributes of switches.
Lines: Attributes of transmission lines.
Phase Shifters: Attributes of phase shifters.
Transformers, 2-Winding: Attributes of 2-winding transformers.
Transformers, 3-Winding: Attributes of 3-winding transformers.
Zones: Attributes of zones.

222 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Zero-sequence Mutuals: Line pairs and their zero-sequence mutual
coupling impedance in per-unit.
Overcurrent phase relays
Overcurrent Ground Relays
Distance Phase Relays
Distance Ground Relays
Reclosers
Fuses
The Data Browser will display the information you selected. The “Lines” page is
shown below.

3. Filter the list by area or by zone.

The area/zone option is set initially to “**ALL”, which means all zones and areas.
Click on the 'Area/zone' drop down list box and select an area or a zone of
interest.
Note: This option is disabled when area or zone information is being
displayed.
The Data Browser will display only those network elements and relays within
the selected area or zone.
4. Filter the list by nominal kV or tags.
This option is set initially to “**ALL”, which means all voltages. Click on the
‘KV/Tags' drop down list box and select a voltage level or tag.
The Data Browser will display only those network elements and relays that
match the nominal kV or tag you selected.
5. Apply additional data selection criteria.
This option is set initially to unchecked, which means no additional selection
criteria are being applied. Click on the ‘Additional criteria' check box. The
Additional Data Selection Criteria dialog box will appear:

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 223

 Click on the combo box to select filter method: ‘Show only records that
meet criteria’ or ‘Exclude all records that meet criteria’.
Enter criteria: Criteria are built from conditional expressions that are joined
by And or Or logic operator. Expressions in criteria can also be grouped
together using parentheses.
Field/Group: Select data field name or parentheses to mark begin and end of
group.
Operators:
= Equal to
!= Not equal to
> Greater than
>= Greater than or equal to
< Less than
<= Less than or equal to
Like Match text. Use wildcard % to match any character(s).
Not like Opposite of Like
In Find match in semicolon delimited list of value items
Not in Opposite of In
Value: conditional expression value. For expression with operator In or
Not In enter list of values separated by semicolon.
Click on + button to insert a new row in criteria grid before the current row.
Click on – button to remove current row from criteria grid.
Click on C button to clear current row.
Click on Save button to save criteria grid to disk file.
Click on Load button to load saved criteria from a disk file.
Click on OK to apply filter. Click on Ignore to remove filter. The dialog box
will close and the data browser will be refreshed to show the chosen filter
action.
5. Change the sort order or a column.
Click on the title bar of any column to have the grid sorted by the items in
that column.
Successive clicking on the same column toggles the sort order between
ascending and descending.

224 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 6. Search the grid for a specific string.
Click on the Text Search button near the bottom right corner of the Data
Browser. A dialog box will appear.

Enter in the Text edit box the string or substring that you are seeking.
Select a column using the In Field drop down list box.
Press Find to locate the next match.
Press Done when you are finished searching.
7. Apply/Remove/Rename tag
Click on "Tag" button. The Data Record Tag dialog box will appear
showing list of all tags found in data records currently displayed in the
browser table.

To apply new tag(s) to all records click on "Apply". A dialog box will
appear to let you enter one or multiple new tags. Tags are text strings
separated by semicolon.
To rename an existing tag, highlight it and click on "Rename". A dialog
box will appear to let you enter the new tag name.
To remove an existing tag, highlight it and click on "Remove".
8. Edit a network element or relay.
Double-click on a row in the grid. Alternatively, select the element and
click on "Edit". The properties dialog box for the element will appear.
Make necessary modifications and click on "OK". The dialog box will
disappear and the grid will be updated automatically.
9. Locate a network element or a relay on the one-line diagram.
Select a network element or relay on the grid by click on its row. Then click on
the Locate on 1-Line button.
The Data Browser will disappear. The item you selected will appear highlighted on
the screen. For invisible buses, this command will highlight the nearest visible bus.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 225

TO TAKE OBJECT(S) IN OR OUT OF SERVICE:
1. Take a network element or relay in or out of service.
Click on ‘Selected’ radio button and select an element if you want to
perform operation on one object. Click on ‘All’ radio button if you want to
perform operation on all objects currently listed in the data browser table.
Select an element and click on "In/Out Serv.". The element(s) will toggle
between in service and out of service.
TO DELETE AN OBJECT(S):
1. Delete a network element or a relay.
Click on ‘Selected’ radio button and select an element if you want to
perform operation on one object. Click on ‘All’ radio button if you want to
perform operation on all objects currently listed in the data browser table.
Click on "Delete". The element(s) will be deleted, and will disappear from
the list.
Note: Areas and zones cannot be deleted.
TO SCALE GENERATION OR LOAD:
1. Click on the Type drop down list box and select either Generator or Load.
2. Change the Area/Zone and kV filters, as needed, to list just those generators or
loads that you wish to scale.
3. Specify a scaling factor and scale the load or generation.
Click on "Scale". A dialog box will appear asking you for the MW and
MVAR scaling factors.
Enter the scaling factors and click on "OK".

The MW and/or MVAR value for all the elements listed on the current page
will be multiplied by the scaling factors you entered.
TO VIEW AND EDIT AREA DATA:
1. View and edit Area data.
The Data Browser is the only place where you can view and edit area data.
Select “Area” in the Type drop down list box. Select an area in the grid
and click on Edit. A dialog box with the area data will appear.

226 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Area No.: Area number ranging from 0 to 9999. When you change the area
number, the program automatically updates the area number of
all the buses within the area.
Name: A 12-character area name. Any alphanumeric characters can be
used except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation
mark).
Area Slack Bus: Click on the drop down list box and select the area slack
bus. The Power Flow Program will adjust the MW output of this
generator to enforce the net-export constraint. Select “__none
(floating area)” if you do not want the Power Flow Program to
enforce the Net MW Export constraint.
Net MW Export: Net MW export target. A positive value means power is
shipped out of the area through tie lines.
2. View bus and tie-line lists for an area.
Click on the Buses button in the Area dialog box. A dialog box will appear
displaying all of the buses within this area.

Click on "Done" to close the 'Buses in Area' dialog box.

Click on the Tie Lines button to see a list of tie lines. A dialog box will
appear displaying all the transmission lines, phase shifters, and 2-winding
transformers that span the current area and its neighbors. The area number of
the neighbor is shown at the end of each entry.

Click on "OK" to close the 'Tie Lines in Area' dialog box.

TO VIEW AND EDIT ZONE DATA:
1. View and edit Zone data.
The Data Browser is the only place where you can view and edit zone data.
Select “Zone” in the Type drop down list box. Select a zone in the grid
and click on Edit. A dialog box with the zone data will appear.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 227

 Zone no.: Zone number ranging from 1 to 2000. When you change the
zone number, the program automatically updates the zone
number of all the buses within the zone.
Name: A 12-character zone name.
2. View bus list for a zone.
Click on the Buses button in the Zone dialog box. A dialog box will appear
displaying all of the buses within this zone.

Click on Done to close the 'Buses in Zone' dialog box.

TO CREATE A REPORT WITH THE CONTENTS OF THE GRID:
1. Click on "Report" to generate a text file containing the equipment or information
that is being displayed by the Data Browser.
A dialog box will appear asking you to enter the name of the report file.

Click on ‘Save as type’ and select Excel CSV file to create coma-delimited
text file format (*.CSV) that you can use as input to Microsoft Excel.
Click on “Save as type” and select Bus List File (*.TXT) to create a bus
list file for the equipment being displayed. Bus list files can be used in the
Bus Selector dialog when selecting buses for various commands.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
report file. Press "OK" to close the standard file dialog box.

228 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

TO CUSOMIZE THE DATA BROWSER
The Data Browser is user customizable. For each page, you can specify which parameters you want displayed and
assign a column number to each of the visible parameters. In addition, you can specify the original sort order for the
page. Your preferences are stored in the Windows Registry. The program will follow them in subsequent sessions.
1. Click on the “Type” drop-down list box to open the page of interest.
2. Click on the “Option…” button at the upper right corner of the dialog box. A
dialog box will appear. (This one is for the “Lines” page.)

3. Specify items are to be displayed and their column order.

In the Column Order listbox, mark the items that you want to see displayed in
the grid. Remove the checkmark for those items you want to omit.
Highlight any one of the checked items in the list box, press the “Move Up” or
“Move Down” button to change the column order.
4. Change the sort order.
Use the controls within the “Sort” group box on the right to specify how the data
will be sorted.
TO CLOSE THE DATA BROWSER:
1. Click on "Done" to close the Data Browser.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 229

Main Window
TOOLS MENU
SCRIPTING | EDIT/CREATE SCRIPT COMMAND
This command starts the PowerScript editor, a tool that allows you create and edit scripts. Please refer to the
PowerScript User’s Manual for additional details on how to create and run scripts.
TO OPEN THE SCRIPT EDITOR:
1. Select the Tools | Scripting | Create Script command.
The Script Editor will open.

The Script editor has command to open existing script file and to create new
ones. Please refer to the PowerScript User’s Manual for additional
information.
To close the Script Editor, execute the File | Exit command on the menu
bar of the Script Editor.

230 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
TOOLS MENU
SCRIPTING | RUN SCRIPT COMMAND
This command executes an existing script. You must have created the script previously using the Script Editor or a
text editor.
TO EXECUTE A SCRIPT:
1. Select the Tools | Scripting | Run Script command.
A standard File Open dialog box will appear asking you to locate a script file
with a .BAS extension.
Use controls in the standard dialog box to open the script file you want to
run and click on OK.
The script will start running.
Note: The program comes with a number of sample scripts, which are stored
in the PROGRAM_FILE\script directory where PROGRAM_FILE is the
ASPEN Power Flow program folder you selected when installing the
program.
The file PROGRAM_FILE\script\readme.txt has a brief description of all the
sample files.
Please refer to the PowerScript User’s Manual for additional details on how
to create and run script files.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 231

Main Window
TOOLS MENU
USER-DEFINED COMMANDS | SETUP COMMAND
The Tools | User-Defined Commands menu has space allocated for five user-defined commands. These commands are
initially listed as Command 1, Command 2, etc. This User-Defined Command | Setup command enables you to
customize these user-defined commands. You can give each command a meaningful name and assign to it a script
file. The program will execute the script file when a user selects the menu item.
TO CUSTOMIZE USER DEFINED COMMANDS:
1. Select the Tools | User-Defined Commands | Setup command.
A dialog box will appear. The information on this dialog box is divided
evenly into five groups, one for each of the five user-defined commands.

2. Customize a command.
Enter a menu label that describes what the command will do.
Enter the full path name of a script file in the edit box labeled Script File. If
needed, click on the Browse button to the right to locate it.
3. Repeat step 2 for commands you want to customize. When done, click OK to
close the dialog box.

232 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

Main Window
TOOLS MENU
RUN CONFIGURATION PROGRAM COMMAND
The Run Configuration Program command in the Main Window allows you to launch the Configuration Program for
Power Flow.
TO LAUNCH THE CONFIGURATION PROGRAM:
1. Select the Tools | Run Configuration program command.
A message box will appear to remind you to restart the program after you have
made changes to the program configuration.

The Configuration Program will appear.

Press Help to see the documentation for the Configuration Program.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 233

Main Window
TOOLS MENU
UPDATE KEY MEMORY COMMAND

The Update Key Memory command in the Main Window is designed to update the memory of a Hasp HL key. With
this command ASPEN can remotely reset the execution count on leased keys and to change the number of programs
and licenses on your keys.
TO UPDATE A HASP HL KEY:
1. Make sure that you have received a key-update file with extension .hmf
from ASPEN and the file is on the hard disk of your PC.
2. Start Power Flow, and before opening any file, execute the Tools | Update
Key Memory command.
Note: This command is dimmed and cannot be activated if you have already
opened a file, or if your program key is not a Hasp HL key.
A standard file-open dialog box will appear asking you to enter the path of the
key memory file.
Specify the path of the key memory file in the dialog box and press Open.
The dialog box will disappear. If successful, the program will let you know
that the key has been updated. The program will shut down automatically after
that.

234 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

3.3 TTY WINDOW COMMANDS
The TTY Window displays the program output in the traditional text form. (Historical note: TTY stands for
"Teletype", the standard text-only terminal used with early computers.) ASPEN Power Flow writes to the TTY
Window when:
1) A text data file is being imported, exported or added to the system. The text informs you of the
program's progress and reports any data errors.
2) A change file is being processed: The text informs you of any data errors and the number of changes
made.
3) Deleted and out of service equipment are listed using the Network | Outage List command in the Main
Window.
4) Solutions are being written to TTY Window using the PFlow | Solution Report command in the Main
Window.
5) Power flow is being solved using PFlow | Power Flow command or PFlow | Batch Cases command in
the Main Window.
The commands in the TTY Window are described in this section. For three of the commands: Print Selected Text,
Save Selected Text, and Copy Selected Text to Clipboard, you must first select one or more lines of text, as follows:
1) Using the mouse, click on the first line that you want to print and then drag the mouse to the last line.
You can drag in either direction. The window will automatically scroll as you drag beyond the top or bottom of the
window.
2) Using the mouse, click on the first line that you want to print. Scroll the window, if needed, to bring into
view the last line you want to print. With the <Shift> key held down, click on the last line.
3) Select the Menu | Select All command to select all the text in the TTY Window

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 235

TTY Window
MENU TTY
CLEAR COMMAND
This command lets you clear the contents of the TTY Window.
TO CLEAR THE CONTENTS OF THE TTY WINDOW:
1. Select the TTY | Clear command.
The TTY Window will be redrawn to show a blank screen.

236 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

TTY Window
MENU TTY
SELECT FONT COMMAND
This command lets you choose the font, font style, and size of the text displayed in the TTY Window.
TO SELECT THE FONT USED IN THE TTY WINDOW:
1. Select the TTY | Select Font command.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the font.

Use the controls in the standard font-selection dialog box to select the
font, font style and size you want. Click on "OK".
The dialog box will disappear and the program will use the selected font to
display the text in TTY Window.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 237

TTY Window
MENU TTY
PRINT SELECTED TEXT COMMAND
This command lets you print the text that you have selected. You must select one or more lines of text before issuing
this command.
TO PRINT SELECTED TEXT:
1. Select the text that you want to print.
The selected text will become highlighted.
2. Select the TTY | Print Selected Text command.
Note: This command is dimmed and cannot be activated if no text has been
selected.
The standard font dialog box will appear asking you to specify the font. For
best effects, you should select a fixed-pitch font, such as “Courier”, “Courier
New” or “LinePrinter”.
3. Use the controls in the standard font-selection dialog box to select the font you
want for printing. Click on "OK".
The dialog box will disappear and printing will begin.

238 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

TTY Window
MENU TTY
SAVE SELECTED TEXT COMMAND
This command lets you save the text that you have selected to a file. You must select one or more lines of text before
issuing this command
TO SAVE SELECTED TEXT TO A FILE:
1. Select the text that you want to save.
The selected text will become highlighted.
2. Select the TTY | Save Selected Text command.
Note: This command is dimmed and cannot be activated if no text has been
selected.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the name of the output file.
3. Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the output file name.
It is recommended that you name all your output report files with the .REP
extension.
4. Click on "OK".
The dialog box will disappear and the selected text will be written to the file.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 239

TTY Window
TTY MENU
CLOSE WINDOW COMMAND
This command lets you close the TTY Window.
TO CLOSE THE TTY WINDOW:
1. Select the Menu | Close window command.
The TTY Window will disappear. The contents of the TTY Window are not
affected by this command.

240 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

TTY Window
EDIT MENU
SELECT ALL COMMAND
This command lets you select all the text in the TTY Window.
TO SELECT ALL OF THE TEXT IN THE TTY WINDOW:
1. Select the Edit | Select All command.
All the text in TTY Window will become highlighted.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 241

TTY Window
EDIT MENU
COPY SELECTED TEXT TO CLIPBOARD COMMAND
This command lets you copy text that you have selected to the clipboard. It is designed to help you transfer text to
other Windows programs, such as text editors or word processors. You must select one or more lines of text before
issuing this command.
TO COPY SELECTED TEXT TO CLIPBOARD:
1. Select the text that you want to print.
The selected text will become highlighted.
2. Select the Edit | Copy Selected Text to Clipboard command.
Note: This command is dimmed and cannot be activated if no text has been
selected.
The selected text will be copied to the clipboard.

242 • SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE ASPEN Power Flow v12

TTY Window
EDIT MENU
FIND COMMAND
This command lets you search for a string in the TTY text buffer. You can search for multiple occurrences of the
string in forward or backward direction from current selection
TO FIND A TEXT STRING:
1. Select the Edit | Find command.
A Search TTY dialog box will be shown.

2. Type the search string into the edit box labeled Find text.
3. Click on Find Forward or Find Backward to look for the string in the
corresponding direction from currently selected line.
If a match is found the line will be highlighted on TTY window. You can
continue to search either forward or backward till the last occurrence of the
search string in that direction.
4. Click the "Done" button when the search is completed.
The search window will be closed.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 3 COMMAND REFERENCE • 243

SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS

4.1 BUSES
A bus is identified by its name and nominal kV. Optional data include a bus number, a location name (usually the
name of the substation), an area number and a zone number. A bus can be associated with one or more circuit
breakers. Please refer to the Breaker Rating Module User’s Manual for description of the breaker model.

4.2 GENERATORS, LOADS, AND SHUNTS

Each bus can have a generator, a load, a shunt and a switched shunt. The models for generators, loads, shunts and
switched shunts are described in the following sections.
Generators
Each bus can have at most one generator, but each generator can have up to 32 units.
Short Circuit Studies
In short circuit simulations, the generator is modeled by a Thevenin equivalent in each sequence network. The
equivalent in the positive sequence consists of a voltage source in series with an impedance. There are three different
impedances for the positive sequence: the subtransient impedance, the transient impedance and the synchronous
impedance. The user can select any one of these three impedances in the Faults | Options command. The equivalent in
the negative and zero sequences consists of an impedance only. See figure below.

Figure 4.1: Generator model. R1+jX1 is the positive-sequence impedance. v is the voltage across the internal
voltage source. R2+jX2 is the negative-sequence impedance. R0+jX0 is the zero-sequence impedance. Rg+jXg is
the impedance between the neutral of the generator and ground.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS • 245

The internal voltage of the generator, v, is equal to:
• per-unit at 0.0 degree if starting from a flat bus voltage profile.
• 1.0 per-unit at the reference angle (which can be specified by the user) if starting from a flat generator voltage
profile.
• A value based on the power flow solution if starting from a solved case.
Power Flow Studies
A generator bus can be controlling voltage or having fixed MW and MVAR schedule. A voltage-controlling generator
can control the voltage magnitude at its local bus terminal or the voltage magnitude at a remote location.
Loads
Each bus can have at most one load, but each load can have up to 32 units. Each unit has a constant-power, constant-
current and constant-impedance component.
Short Circuit Studies
The aggregate load at each bus is modeled as a constant shunt admittances between the bus terminal and ground.
The load admittance, Y (in mhos) is computed from the formula:
Y = f*/(3*v*v)
where f is the load (MW+jMVAR) and v is bus voltage (kV, line-to-ground). The bus voltage, v, is equal to:
• 1.0 per-unit at 0.0 degree if starting from a flat bus voltage profile.
• The calculated voltage if starting from a flat generator voltage profile.
• The power flow solution voltage if starting from a solved power flow case.
The program uses the same shunt admittance is used in all three sequences, unless you specify that the load is
ungrounded. An ungrounded load has infinite impedance in the zero sequence.
Power Flow Studies
In each iteration of the power flow, the power consumption of the constant-impedance and constant-current portions
of the load are updated to reflect the load’s dependence on voltage. The constant-power portion of the load is
modeled as is, without any special treatment.
Shunts
Each bus can have at most one shunt, but each shunt can have up to 32 units. The shunts in the positive and zero
sequence can be specified separately. The positive- and negative-sequence shunts are assumed to be the same. In
both short-circuit and power-flow studies, shunts are modeled as passive admittances between the bus terminal and
ground. An ungrounded shunt can be modeled with a zero-sequence admittance of zero.
Switched Shunt
Each bus can have at most one switched shunt. A switched shunt is a bank of reactors and/or capacitors that can be
switched on and off to regulate voltage. The switched shunts are modeled the same way as fixed shunts.

4.3 TRANSMISSION LINES & SERIES CAPACITORS

Each transmission line is modeled as a pi-circuit. See figure below. The shunt admittances at the two ends of the line
can be different. The unbalanced shunts can be used to model reactors or capacitors that are switched on and off with
the line. However, lines with unbalanced shunt admittances cannot be mutually coupled to other lines.
A series capacitor is a simplified line with a capacitor between the two terminals. The reactances X and X0 are
assumed to be the same. MOV-protected series capacitors are simulated iteratively in OneLiner based on a model
proposed by Goldsworthy. (D.L. Goldsworthy, “A Linearized Model for MOV-Protected Series Capacitors,” IEEE

246 • SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS ASPEN Power Flow v12

Transactions on Power Systems, Vol. PWRS-2, No. 4, November 1987.) In the Power Flow, series capacitors are
treated the same way as a transmission line with a negative reactance. The MOV characteristics are ignored.

Figure 4.2: The transmission line model. In the positive and negative sequence, R+jX is the series impedance, and
G1+jB1 and G2+jB2 are the shunt admittances. The parameters R0+jX0, G10+jB10 and G20+jB20 are defined
similarly in the zero sequence.

4.4 PHASE SHIFTERS

The phase shifter model for both short-circuit and power-flow studies is shown below. The impedances and phase
shift angle are specified by the user. An automatic control feature in the Power Flow Program adjusts the shift angle
to control the MW flow through the phase shifter.

Figure 4.3: Phase shifter model. "a" is the phase shift. A positive value causes the voltage angle of Bus1 to lead
that of Bus2 in the positive sequence. R+jX is the leakage impedance and B is the magnetizing susceptance in the
positive sequence. The parameters R2+jX2 and jB2 are defined similarly in the negative sequence. The parameters
R0+jX0 and jB0 are defined similarly in the zero sequence.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS • 247

4.5 TRANSFORMERS - GENERAL INFORMATION
Power Flow offers a wide variety of 2- and 3-winding transformer models, including auto-transformers and
transformers with complicated neutral connections. The transformer models in Power Flow are based on the paper:
V. Brandwajn, H.W. Dommel and I.I. Dommel, "Matrix Representation of Three-Phase N-Winding Transformers for
Steady State and Transient Studies," IEEE Trans. on PAS, June 1982.
The same method is used in the Electromagnetic Transients Program (EMTP) for modeling multi-phase transformers.
The input data for each transformer consist of its physical parameters that can be obtained readily from the
manufacturer's data sheets or from parameters of existing equivalent circuits. The equivalent circuits for the
transformers are formulated by the program, and never by the user. This approach enables Power Flow to:
• Model the plus or minus 30 degree shift in wye-delta transformers;
• Represent complicated transformer types exactly;
• Avoid the use of fictitious buses;
• Output explicitly, in amps, the neutral current for each auto-transformer and the tertiary circulating current for
each 3-winding transformer.

Some general features of the transformer models are described in the following sections.
Impedances of 2-Winding Transformers
Each 2-winding transformer has two terminal buses: Bus1 and Bus2. The short-circuit impedance of the transformer,
Zps, is measured in a short circuit test in which the Bus1 terminal is excited while the Bus2 terminal is shorted to
ground. In the case of a wye-delta transformer, the Bus1 terminal is assumed to be connected to the wye winding.
(Otherwise, it is not possible to measure a finite zero-sequence short-circuit impedance.) The positive- and zero-
sequence impedances are always the same for a transformer that is made up of separate, single-phase units.
The short-circuit impedances are in per-unit based on the transformer’s base MVA and the tap voltages (and not the
nominal voltages).
Impedances of 2-Winding Transformers
Each 3-winding transformer has three terminal buses: Bus1, Bus2 and the tertiary bus. The three short-circuit
impedances of a 3-winding transformer are defined as follows:
Zps: Impedance measured at the Bus1 terminal with the Bus2 terminal shorted to ground and the tertiary open-
circuited.
Zpt: Impedance measured at the Bus1 terminal with the tertiary shorted to ground and the Bus2 terminal open-
circuited.
Zst: Impedance measured at the Bus2 terminal with the tertiary shorted to ground and the Bus1 terminal open-
circuited.
For wye-wye-delta transformers, you have the option of entering the zero-sequence short-circuit impedances Zpso,
Zpto and Zsto, or the impedances of the classical T model. If you decide to enter the short-circuit impedances, please
note that Zpso should be smaller than Zps.
The impedances of a 3-winding transformer are in per-unit based on the transformer’s base MVA and the tap voltages
(and not the nominal voltages).
Tap Voltages
The tap voltages of the transformer windings affect the turns ratio of the transformer as well as the short-circuit
impedance values. (See the last paragraph under "Short Circuit Impedances".) The transformer terminals are
assumed to be connected to the same physical winding taps in the short-circuit test as in actual use. The tap voltages
you specify must be in kV, line-to-line, for the test configuration.

248 • SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS ASPEN Power Flow v12

Magnetizing Impedance
The magnetizing impedance of a transformer is the apparent impedance measured at a terminal with the other
terminals open-circuited. The magnetizing impedance of most transformers is very large (>50 per unit) and can be
ignored in short circuit studies.
The zero-sequence magnetizing impedance of three-leg-core transformers is a notable exception. In some cases it is
as low as 1.0 per unit. The low impedance is a direct result of the 3-leg-core construction. When a set of 3-phase
windings is excited by zero-sequence current, the three fluxes are forced out of the iron core to return through the air
or oil where the magnetic permeability is much smaller than that of iron. The low permeability in the flux path results
in low apparent impedance of the windings.
The program has provisions for modeling the magnetizing susceptance of 2- and 3-winding transformers.
(Susceptance is -1/reactance.) The user should consider the modeling of magnetizing impedance of 3-leg-core
transformers if high accuracy is desired.

Figure 4.5: A three-leg-core transformer. This figure shows the fluxes produced by zero-sequence current.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS • 249

4.6 2-WINDING TRANSFORMERS
The program offers 2-winding transformer models in five basic configurations shown in figure 4.6. Note that in the
case of a wye-delta transformer, the wye-connected winding is attached to the Bus1 side.
A number of variations can be derived from these five basic configurations by varying the grounding impedances.
Figure 4.7 shows how this can be done for the basic configuration with two wye connected windings.

Figure 4.6: Basic two-winding transformer configurations.

250 • SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS ASPEN Power Flow v12

Figure 4.7: Four variations of the basic wye-wye configuration. Note that infinite impedance is signified by the
value 1.0E8 + j1.0E8.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS • 251

4.7 3-WINDING TRANSFORMERS
The program offers a variety of 3-winding transformer models. The basic configurations available are shown in
Figure 4.8.
Again, a number of variations can be derived from these basic configurations by varying the grounding impedances.
See Figure 4.7 for examples on how this can be done for the basic configuration where the first two windings are wye-
connected.
The allowable test configurations for 3-winding transformers are shown in Figure 4.9.

Figure 4.8: Basic three-winding transformer configurations in use. The 'in use' configurations must
be one of the configurations shown in this figure.

252 • SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS ASPEN Power Flow v12

Figure 4.8 (continued): Basic three-winding transformer configurations in use. Numerous variations
can be derived from the three basic forms on this page. See Figure 4.7.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS • 253

Figure 4.8 (continued): Basic three-winding transformer configurations in use.

254 • SECTION 4 NETWORK MODELS ASPEN Power Flow v12

SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT

5.1 NETWORK DATA FORMAT

The text data file is a text file that contains the parameters of the power network. The text data file is intended
primarily as a medium of exchange between ASPEN OneLiner/Power Flow and other programs – such as data
conversion programs.
The text data format is not intended for:
Human readability.
Editing by hand.
Data exchange between different versions of ASPEN OneLiner/Power Flow.
OneLiner and Power Flow reads the text data file under the File | Open Text Data File command. The programs can
also generate network data file under the File | Export | Network Data command.
Each text data file contains the following information:
• Miscellaneous system parameters
• File comments
• Bus data
• Bus regulation data
• Generation data
• Load data
• Shunt data
• Switched shunt data
• DC line data
• Transmission line data (also for series capacitors)
• Phase shifter data
• Two-winding transformer data
• Three-winding transformer data
• Zero-sequence mutual coupling data
• Area data
• Zone data
• Breaker data
• Impedance correction data for phase shifters.
The format of these data is described in this section.
The following guidelines pertain to the text data file format:

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 255

1. All alphanumeric data must be within quotation marks. You can specify whether to use single or double
quotation mark as the string delimiter in the Network | Options dialog box. The string delimiter is stated in the
beginning of the text data file. See item 1 in the [ONELINER AND POWER DATA] section.
2. Adjacent data items must be separated by one or more spaces.
3. Adjacent sections are separated by one blank line.
4. If the data for an object takes more than one line, add the character ‘\’ to the end of each line (except the last
one) to let the program know that more data for the same object will follow.
5. The sections do not have to be in the order shown, except (a) the [ONELINER AND POWER FLOW DATA]
section must be first, (b) the [BUS DATA] section must precede sections that refer to bus names, (c) the [BUS
REGULATION DATA] section must precede the [GENERATOR DATA] section, and the [TRANSMISSION
LINE DATA] section must precede the [MUTUAL DATA] section.
6. Each object must have all the values listed before the equal sign, which are needed for identification purposes.
7. Users should enter all the values after the equal sign. If the data stream for the object terminates before all the
data values are read in, the program will replace the values omitted (after the last value entered) by their default
values.
8. All per-unit values are in system base, except as noted otherwise.
9. Lines that start with ‘//’ (double forward slash characters) are treated as comments. The program ignores all
those lines when reading text data file.
Please refer to the documenation of the Network | New commands in Section 3 for a detailed explanation of the data
items, e.g., Network | New | Bus command for explanation of bus parameters.
In the following, the items that are new or changed in version 12 of OneLiner/Power Flow are underlined. The items
that were in version 11 and not in version 12 are striked out.

5.2 FILE HEADER

The first line in this data section must say: [ONELINER AND POWER FLOW DATA]. This is followed by the
data described below. A blank line ends the section. The program-version line is required.
1. String delimiter: You can specify whether character strings are enclosed by single or double quotation marks.
The syntax is: delimiter=’ or delimiter=” The default is the single quotation mark. This line is optional, but if
you want to use it, it should be the first one in the section.
2. Application Program Name: The program name that follows 'app= ' is the program that created this file,
enclosed by quotation marks.
3. Program Version: The numbers that follow ‘ver=’ are the year the program was released, the version letter
enclosed by quotation marks, and the major and minor version number, separated by a period.
4. Creation Date: The date following 'date= ' is the date on which the network text file was created, enclosed by
quotation marks.
An example of this section is shown below.
[ONELINER AND POWER FLOW DATA]
delimiter='
app= 'ASPEN OneLiner and Power Flow'
ver= 2007 'A' 11.1
date= 'Tue Mar 24 11:07:50 2009'

5.3 SYSTEM PARAMETERS

This section contains the system MVA and a number of OneLiner and Power Flow system parameters. The first line
in the section must say: [SYSTEM PARAMETERS]. This is followed by the data described below. A blank line
ends the section.
Only the Base MVA item is required. The others are optional and can be omitted.

256 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

1. Base MVA: The number following ‘mva=’ is the system per-unit base MVA. The default value is 100.
2. Generator Impedance for Short Circuits: The number following ‘genZtype=’ tells the program which of the
positive-sequence generator impedances to use for short circuit simulations: 0 for subtransient, 1 for transient,
and 2 for synchronous. Zero is default.
3. Power Flow Parameters
The parameters following ‘pf=’ are for power flow simulations. The parameters are, in this order:
Maximum Iterations: The iterative solution will stop when the iteration count reaches this number, even if the
power flow has not converged. The default value is 20.
MW Tolerance: The power flow is considered converged if the maximum MW and MVAR bus
mismatches are less than their respective tolerances and the auto adjustment constraints
(if any) have been enforced. The default value is 1.0 MW.
MVAR Tolerance: See explanation for MW Tolerance. The default value is 1.0 MVAR.
P Adj. Threshold: Real power adjustment threshold. This value is meaningful only if the LTC, MVAR-
limit, area-interchange or remote voltage-control constraints are being enforced. The
program checks and enforces these constraints whenever the maximum MW and
MVAR bus mismatches are below this threshold and the Q Adj. Threshold,
respectively. The auto adjustment thresholds (P Adj. and Q Adj. thresholds) must be at
least twice as large as the convergence tolerances. The default value is 20 MW.
Q Adj. Threshold: See explanation of the P Adj. Threshold. The default value is 20 MVAR.
Enforcement Options: A bit field containing the automatic adjustment options used. The default is 0 for no
automatic adjustments.
4. Short Circuit Parameters
The parameters following ‘sc=’ are for short circuit simulations. They are listed below:
Prefault Voltage option: 0 for “From linear network solution”; 1 for “Assumed flat”; and 2 for “From a
nonlinear power flow solution”. 1 is the default.
Ignore Instantaneous: 1 to ignore the instantaneous unit of overcurrent relays; 0 otherwise. 0 is the default.
Ignore Loads: 1 to ignore loads; 0 otherwise. 0 is the default.
Ignore Shunts: 1 to ignore switched shunts and shunts with + seq. components; 0 otherwise. 0 is the
default.
Ignore Line G+jB: 1 to ignore the shunt admittances of transmission lines; 0 otherwise. 0 is the default.
Extend to 1.0 Pickup: 1 to extrapolate overcurrent relay curves to 1.0 times pickup; 0 otherwise. 0 is the default.
Ignore Phase Shift: 1 to ignore phase shift of transformers and phase shifters; 0 otherwise. 0 is the default.
Ignore MOVs: 1 to ignore MOVs that protect series capacitors. 0 otherwise. 1 is the default.
Generator I Limits: 0 to ignore all generator current limits. 1 to enforce current limits A, and 2 for current
limit B. 0 is the default.
5. Size Information (optional)
The size information lets the program know, at the very beginning of the file, how many objects of different kinds
are in the file. This information enables the program to allocation the memory for these objects just once, instead
of doing it piecemeal as data are read in. This has the effect of speeding up the reading of large files, sometimes
by as much as a factor of 10. The size information includes one or more of the following, on separate lines:
'NObus= ': Total number of buses
‘NOgen=’: Total number of generators
‘NOload=’: Total number of loads
‘NOcap=’: Total number of shunts
‘NOline=’: Total number of transmission lines
‘NOxfmr=’: Total number of 2-winding transformers
‘NOmemoTags=’: Total number of memos and tags for various network and relay objects.
The object counts need not be exact. The program will automatically reallocate more memory if the count is less
than the actual number of objects.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 257

An example system-parameters section is shown below.
[SYSTEM PARAMETERS]
mva= 100
genZType= 0
pf= 20 1 1 20 20 6
sc= 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
NObus= 30
NOgen= 6
NOload= 1
NOline= 35
NOxfmr= 4
NOmemoTags= 6

5.4 FILE COMMENTS

The file comments can be any description or notes the user may want to attach to the file. The first line in this section
must say: [FILE COMMENTS]. This is followed by the comments, which can have up to 74 lines of text. Each line
must be enclosed by quotation marks and can have a maximum of 79 characters. A blank line ends the section.
An example file comments section with 3 lines is shown below.
[FILE COMMENTS]
' 29-BUS TEST SYSTEM'
'Summer peak load in 1998'
'Transformer between NEVADA and REUSENS is taken out of service'

5.5 BUS DATA

This section contains bus parameters. The first line in the section must say: [BUS DATA]. This is followed by the
data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus Name: Name of the bus, left justified, with a maximum of 12 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be
used, except for ‘#’ , ‘$’ and the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The bus name is enclosed in
quotation marks.
2. Base kV: Nominal, line-to-line, voltage of the bus in kV.
3. Bus Number: Numerical identifier for the bus. Each bus may be assigned a number between 0 and 999999,
inclusive. The bus number is optional. However, if the bus number is not 0, it must be unique.
4. Area Number: Area number of the area in which bus resides. The area number must be in the range 0-9999,
inclusive. The default value is 1.
5. Zone Number: Zone number of the zone in which bus resides. The zone number must be in the range 0-9999,
inclusive. The default value is 1.
6. Location Name: Location name for bus, maximum of 8 characters. The default value is first 8 characters of bus
name. The location name is enclosed in quotation marks. The location name is usually the name of the substation.
7. Tap Bus Flag: 0 if it is a regular bus; 1 if it is a tap bus at the junction of two line sections.
8. Bus Voltage (real part): Real part of the bus voltage from a power flow solution, in per-unit.
9. Bus Voltage (imaginary part): Imaginary part of the bus voltage from a power flow solution, in per-unit.
10. State Plane X Coordinate: This is a floating-point number.
11. State Plane Y Coordinate: This is a floating-point number. The Y coordinate is assumed to increase in the “up”
direction.
12. Substation group: Substation group number for this bus. The default value is 0.
13. Mid-point bus flag: 0 if it is a regular bus. 1 if it is mid point of a 3-winding transformer represented as T-
equivalent.

258 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

14. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
15. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example bus data section is shown below.
[BUS DATA]
'MARYLAND' 33= 18 3 1 'MARYLAND' 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 '' ''
'MINNESOTA' 33= 15 3 1 'MINNESOT' 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 '' ''
'MONTANA' 33= 14 3 1 'MONTANA' 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 '' ''
'NEVADA' 132= 6 1 1 'NEVADA' 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 'Revised 19/9/1999' ''

5.6 BUS REGULATION DATA

This section contains generator regulation parameters. The first line in the section must say: [BUS REGULATION
DATA]. This is followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus Name: Name of the bus to which the generator is attached. The bus name is enclosed in quotation marks.
2. Base kV: Nominal kV of the generator bus.
3. Generator Reference Angle: The angle of the voltage source in the generator model. This angle and the open-
circuit voltage (item 8) are used in the flat-generator-voltage start option of OneLiner only. The default value is 0.0.
4. Regulation Type Flag: 0 if the generator regulates voltage. 1 if the generator has fixed MW and MVAR output. 2
if the generator is on the system slack bus. The default type is 0.
5. Scheduled Voltage: Scheduled voltage magnitude in per-unit. This value is used only if the generator is regulating
voltage. The default value is 1.0.
6. Regulated Bus Name: The name of the bus whose voltage magnitude is to be regulated by the generator. The
regulated bus name is enclosed in quotation marks. The default name is the local bus name.
In most cases, the generator regulates the voltage at its own terminal. If the generator regulates the voltage at
another bus, the bus being regulated must be a load bus.
7. Regulated Bus Base kV: Nominal kV of the regulated bus. The default value is nominal kV of the local bus.
8. Generator’s Open Circuit Voltage: The magnitude of the voltage source in the generator model, in per-unit. This
value and the referenced angle are used in the flat-generator-voltage start option of OneLiner only. The default value
is 1.0.
9. Current limit A: Maximum phase current output during a fault, in amperes.
10. Current limit B: Maximum phase current output during a fault, in amperes.
11. Current limit C: Not used. Set to 0.0.
12. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
13. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example bus regulation data section is shown below.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 259

[BUS REGULATION DATA]
'CLAYTOR' 132= 0 0 1 'CLAYTOR' 132 1 4000 3500 3000 '' ''
'FIELDALE' 132= 0 0 1 'FIELDALE' 132 1 0 0 0 '' ''
'GLEN LYN' 132= 0 0 1 'GLEN LYN' 132 1 0 0 0 '' ''
'HANCOCK' 13.8= 0 0 1 'HANCOCK' 13.8 1 0 0 0 '' ''

5.7 GENERATOR DATA

This section contains parameters of generating units. All per-unit impedances for generators are based on the rating of
the units and not the system MVA. The first line in the section must say: [GENERATOR DATA]. This is followed
by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus Name: Name of the bus to which the generator is attached, in quotation marks.
2. Base kV: Nominal kV of the generator bus.
3. Generating Unit Identifier: A 2-character identifier used to differentiate between multiple generating units on the
same bus. The identifier is enclosed in quotation marks.
4. In-Service Flag: 1 if the generator is in-service; 0 if it is not. The default value is 1.
5. R": The subtransient resistance (per-unit on generator base) in the positive-sequence generator model.
6. X": The subtransient reactance (per-unit on generator base) in the positive-sequence generator model. R” and X”
cannot both be zero.
7. R': The transient resistance (per-unit on generator base) in the positive-sequence generator model.
8. X': The transient reactance (per-unit on generator base) in the positive-sequence generator model. R’ and X’ cannot
both be zero.
9. R: The synchronous resistance (per-unit on generator base) in the positive-sequence generator model
10. X: The synchronous reactance (per-unit on generator base) in the positive-sequence generator model. R and X
cannot both be zero.
11. R2: The internal resistance (per-unit on generator base) in the negative-sequence generator model.
12. X2: The reactance (per-unit on generator base) in the negative-sequence generator model. R2 and X2 cannot both be
zero.
13. R0: The internal resistance (per-unit on generator base) in the zero-sequence generator model.
14. X0: The internal reactance (per-unit on generator base) in the zero-sequence generator model. R0 and X0 cannot
both be zero.
15. RN: Resistive component of neutral impedance in ohms (do not multiply by 3). The default value is 0.0.
16. XN: Reactive component of neutral impedance in ohms (do not multiply by 3). The default value is 0.0.
17. MVA: MVA rating of the generating unit. The default value is the system MVA.
18. Scheduled MW: Scheduled MW output. The default value is 0.0.
19. Scheduled MVAR: Scheduled MVAR output. This value is used only if the generator has fixed MW and MVAR
output (specified in the Bus Regulation Section). The default value is 0.0.
20. Minimum MW: Minimum MW output. The default value is -9999.0.
21. Maximum MW: The maximum MW output. The default value is 9999.0. The MW limits are not used in this
version of the program, but they will be used to limit the output of the system and area slack generators in future
versions.
22. Minimum MVAR: Minimum MVAR output. The default value is -9999.
23. Maximum MVAR: Maximum MVAR output. The default value is 9999.0. The MVAR limits are used only if the
generator is regulating voltage.
24. Actual MW Generation: Actual MW generation, from a solved power flow solution.
25. Actual MVAR Generation: Actual MVAR generation, from a solved power flow solution.
An example generator data section is shown below.

260 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

[GENERATOR DATA]
'CLAYTOR' 132 '1'= 1 0 0.2 0 0.2 0 0.2 0 0.2 0 0.2 0 0 100 0 0 -9999 9999 -9999 9999 0 0
'FIELDALE' 132 '1'= 1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0 100 0 0 -9999 9999 -9999 9999 0 0
'GLEN LYN' 132 '1'= 1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0 100 0 0 -9999 9999 -9999 9999 0 0
'HANCOCK' 13.8 '1'= 1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0 100 0 0 -9999 9999 -9999 9999 0 0

5.8 LOAD DATA

This section contains load parameters. The first line in the load data section must say: [LOAD DATA]. This is
followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus Name: Name of the bus to which the load is attached, enclosed in quotation marks.
2. Base kV: Nominal kV of the bus.
3. Load Unit Identifier: A two-character identifier used to differentiate between multiple load units on the same bus.
The identifier is enclosed in quotation marks.
4. In-Service Flag: 1 if the load is in-service; 0 if it is not. The default value is 1.
5. MW Constant Power: Megawatts (constant-power component) consumed. The default value is 0.0.
6. MVAR Constant Power: Megavars (constant-power component) consumed. The default value is 0.0.
7. MW Constant Current: Megawatts (constant-current component) consumed when the voltage is at 1.0 per unit.
The default value is 0.0. The constant-current component is not yet working in this version.
8. MVAR Constant Current: Megavars (constant-current component) consumed when the voltage is at 1.0 per unit.
The default value is 0.0. The constant-current component is not yet working in this version.
9. MW Constant Impedance: Megawatts (constant-impedance component) consumed when the voltage is at 1.0 per
unit. The default value is 0.0.
10. MVAR Constant Impedance: Megavars (constant-impedance component) consumed when the voltage is at 1.0 per
unit. The default value is 0.0.
11. Grounding Flag: 0 if the load is grounded; 1 if it is ungrounded. The default value is 0.
12. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
13. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example load data section is shown below.
[LOAD DATA]
'ALASKA' 33 '1'= 1 10.6 1.9 0 0 0 0 0 '' ''
'CALIFORNIA' 33 '1'= 1 3.5 2.3 0 0 0 0 0 '' ''
'CLAYTOR' 132 '1'= 1 21.7 12.7 0 0 0 0 0 '' ''

5.9 SHUNT DATA

This section contains parameters of shunt units. The first line in the section must say: [SHUNT DATA]. This is
followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus Name: Name of the bus to which the shunt is attached, enclosed by quotation marks.
2. Base kV: Nominal kV of the bus.
3. Shunt Unit Identifier: A 2-character identifier used to differentiate between multiple shunt units on the same bus.
The identifier is enclosed in quotation marks.
4. In-Service Flag: 1 if the shunt is in-service; 0 if it is not. The default value is 1.
5. G: Positive-sequence shunt conductance, G, in per unit. The same value is used in the negative sequence. The
default value is 0.0.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 261

6. B: Positive-sequence shunt susceptance, B, in per unit. The same value is used in the negative sequence. B is
positive for capacitors and negative for reactors. The default value is 0.0.
7. G0: Zero-sequence shunt conductance in per unit. The default value is 0.0.
8. B0: Zero-sequence shunt susceptance in per unit. The default value is 0.0.
9. 3-Winding Transformer Shunt Flag: 1 if the shunt is part of the T model of a 3-winding transformer; 0 if is not.
The default value is 0. This flag is for output purposes only. It has no effect on the solution.
10. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
11. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example shunt data section is shown below.
[SHUNT DATA]
'OHIO' 132 '1'= 1 0 0 0.3 0.8 0 '' ''
'ROANOKE' 13.8 '1'= 1 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.7 0 '' ''
'WASHINGTON' 33 '1'= 1 0.01 0.07 0.3 0.7 0 '' ''

5.10 SWITCHED SHUNT DATA

This section contains switched shunt parameters. The first line in the section must say: [SWITCHED SHUNT
DATA]. This is followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus Name: Name of the bus to which the switched shunt is attached, enclosed by quotation marks.
2. Base kV: Nominal kV of the bus.
3. In-Service Flag: 1 if the switched shunt is in-service; 0 if it is not. The default value is 1.
4. B: Positive-sequence shunt susceptance, B, in per unit. The zero-sequence of the switched shunt is calculated
automatically by the program. The default value for B is 0.0.
5. Control Mode Flag: 0 if the susceptance of the switched shunt is fixed. 1 if the susceptance of the shunt banks is
switched on and off incrementally in discrete steps to regulate voltage. 2 if the susceptance of the shunt banks is
adjusted continuously to regulate voltage.
6. Min Target Voltage in per-unit: Ignored when the control mode is on "Fixed". The default is 0.0.
7. Max Target Voltage in per-unit: Ignored when the control mode is on "Fixed". The default is 0.0.
8. Controlled Bus Name: Name of the bus whose voltage magnitude is to be regulated by the switched shunt. The bus
name is enclosed in quotation marks.
9. Controlled Bus Base kV: Nominal kV of the bus whose voltage magnitude is to be regulated by the switched shunt.
10. Number of Banks: A switched shunt can have up to 8 banks of capacitors and reactors.
11. Bank #1 Number of Steps: Number of steps for the first bank of capacitors and reactors. The number of steps in
each bank can be any integer between 1 through 9, inclusive. A value of 0 means that the bank, as well as all
subsequent banks, are not in use.
12. Bank #2 Number of Steps: Number of steps for the second bank of capacitors and reactors.
13. Bank #3 Number of Steps: Number of steps for the third bank of capacitors and reactors.
14. Bank #4 Number of Steps: Number of steps for the fourth bank of capacitors and reactors.
15. Bank #5 Number of Steps: Number of steps for the fifth bank of capacitors and reactors.
16. Bank #6 Number of Steps: Number of steps for the sixth bank of capacitors and reactors.
17. Bank #7 Number of Steps: Number of steps for the seventh bank of capacitors and reactors.
18. Bank #8 Number of Steps: Number of steps for the eighth bank of capacitors and reactors.
19. Bank #1 G/Step: Per-unit positive-sequence conductance of each step for the first bank. This value is ignored in the
current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.

262 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

20. Bank #1 B/Step: Per-unit positive-sequence susceptance of each step for the first bank. The susceptance is positive
for a capacitor and negative for a reactor. The default value is 0.0.
21. Bank #2 G/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
22. Bank #2 B/Step: Per-unit positive-sequence susceptance of each step for the second bank.
23. Bank #3 G/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
24. Bank #3 B/Step: Per-unit positive-sequence susceptance of each step for the third bank.
25. Bank #4 G/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
26. Bank #4 B/Step: Per-unit positive-sequence susceptance of each step for the fourth bank.
27. Bank #5 G/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
28. Bank #5 B/Step: Per-unit positive-sequence susceptance of each step for the fifth bank.
29. Bank #6 G/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
30. Bank #6 B/Step: Per-unit positive-sequence susceptance of each step for the sixth bank.
31. Bank #7 G/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
32. Bank #7 B/Step: Per-unit positive-sequence susceptance of each step for the seventh bank.
33. Bank #8 G/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
34. Bank #8 B/Step: Per-unit positive-sequence susceptance of each step for the eighth bank.
35. Bank #1 Go/Step: Per-unit zero-sequence conductance of each step for the first bank. This value is ignored in the
current version of OneLiner.
36. Bank #1 Bo/Step: Per-unit zero-sequence susceptance of each step for the first bank. The default value is 0.0. The
susceptance is positive for a capacitor and negative for a reactor. Enter zero if the bank is ungrounded.
37. Bank #2 Go/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
38. Bank #2 Bo/Step: Per-unit zero-sequence susceptance of each step for the second bank.
39. Bank #3 Go/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
40. Bank #3 Bo/Step: Per-unit zero-sequence susceptance of each step for the third bank.
41. Bank #4 Go/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
42. Bank #4 Bo/Step: Per-unit zero-sequence susceptance of each step for the fourth bank.
43. Bank #5 Go/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
44. Bank #5 Bo/Step: Per-unit zero-sequence susceptance of each step for the fifth bank.
45. Bank #6 Go/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
46. Bank #6 Bo/Step: Per-unit zero-sequence susceptance of each step for the sixth bank.
47. Bank #7 Go/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
48. Bank #7 Bo/Step: Per-unit zero-sequence susceptance of each step for the seventh bank.
49. Bank #8 Go/Step: This value is ignored in the current version of OneLiner/Power Flow.
50. Bank #8 Bo/Step: Per-unit zero-sequence susceptance of each step for the eighth bank.
51. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
52. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example switched shunt data section is shown below.
[SWITCHED SHUNT DATA]
'OHIO' 132= 1 5.24 1 0.88 1.1 'REUSENS' 132 8 1 2 2 4 8 3 3 8 /
0 0.6 0 0.4 0 0.7 0 0.11 0 0.5 0 0.3 0 0.45 0 0.2 /
0 0.3 0 0.2 0 0.7 0 0.12 0 0.44 0 0.22 0 0.7 0 0.5 /
'' ''

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 263

5.11 TRANSMISSION LINE DATA
This section contains parameters of transmission lines, series capacitors and reactors. The zero-sequence mutual
coupling data are specified in a later section. All the impedances are based on the system MVA base and the nominal
kV of the bus terminals. The first line in the section must say: [TRANSMISSION LINE DATA]. This is followed
by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus1 Name: Bus name at one end of the branch, enclosed in quotation marks.
2. Bus1 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus1.
3. Bus2 Name: Bus name at the other end of branch, enclosed in quotation marks.
4. Bus2 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus2. This must be the same as Bus1’s base kV.
5. Circuit Identifier: A two-character circuit identifier. Parallel branches must have different circuit identifiers. The
circuit identifier is enclosed in quotation marks.
6. In-Service Flag: 1 if the branch is in-service; 0 if it is not. The default value is 1.
7. Meter Flag: 0.0 if the line is metered at Bus1. 100.0 if it is metered at Bus2. No other values are allowed.
8. Branch Name: A 12-character name for the line, enclosed in quotation marks. The branch name is blank by default.
9. Type Name: A 12-character name for the configuration type used to calculate the electrical parameters for the
transmission line. The type name is enclosed in quotation marks. The type name, if not blank, must match one of
the type names in the ASPEN Line Table File, ASPEN.LTB. The type name is blank by default.
10. Length: Physical length of transmission line. This value is required when the Type Name is not blank. The default
value is 0.0.
11. Unit of Length: Unit of length for transmission line, enclosed in quotation marks. It is required when the Type
Name is not blank. The unit of length must be one of the following: kt (for 1000 feet), ft, mi, m or km.
12. R: Positive-sequence series resistance in per unit. The same value is used for the negative sequence.
13. X: Positive-sequence series reactance in per unit. X must be negative for a series capacitor. The same value is used
for the negative sequence. R and X cannot both be zero.
14. G1: Positive-sequence shunt conductance on the Bus1 side, in per unit. The same value is used for the negative
sequence. The default value is 0.0.
15. B1: Positive-sequence shunt susceptance on the Bus1 side, in per unit. The same value is used for the negative
sequence. The default value is 0.0.
16. G2: Positive-sequence shunt conductance on the Bus2 side, in per unit. The same value is used for the negative
sequence. G2 can be different from G1, but unbalanced lines cannot be mutually coupled. The default value is G1.
17. B2: Positive-sequence shunt susceptance on the Bus2 side, in per unit. The same value is used for the negative
sequence. B2 can be different from B1, but unbalanced lines cannot be mutually coupled. The default value is B1.
18. R0: Zero-sequence series resistance in per unit.
19. X0: Zero-sequence series reactance in per unit. Xo must be negative for a series capacitor. Ro and Xo cannot both
be zero.
20. G10: Zero-sequence shunt conductance on the Bus1 side, in per unit. The default value is G1.
21. B10: Zero-sequence shunt susceptance on the Bus1 side, in per unit. The default value is B1.
22. G20: Zero-sequence shunt conductance on the Bus2 side, in per unit. The default value is G10.
23. B20: Zero-sequence shunt susceptance on the Bus2 side, in per unit. The default value is B10.
24. Number of Current Ratings: Number of current ratings to follow. It must be 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4.
25. Current Rating #1: Current rating in ampere. The default value is 0.0.
26. Current Rating #2: Current rating in ampere. The default value is 0.0.
27. Current Rating #3: Current rating in ampere. The default value is 0.0.
28. Current Rating #4: Current rating in ampere. The default value is 0.0.

264 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

29. MOV protected level current: For series capacitor, enter the protected level current of the MOV in kA, which must
be positive. The default is 0.0.
30. Series compensation flag: Enter 0 for transmission line; 1 for in-service series capacitor/reactor; 2 for bypassed
series capacitor/reactor.
31. I^2T Rating: I^2T rating of line in ampere^2 Sec.
32. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
33. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example transmission line data section is shown below.
[TRANSMISSION LINE DATA]
'GLEN LYN' 132 'CLAYTOR' 132 '1'= 1 0 'Glen/Clay' '' 0 'ft' /
0.0192 0.0575 0 0.0132 0 0.0132 0.0384 0.115 0 0.0066 0 0.0066 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 '' ''
'GLEN LYN' 132 'TEXAS' 132 '1'= 1 0 '' '' 0 'ft' /
0.0452 0.1852 0 0.0102 0 0.0102 0.0452 0.1852 0 0.0102 0 0.0102 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 '' ''

5.12 PHASE SHIFTER DATA

This section contains the parameters of phase shifters. All the impedances and admittances are based on the phase
shifter’s own MVA base and the nominal kV of the branch terminals. The first line in the section must say: [PHASE
SHIFTER DATA]. This is followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus1 Name: Bus name at one end of the phase shifter, enclosed in quotation marks.
2. Bus1 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus1.
3. Bus2 Name: Bus name at the other end of the phase shifter, enclosed in quotation marks.
4. Bus2 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus2.
5. Circuit Identifier: A two-character circuit identifier. Parallel phase shifters must have different circuit identifiers.
The circuit identifier is enclosed in quotation marks.
6. In-Service Flag: 1 if the phase shifter is in-service; 0 if it is not. The default value is 1.
7. Meter Flag: 0.0 if the phase shifter is metered at Bus1. 100.0 if it is metered at Bus2. No other values are allowed.
This feature is not being used in this version.
8. Branch Name: A 12-character name for the phase shifter, enclosed in quotation marks. The branch name is blank
by default.
9. Shift Angle: Phase shift in degrees. A positive shift angle will cause the voltage angle of Bus1 to lead that of Bus2
in the positive sequence.
10. R: Positive-sequence series resistance (in per unit, on phase shifter’s own MVA base).
11. X: Positive-sequence series reactance (in per unit, on phase shifter’s own MVA base). R and X cannot both be zero.
12. B: Positive-sequence susceptance (in per unit, on phase shifter’s own MVA base). B must be zero or negative. The
default value is 0.0.
13. R0: Zero-sequence series resistance (in per unit, on phase shifter’s own MVA base). The default value is R.
14. X0: Zero-sequence series reactance (in per unit, on phase shifter’s own MVA base). R0 and X0 cannot both be zero.
The default value is X.
15. B0: Zero-sequence susceptance (in per unit, on phase shifter’s own MVA base). B0 must be zero or negative. The
default value is B.
16. R2: Negative-sequence series (in per unit, on phase shifter’s own MVA base). The default value is R.
17. X2: Negative-sequence series reactance (in per unit, on phase shifter’s own MVA base). R2 and X2 cannot both be
zero. The default value is X. See #16 above.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 265

18. B2: Negative-sequence susceptance (in per unit, on phase shifter’s own MVA base). B2 must be zero or negative.
The default value is B.
19. Number of Ratings: Must be 1.
20. MVA Rating: This feature is not being used in this version.
21. MW Flow Control Flag: 0 if the phase shifter angle is fixed; 1 if it is adjusted in the Power Flow Program to
automatically control real power flow.
22. Max Angle Limit: The Power Flow Program will adjust the phase shift between this value and the minimum angle
limit (item 23 below). The program requires the maximum angle to be more than 1 degree larger than the minimum
angle. The default value is 0.0.
23. Min Angle Limit: See item 22 above.
24. Max Target MW: Maximum target range for flow of real power in megawatts. This value is ignored when the MW
flow control is off. The default value is 0.0.
25. Min Target MW: Minimum target range for flow of real power in megawatts. This value is ignored when the MW
flow control is off. The default value is 0.0.
26. Base MVA: The MVA base for all the impedances. The default is the system base MVA.
27. Impedance Correction Table Entry Number: 0 if the impedances are fixed. Otherwise, enter the impedance
correction table entry number between 1 and 96, inclusive.
28. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
29. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example phase shifter data section is shown below.
[PHASE SHIFTER DATA]
'TENNESSEE' 132 'NEVADA' 132 '1'= 1 0 'Ten/Nev' 5 0.0119 0.0414 -0.0045 0.03 0.12 -0.0045 0.0119 0.0414 -
0.0045 1 100 /
0 0 0 0 0 100 0 '' ''

5.13 2-WINDING TRANSFORMER DATA

This section contains parameters of 2-winding transformers. With the exception of the line shunts, all the per-unit
impedances and admittances are based on the transformer’s own MVA base and the tap kVs. The admittances of the
line shunts are based on the system MVA base and the nominal kV of the bus terminals. The grounding impedances
are in ohms and should be entered without any multiplication by 3. The first line in the section must say: [2W
TRANSFORMER DATA]. This is followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus1 Name: Bus name at one end of the transformer, enclosed in quotation marks.
2. Bus1 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus1.
3. Bus2 Name: Bus name at the other end of the transformer, enclosed in quotation marks.
4. Bus2 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus2.
5. Circuit Identifier: A 2-character circuit identifier in quotation marks. Parallel transformers must have different
circuit identifiers.
6. In-Service Flag: 1 if the transformer is in-service; 0 if it is not. The default value is 1.
7. Meter Flag: 0.0 if the transformer is metered at Bus1, and 100.0 if at Bus2. No other values are allowed.
8. Branch Name: A 12-character name for the transformer, enclosed in quotation marks. The branch name is blank by
default.
9. Bus1 Tap kV: The Bus1 winding tap voltage in kV, line-to-line. The default is the nominal kV of Bus1.
10. Bus2 Tap kV: The Bus2 winding tap voltage in kV, line-to-line. The default is the nominal kV of Bus2.

266 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

11. Auto-Transformer Flag: 1 if the transformer is an auto-transformer; 0 if it is not. An auto-transformer is assumed
to be wye-connected.
12. R: Real part of the positive-sequence short-circuit impedance measured at the Bus1 terminal with the Bus2 terminal
short circuited. The same value is used in the negative-sequence model. R and X are in per-unit based on
transformer’s own MVA base and the tap voltages.
13. X: Imaginary part of the positive-sequence short-circuit impedance measured at the Bus1 terminal with the Bus2
terminal short circuited. The same value is used in the negative-sequence model. R and X cannot both be zero.
14. B: Positive-sequence susceptance (in per-unit on transformer’s own MVA base and tap voltages). The same value is
used in the negative-sequence model. B must be zero or negative.
15. R0: Same meaning as R, except R0 is for the zero sequence.
16. X0: Same meaning as X, except X0 is for the zero sequence.
17. B0: Same meaning as B, except B0 is for the zero sequence.
18. Bus1 Winding Configuration: ‘G’ if wye connected, ‘D’ if delta connected, and ‘Z’ for a zigzag winding. The
default is ‘G’. The table below lists winding configuration codes for the different transformer types supported by the
program:
1. Wye-Wye: Winding configuration=’GG’; test configuration=’GG’, Auto flag=0.
2. Auto-Wye: Winding configuration=’GG’; test configuration=’GG’, Auto flag=1.
3. Wye-Delta, delta lags: Winding configuration=’GD’; test configuration=’GD’, Auto flag=0.
4. Wye-Delta, delta leads: Winding configuration=’GE’; test configuration=’GD’, Auto flag=0.
5. Delta-Delta: Winding configuration=’DD’; test configuration=’GG’, Auto flag=0.
6. Delta-Zigzag: Winding configuration=’ZD’; test configuration=’ZD’, Auto flag=0.
7. Wye-Zigzag, wye leads: Winding configuration=’ZG’; test configuration=’ZG’, Auto flag=0.
8. Wye-Zigzag, wye lags: Winding configuration=’ZX’; test configuration=’ZX’, Auto flag=0.
19. Bus2 Winding Configuration: ‘G’ or ‘X’ if wye connected, ‘D’ if delta connected and the delta is lagging the wye
winding, or ‘E’ if delta connected and the delta is leading. See table in item 18.
20. Bus2 Winding Configuration in test: (Note: The Bus1 winding configuration in test is assumed to be ‘G’ always.)
The Bus2 winding configuration in test is G if wye connected; D if delta connected and the delta was closed during
the test. See table in item 18.
21. RG1: Grounding resistance in ohms. Meaningful only if the Bus1 winding configuration is G or Z. See Figure 4.6
for location of neutral impedances.
22. XG1: Grounding reactance in ohms. Meaningful only if the Bus1 winding configuration is G or Z.
23. RG2: Grounding resistance in ohms. Meaningful only for wye-wye transformers.
24. XG2: Grounding reactance in ohms. Meaningful only for wye-wye transformers.
25. RGN: Grounding resistance in ohms. Meaningful only for wye-wye transformers.
26. XGN: Grounding reactance in ohms. Meaningful only for wye-wye transformers.
27. Number of Ratings to follow: Must be 3.
28. MVA Rating 1: Three-phase MVA rating of transformer. Default value is 0.0.
29. MVA Rating 2: Three-phase MVA rating of transformer. Default value is 0.0.
30. MVA Rating 3: Three-phase MVA rating of transformer. Default value is 0.0.
31. LTC Side: 0 if the transformer does not have a movable tap or if the tap is locked. 1 if the movable tap is at the
Bus1 side. 2 if the movable tap is at the Bus2 side.
32. LTC Type: 0 if the LTC regulates the voltage magnitude. 1 if the LTC regulates the MVAR flow. The MVAR
regulation has not been implemented in the current version.
33. Minimum Tap: Minimum tap voltage in per-unit. The default is 0.51.
34. Maximum Tap: Maximum tap voltage in per-unit. The default is 1.50.
35. Step Size: The tap increment in per-unit. Specify 0.0 if the tap is continuous. The default is 0.00625.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 267

36. Minimum Target: The minimum per-unit voltage or the minimum MVAR flow. The default is 0.51.
37. Maximum Target: The maximum per-unit voltage or the maximum MVAR flow. The default 1.50.
38. Regulated Bus Name: Name of the bus whose voltage magnitude is to be regulated by the LTC. The bus name is
enclosed in quotation marks.
39. Regulated Bus Base kV: Nominal kV of the bus whose voltage magnitude is to be regulated by the LTC. Set the
Regulated Bus Name to blank and the Regulated Bus Base kV to 0 if the LTC is locked or if it is regulating MVAR
flow.
40. G1: Positive-sequence conductance of the line shunt on the Bus1 side. All line-shunt admittances are based on the
system MVA base and the nominal kV of the branch terminals. The default value is 0.0.
41. B1: Positive-sequence susceptance in per unit of the line shunt on the Bus1 side. The default value is 0.0.
42. G2: Positive-sequence conductance in per unit of the line shunt on the Bus2 side. The default value is 0.0.
43. B2: Positive-sequence susceptance in per unit of the line shunt on the Bus2 side. The default value is 0.0.
44. G10: Zero-sequence conductance in per unit of the line shunt on the Bus1 side. The default value is 0.0.
45. B10: Zero-sequence susceptance in per unit of the line shunt on the Bus1 side. The default value is 0.0.
46. G20: Zero-sequence conductance in per unit of the line shunt on the Bus2 side. The default value is 0.0.
47. B20: Zero-sequence susceptance in per unit of the line shunt on the Bus2 side. The default value is 0.0.
48. Base MVA: With the exception of the line shunts, all the transformer impedances and admittances are based on this
MVA base. The default is the system MVA base.
49. LTC center tap kV: Load tap changer center position in kV.
50. LTC Ganged Flag: 1 if this LTC moves in unison with other LTCs that control the same bus voltage. 0 otherwise.
51. LTC Adjustment Priority: 0 if ‘normal’, 1 if ‘medium’, and 2 if ‘high’.
52. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
53. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example 2-winding transformer data section is shown below.
[2W TRANSFORMER DATA]
'NEVADA' 132 'NEW HAMPSHR' 33 '1'= 1 0 'Nev/NH' 132 33 0 0 0.556 0 0 0.556 0 /
G G G 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0.51 1.5 0.00625 0.51 1.5 '' 0 /
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 '' ''

5.14 3-WINDING TRANSFORMER DATA

This section contains parameters of 3-winding transformers. All the per-unit impedances and admittances for 3-
winding transformers are based on the transformer’s own MVA base and the tap voltages. The grounding impedances
are in ohms and should be entered without any multiplication by 3. The first line in the section must say: [3W
TRANSFORMER DATA]. This is followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus1 Name: Bus name at one end of the transformer, enclosed in quotation marks.
2. Bus1 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus1.
3. Bus2 Name: Bus name at the other end of the transformer, enclosed in quotation marks.
4. Bus2 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus2.
5. Tertiary-Bus Name: Bus name at the tertiary terminal, enclosed in quotation marks.
6. Tertiary-Bus Nominal kV: Nominal kV (line-to-line) of the tertiary-terminal bus.
7. Circuit Identifier: A two-character identifier. Transformers with two or more terminal buses in common must have
different circuit identifiers. The circuit identifier is enclosed in quotation marks.
8. In-Service Flag: 1 if the transformer is in-service; 0 if it is not. The default value is 1.

268 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

9. Meter Flag: 0 if the transformer is metered at Bus1; 100 if it is metered at Bus2. No other values are allowed.
10. Branch Name: A 12-character name for the transformer, enclosed in quotation marks. The branch name is blank by
default.
11. Bus1 Tap kV: The Bus1 winding tap voltage in kV, line-to-line. The default is the nominal kV of Bus1.
12. Bus2 Tap kV: The Bus2 winding tap voltage in kV, line-to-line. The default is the nominal kV of Bus2.
13. Tertiary Tap kV (line-to-line): The default is the nominal kV of the tertiary terminal.
14. Auto-Transformer Flag : 1 if the transformer is an auto-transformer; 0 if it is not.
15. RPS: Real part of the positive-sequence short-circuit impedance measured at the Bus1 terminal with the Bus2
terminal short circuited and the tertiary terminal open. RPS and XPS are in per-unit, based on the transformer’s own
MVA base and the tap kVs.
16. XPS: Imaginary part of the positive-sequence short-circuit impedance measured at the Bus1 terminal with the Bus2
terminal short circuited and the tertiary terminal open.
17. RPT: Real part of the positive-sequence short-circuit impedance measured at the Bus1 terminal with the tertiary
terminal short circuited and the Bus2 terminal open. RPT and XPT are in per-unit, based on the transformer’s own
MVA base and the tap kVs.
18. XPT: Imaginary part of the positive-sequence short-circuit impedance measured at the Bus1 terminal with the
tertiary terminal short circuited and the Bus2 terminal open.
19. RST: Real part of the positive-sequence short-circuit impedance measured at the Bus2 terminal with the tertiary
terminal short circuited and the Bus1 terminal open. RST and XST are in per-unit, based on the transformer’s own
MVA base and the tap kVs.
20. XST: Imaginary part of the positive-sequence short-circuit impedance measured at the s Bus2 terminal with the
tertiary terminal short circuited and the Bus1 terminal open.
21. B: Positive-sequence magnetizing susceptance in per unit, base on the transformer’s own MVA base and the tap kVs.
The same susceptance is used in the negative-sequence model. B must be zero or negative.
22. RPS0: Same meaning as RPS, except RPS0 is for the zero sequence.
23. XPS0: Same meaning as XPS, except XPS0 is for the zero sequence.
24. RPT0: Same meaning as RPT, except RPT0 is for the zero sequence.
25. XPT0: Same meaning as XPT, except XPT0 is for the zero sequence.
26. RST0: Same meaning as RST, except RST0 is for the zero sequence.
27. XST0: Same meaning as XST, except XST0 is for the zero sequence.
28. B0: Same meaning as B, except B0 is for the zero sequence.
29. Bus1 Winding Configuration: ‘G’ if wye connected; ‘D’ if delta connected. The default value is ‘G’ The table
below lists the winding configuration codes for the different transformer types supported by the program:
1. Wye-wye-wye: Winding config.=’GGG’; Test config.=’GGG’; Auto flag=0
2. Auto-wye-wye: Winding config.=’GGG’; Test config.=’GGG’; Auto flag=1
3. Wye-wye-delta, delta lags: Winding config.=’GGD’; Test config.=’GGD’; Auto flag=0
4. Wye-wye-delta, delta leads: Winding config.=’GGE’; Test config.=’GGD’; Auto flag=0
5. Auto-wye-delta, delta lags: Winding config.=’GGD’; Test config.=’GGD’; Auto flag=1
6. Auto-wye-delta, delta leads: Winding config.=’GGE’; Test config.=’GGD’; Auto flag=1
7. Wye-delta-delta, delta lags: Winding config.=’GDD’; Test config.=’GDD’; Auto flag=0
8. Wye-delta-delta, delta leads: Winding config.=’GEE’; Test config.=’GDD’; Auto flag=0
9. Delta-delta-delta: Winding config.=’DDD’; Test config.=’GGG’; Auto flag=0
30. Bus2 Winding Configuration: ‘G’ if wye connected, ‘D’ if delta connected and the delta is lagging the wye
winding, or ‘E’ if delta connected and the delta is leading. See table in item 29.
31. Tertiary Winding Configuration: G if wye connected, D if delta (lagging) connected and E if delta (leading)
connected. The default value is G.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 269

32. Bus2 Winding Configuration in Test: (Note: The Bus1 winding configuration in test is assumed to be ‘G’ always.)
The Bus2 winding configuration in test is G if wye connected; D if delta connected and the delta was closed during
the test. See table in item 29.
33. Tertiary Winding Configuration in Test: G if wye connected; D if delta connected and the delta was closed during
the test. See table in item 29.
34. RG1: Grounding resistance in ohms. This is meaningful only if the Bus1 winding configuration in use is G.
35. XG1: Grounding reactance in ohms. Meaningful only if the Bus1 winding configuration in use is G.
36. RG2: Grounding resistance in ohms. Meaningful only if the Bus2 winding configuration in use is G.
37. XG2: Grounding reactance in ohms. Meaningful only if the Bus2 winding configuration in use is G.
38. RGN: Grounding resistance in ohms. Meaningful only if both Bus1 and Bus2 winding configurations in use are G.
39. XGN: Grounding reactance in ohms. Meaningful only if both Bus1 and Bus2 winding configurations in use are G.
40. RG3: Grounding resistance in ohms. Meaningful only if the tertiary winding configuration in use is G.
41. XG3: The grounding reactance in ohms. Meaningful only if the tertiary winding configuration in use is G.
42. Number of Ratings to follow: Must be 3.
43. MVA Rating 1: Three-phase MVA rating of transformer. Default value is 0.0.
44. MVA Rating 2: Three-phase MVA rating of transformer. Default value is 0.0.
45. MVA Rating 3: Three-phase MVA rating of transformer. Default value is 0.0.
46. Fictitious Bus Number: The fictitious bus number must be in the range 1-99999, inclusive. The default value is 0.
When exporting the data to the PTI format (Version 26 or earlier) and the GE PSLF format, Power Flow assigns this
number to the middle, fictitious bus of the equivalent T model.
47. Base MVA: All the transformer impedances and admittances are based on this MVA base. The default is the system
MVA base.
48. LTC Side: 0 if the transformer does not have a movable tap or if the tap is locked. 1 if the movable tap is on the
Bus1 side, 2 if it is on the Bus2 side, and 3 if it is on the Bus3 side.
49. LTC Type: 0 if the LTC regulates the voltage magnitude. 1 if the LTC regulates the MVAR flow. The MVAR
regulation has not been implemented in the current version.
50. Minimum Tap: Minimum tap voltage in per-unit. The default is 0.51.
51. Maximum Tap: Maximum tap voltage in per-unit. The default is 1.50.
52. Step Size: The tap increment in per-unit. Specify 0.0 if the tap is continuous. The default is 0.00625.
53. Minimum Target: The minimum per-unit voltage or the minimum MVAR flow. The default is 0.51.
54. Maximum Target: The maximum per-unit voltage or the maximum MVAR flow. The default 1.50.
55. Regulated Bus Name: Name of the bus whose voltage magnitude is to be regulated by the LTC. The bus name is
enclosed in quotation marks.
56. Regulated Bus Base kV: Nominal kV of the bus whose voltage magnitude is to be regulated by the LTC. Set the
Regulated Bus Name to blank and the Regulated Bus Base kV to 0 if the LTC is locked or if it is regulating MVAR
flow.
57. LTC center tap kV: Load tap changer center position in kV.
58. LTC Ganged Flag: 1 if this LTC moves in unison with other LTCs that control the same bus voltage. 0 otherwise.
59. LTC Adjustment Priority: 0 if ‘normal’, 1 if ‘medium’, and 2 if ‘high’.
60. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
61. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example 3-winding transformer data section is shown below.
[3W TRANSFORMER DATA]
'NEVADA' 132 'NEW HAMPSHR' 33 'DOT BUS' 13.8 '1'= 1 0 'Nev/NH/Rnk' 132 33 13.8 1 /

270 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

 0 0.318 0 0.416 0 0.318 0 0 0.27995 0 0.416 0 0.318 0 G G D G D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 100 0
0 0.51 1.5 0.00625 0.51 1.5 '' 0 33.0 0 0 '' ''

5.15 SWITCH DATA

This section contains parameters of switches. The first line in the switch data section must say: [SWITCH DATA].
This is followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus1 Name: Bus name at one end of the switch, enclosed in quotation marks.
2. Bus1 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus1.
3. Bus2 Name: Bus name at the other end of switch, enclosed in quotation marks.
4. Bus2 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus2. This must be the same as Bus1’s base kV.
5. In-Service Flag: 1 if the line is in-service; 0 if it is not. The default value is 1.
6. Name: A 15-character name for the switch, enclosed in quotation marks.
7. Status: 1 if the switch is closed; 0 if it is open.
8. Current Rating: Current rating of the switch in amperes. Default is 0.
9. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
10. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example switch data section is shown below.
[SWITCH DATA]
'ROANOKE' 13.8 'DOT BUS' 13.8 ''= 1 'ROANOKE' 7 100 '' ''

5.16 DC LINE DATA

This section contains parameters of 2-terminal dc lines. The first line in the section must say: [2-TERMINAL DC
DATA]. This is followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section. In the following “Converter 1”
refers to the converter at the Bus1 side, and “Convert 2” refers to the converter at the Bus2 side.
1. Bus1 Name: Name of the converter terminal at one end of the dc line, enclosed in quotation marks.
2. Bus1 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus1.
3. Bus2 Name: Name of the converter terminal at the other end of dc line, enclosed in quotation marks.
4. Bus2 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus2.
5. Circuit ID: A 2-character ID enclosed in quotation marks. Parallel dc lines must have different circuit IDs.
6. In-Service Flag: 1 if the dc line is in-service; 0 if it is not. The default value is 1.
7. Name: A 12-character name for the dc line, enclosed in quotation marks.
8. Rectifier Side: 0 if the Convert 1 is the rectifier; 1 if the Converter 2 is the rectifier.
9. Control Mode: 0 to control MW at rectifier; 1 to control MW at inverter; 2 to control current (amperes).
10. Control Target: MW or amperes to be held fixed by the controller. This value must be positive.
11. Control Margin: The MW target is to be reduced by this amount when the rectifier voltage is too low.
12. Scheduled dc Voltage: Scheduled dc voltage at the inverter. This value must be positive.
13. Resistance of the dc line: Resistance of the dc line in ohms. This value must be positive.
14. Number of Bridges at Converter 1: This integer value must be positive.
15. Max Angle Limit at Converter 1: This limit, in degrees, is alpha max if Converter 1 is the rectifier, and gamma
max if Converter 1 is the inverter.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 271

16. Min Angle Limit at Converter 1: This value must be positive.
17. Nominal kV of Commutation Transformer at Converter 1: The nominal kV at the dc side of the transformer in
kV, line-to-line. This value must be positive.
18. Tap Position of Commutation Transformer at Converter 1: The position of the LTC tap on the ac side of the
transformer, in per-unit.
19. Max Tap Position of Commutation Transformer at Converter 1: The max position of the LTC tap on the ac side
of the transformer, in per-unit.
20. Min Tap Position of Commutation Transformer at Converter 1: The min position of the LTC tap on the ac side
of the transformer, in per-unit. This value must be positive.
21. Tap Step Size of Commutation Transformer at Converter 1: Step size of the LTC tap, in per-unit. Set to zero if
continuous.
22. Resistance of each Commutation Transformer at Converter 1: Resistance of the transformer, in per-unit, based
on the MVA rating of the transformer (item 24).
23. Reactance of each Commutation Transformer at Converter 1: Reactance of the transformer, in per-unit, based
on the MVA rating of the transformer (item 24).
24. MVA Rating of Each Commutation Transformer at Converter 1: The resistance and reactance are assumed to
be based on this MVA rating. The program assumes that there is one commutation transformer for each bridge.
25-35: Same as items 14-24, except these are for the Converter 2.
36. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
37. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example switch data section is shown below.
[2-TERMINAL DC DATA]
'BUS1' 100 'BUS0' 100 '1'= 1 '' 0 0 100 0.1 400 10 /
2 90 10 160 1 1.1 0.91 0.00625 0 0.1 50 /
2 89 11 170 1 1.2 0.92 0.00625 0.001 0.101 50.5 '' ''

5.17 MUTAL COUPLING DATA

This section contains zero-sequence mutual coupling parameters of transmission lines. The first line in the section must
say: [MUTUAL DATA]. This is followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
The mutual data is aggregated into “mutual groups”, each of which may be up to 240 lines. Each group must begin with
the ‘groupSize=’ keyword and ends with the ‘endGroup’ keyword. The number that follows the ‘groupSize=’ keyword is
the number of lines in the group. This number must be greater than 1 and less than, or equal to, 240.
Between the ‘groupSize=’ and ‘endGroup’ keywords must be the data for n(n-1)/2 of mutual coupled pairs, where n is the
number of lines in the group. The data format of each mutual coupled pair is described below.
1. Bus1 Name: Bus name at one end of the first line in the mutually coupled pair. The bus name is enclosed in
quotation marks.
2. Bus1 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus1.
3. Bus2 Name: Bus name at the other end of the first line in the mutually pair, in quotation marks.
4. Bus2 Base kV: Nominal kV of Bus2.
5. Circuit Identifier: A 2-character circuit ID for the first line in the mutually pair, in quotation marks.
6. Bus3 Name: Bus name at one end of the second line in the mutually pair, in quotation marks.
7. Bus3 Base kV: Nominal kV (line-to-line) of Bus3.
8. Bus4 Name: Bus name at the other end of the second line in the mutually pair, in quotation marks.

272 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

9. Bus4 Base kV: Nominal kV (line-to-line) of Bus4.
10. Circuit Identifier: A 2-character circuit ID for the second line in the mutually pair, in quotation marks.
11. RM: The real part of an off-diagonal term in the Z matrix associated with the coupling between lines BUS1-BUS2
and BUS3-BUS4. This value is in per-unit. The default value is 0.0.
12. XM: The imaginary part of an off-diagonal term in the Z matrix associated with the coupling between lines BUS1-
BUS2 and BUS3-BUS4. This value is in per-unit. The default value is 0.0.
13. % From of first line: The starting point, with 0% being the beginning, of the section of lines that are mutually
coupled. The default value is 0.0.
14. % To of first line: The ending point, with 100% being the end, of the section of lines that are mutually coupled.
The default value is 100.0.
15. % From of second line: The starting point, with 0% being the beginning, of the section of lines that are mutually
coupled. The default value is 0.0.
16. % To of second line: The ending point, with 100% being the end, of the section of lines that are mutually coupled.
The default value is 100.0.
17. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
18. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
An example mutual data section is shown below.
[MUTUAL DATA]
groupSize= 2
'NEVADA' 132 'ARIZONA' 132 '1' 'REUSENS' 132 'ARIZONA' 132 '1'= 0 5.73921 0 100 0 100 '' ''
endGroup
groupSize= 3
'GLEN LYN' 132 'CLAYTOR' 132 '1' 'GLEN LYN' 132 'TEXAS' 132 '1'= 0 5.7 0 100 0 100 '' ''
'GLEN LYN' 132 'CLAYTOR' 132 '1' 'GLEN LYN' 132 'CLAYTOR' 132 '2'= 0 5.7 0 100 0 100 '' ''
'GLEN LYN' 132 'CLAYTOR' 132 '2' 'GLEN LYN' 132 'TEXAS' 132 '1'= 0 5.739 0 100 0 100 '' ''
endGroup

5.18 AREA DATA

This section contains area parameters. The first line in the section must say: [AREA DATA]. This is followed by
the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Area Number: Area number ranging from 0 to 9999, inclusive.
2. Area Name: Name of the area with a maximum of 12 characters. Any alphanumeric characters can be used, except
for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The area name is enclosed in quotation marks.
3. Regulation Flag: 1 if you want the Power Flow to regulate the output of the area slack generator to enforce the net
area export. The default value is 0. Must be 1 if area slack bus is not blank.
4. Area Slack Bus Name: Area slack bus name enclosed in quotation marks. The program will adjust the MW output
of this generator to enforce the net-export constraint. The area slack bus name is blank by default.
5. Area Slack Bus kV: Nominal kV of the area slack bus. The default value is 0.0.
6. MW Export: Net MW export target. A positive value means power is shipped out of the area through tie lines. A
negative value means power is imported from another area. The default value is 0.0.
7. Export Tolerance: Must be greater than zero. The default value is 10.0.
An example area data section is shown below.
[AREA DATA]
1= 'AA' 0 '' 0 0 10
2= 'CC' 0 '' 0 0 10
3= 'BB' 0 '' 0 0 10

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 273

5.19 ZONE DATA
This section contains zone parameters. The first line in the section must say: [ZONE DATA]. This is followed by
the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Zone Number: Zone number ranging from 0 to 9999, inclusive.
2. Zone Name: Name of the zone with a maximum of 12 characters. Any alphanumeric characters can be used except
for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The zone name is enclosed in quotation marks.
An example zone data section is shown below.
[ZONE DATA]
1= 'ZONE NA'
2= 'ZONE NB'

5.20 BREAKER DATA

This section contains circuit breaker parameters. The first line in the must say: [BREAKER DATA]. This is
followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus Name: Name of the bus to which the breaker is attached, in quotation marks.
2. Base kV: Nominal kV (line-to-line) of the bus to which the breaker is attached.
3. Breaker Name: Name with a maximum of 12 characters. Any alphanumeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The breaker name is enclosed in quotation marks.
4. In-Service Flag: This value will always be 1. Circuit breakers cannot be taken out of service.
5a. IEEE rated breaker Interrupting Time in cycles: The default value is 3.
5b. IEC rated breaker %dc Component: Rated percent dc component of the breaker.
6. Rating Method: Rating method of the breaker. Enter 0 for 'IEEE-Symmetrical Current'; 1 for 'IEEE-Total
current'; 2 for ‘IEC’. Default is 1.
7. Contact Parting Time 1: Contact parting time of the breaker for protected equipment in group 1, in cycles. The
default value is 4.
8. Contact Parting Time 2: Contact parting time of the breaker for protected equipment in group 2, in cycles. The
default value is 4.
9a. IEEE Rated Short Circuit Current or MVA: Rated short circuit current in amps if the rating method is
'Symmetrical current'. Rated short circuit MVA if rating method is 'Total current'. The default value is 0.0.
9b. IEC Rated Breaking Current: Rated short circuit breaking current in amps. The default value is 0.0.
10a. IEEE Rated Momentary Current: Rated momentary current of the breaker in amps. This is only used when the
breaker rating method is 'Total current'. The default value is 0.0.
10b.IEC Rated ac making current: Rated ac making current of the breaker in amps.
11. Group 1 number of Operations: Total number of breaker open operations in faults on group 1 equipment.
Possible choices are 0, 2, 3 and 4. The default value is 0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
12. Group 1 first Reclosing Interval in seconds: The reclosing interval is the elapse time between successive breaker
opening and reclosing. You must enter (n-1) positive values, where n is the total number of operations to lockout
(item 11). The default value is 0.0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
13. Group 1 second Reclosing Interval in seconds: This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
14. Group 1 third Reclosing Interval in seconds: This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
15. Group 2 number of Operations: Total number of breaker open operations in faults on group 1 equipment.
Possible choices are 0, 2, 3 and 4. The default value is 0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
16. Group 2 first Reclosing Interval in seconds: The reclosing interval is the elapse time between successive breaker
opening and reclosing. You must enter (n-1) positive values, where n is the total number of operations to lockout
(item 15). The default value is 0.0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.

274 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

17. Group 2 second Reclosing Interval in seconds: This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
18. Group 2 third Reclosing Interval in seconds: This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
19. Breaker Operating kV: The default value is nominal kV (line-to-line) of the bus.
20. Max Design kV: The default value is nominal kV (line-to-line) of the bus.
21. kV Range Factor: The default value is 1.0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
22. Breaker Derating Flag: 0 if the breaker is to be derated because of reclosing operation: 1 if it is not. The default
value is 0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
23. Breaker rating check method for group 1: Specifies the current that the breaker must interrupt: 0 for total current
of devices in the group; 1 for maximum individual device current in the group.
24. Breaker rating check method for group 2: Specifies the current that the breaker must interrupt: 0 for total current
of devices in the group; 1 for maximum individual device current in the group.
25. Non-AC Decrement Factor (NACD)
This factor must be between 0 and 1.0.
26. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
27. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.
21. Number of Protected equipment in Group 1: This must be an integer greater than, or equal to, zero.
22. Number of Protected equipment in Group 2: This must be an integer greater than, or equal to, zero.
23. Protected Equipment and Additional Branch Outage Identifiers
For each protected equipment in Group 1 and Group 2, the following data are expected, on separates lines. List those
in Group 1 first, then those in Group 2.
If the protected equipment is a Bus or a Generator enter: (1) the device code B for Bus; G for generator.
If the protected equipment is a Generator unit, Shunt unit or Load unit, enter: (1) The device type code: U for
Generator unit; S for shunt unit; D for load unit, followed by (2) the unit ID enclosed in quotation marks.
If the protected equipment is a Line, Phase Shifter or Transformer, enter: (1) The device type code: L for Line;
T for 2-winding transformer; X for 3-winding transformer; P for phase shifter, W for switch. Uppercase letter code
indicates protected equipment. Lower case code indicates additional branch outage (2) Bus1 name enclosed in
quotation marks, (3) Bus1 base kV, (4) Bus2 name enclosed in quotation marks, (5) Bus2 base kV, and (6) the
circuit ID enclosed in quotation marks.
An example breaker data section is shown below.
[1LPF BREAKER DATA]
'NEVADA' 132= '1E82A' 1 5 1 4 4 3000 20000 3 8 30 0 3 8 30 0 130 139 1.2 0 0 0 1 /
'' /
'' /
1 2 /
T 'NEVADA' 132 'NEW HAMPSHR' 33 '1' /
L 'NEVADA' 132 'ARIZONA' 132 '1' /
L 'NEVADA' 132 'REUSENS' 132 '1'

5.21 BREAKER NAMEPLATE DATA

This section contains circuit breaker nameplate parameters. This section can be used with MODIFY keyword in the
Change File only. The first line in the breaker nameplate data section must say: [MODIFY BREAKER
NAMEPLATE DATA]. This is followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus Name: Name of the bus to which the breaker is attached, in quotation marks.
2. Base kV: Nominal kV (line-to-line) of the bus to which the breaker is attached.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 275

3. Breaker Name: Name with a maximum of 12 characters. Any alphanumeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The breaker name is enclosed in quotation marks.
4. In-Service Flag: This value will always be 1. Circuit breakers cannot be taken out of service.
5a. IEEE rated breaker Interrupting Time in cycles: The default value is 3.
5b. IEC rated breaker %dc Component: Rated percent dc component of the breaker.
6. Rating Method: Rating method of the breaker. Enter 0 for 'IEEE-Symmetrical Current'; 1 for 'IEEE-Total
current'; 2 for ‘IEC’. Default is 1.
7. Contact Parting Time 1: Contact parting time of the breaker for protected equipment in group 1, in cycles. The
default value is 4.
8. Contact Parting Time 2: Contact parting time of the breaker for protected equipment in group 2, in cycles. The
default value is 4.
9a. IEEE Rated Short Circuit Current or MVA: Rated short circuit current in amps if the rating method is
'Symmetrical current'. Rated short circuit MVA if rating method is 'Total current'. The default value is 0.0.
9b. IEC Rated Breaking Current: Rated short circuit breaking current in amps. The default value is 0.0.
10a. IEEE Rated Momentary Current: Rated momentary current of the breaker in amps. This is only used when the
breaker rating method is 'Total current'. The default value is 0.0.
10b. IEC Rated ac making current: Rated ac making current of the breaker in amps.
11. Group 1 number of Operations: Total number of breaker open operations in faults on group 1 equipment.
Possible choices are 0, 2, 3 and 4. The default value is 0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
12. Group 1 first Reclosing Interval in seconds: The reclosing interval is the elapse time between successive breaker
opening and reclosing. You must enter (n-1) positive values, where n is the total number of operations to lockout.
The default value is 0.0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
13. Group 1 second Reclosing Interval in seconds: This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
14. Group 1 third Reclosing Interval in seconds: This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
15. Group 1 number of Operations: Total number of breaker open operations in faults on group 1 equipment.
Possible choices are 0, 2, 3 and 4. The default value is 0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
16. Group 1 first Reclosing Interval in seconds: The reclosing interval is the elapse time between successive breaker
opening and reclosing. You must enter (n-1) positive values, where n is the total number of operations to lockout.
The default value is 0.0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
17. Group 1 second Reclosing Interval in seconds: This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
18. Group 1 third Reclosing Interval in seconds: This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
19. Breaker Operating kV: The default value is nominal kV (line-to-line) of the bus.
20. Max Design kV: The default value is nominal kV (line-to-line) of the bus.
21. kV Range Factor: The default value is 1.0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
22. Breaker Derating Flag: 0 if the breaker is to be derated because of reclosing operation: 1 if it is not. The default
value is 0. This is only used when the breaker is IEEE rated.
23. Breaker rating check method for group 1: Specifies the current that the breaker must interrupt: 0 for total current
of devices in the group; 1 for maximum individual device current in the group.
24. Breaker rating check method for group 2: Specifies the current that the breaker must interrupt: 0 for total current
of devices in the group; 1 for maximum individual device current in the group.
25. Non-AC Decrement Factor (NACD)
This factor must be between 0 and 1.0.
26. Memo: Comments with a maximum of 512 characters. Any alpha-numeric characters can be used, except for the
string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The comment text is enclosed in quotation marks.
27. Tags: Tag string with a maximum of 512 characters. Tags in string are separated by semicolon. Any alpha-numeric
characters can be used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark). The tag string is enclosed
in quotation marks.

276 • SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT ASPEN Power Flow v12

An example breaker data section is shown below.
[1LPF BREAKER DATA]
'NEVADA' 132= '1E82A' 1 5 1 4 4 3000 20000 3 8 30 0 3 8 30 0 130 139 1.2 0 0 0 1 /
'' /
''

5.22 BREAKER CONNECTION DATA

This section contains circuit breaker connection information. This data section can be used with the MODIFY
keyword in change files only. The first line in the section must say: [MODIFY BREAKER CONNECTION
DATA]. This is followed by the data described below. A blank line ends the section.
1. Bus Name: Name of the bus to which the breaker is attached, in quotation marks.
2. Base kV: Nominal kV (line-to-line) of the bus to which the breaker is attached.
3. Breaker Name: Name with a maximum of 12 characters, in quotation marks. Any alphanumeric characters can be
used, except for the string delimiter (single or double quotation mark).
4. Breaker rating check method for group 1: Specifies the current that the breaker must interrupt: 0 for total current
of devices in the group; 1 for maximum individual device current in the group.
5. Breaker rating check method for group 2: Specifies the current that the breaker must interrupt: 0 for total current
of devices in the group; 1 for maximum individual device current in the group.
6. Number of Protected Equipment in Group 1: This must be an integer greater than, or equal to, zero.
7. Number of Protected Equipment in Group 2: This must be an integer greater than, or equal to, zero.
8. Protected Equipment and Additional Branch Outage Identifiers
For each protected equipment in Group 1 and Group 2, the following data are expected, on separates lines. List those
in Group 1 first, then those in Group 2.
If the protected equipment is a Bus or a Generator enter: (1) the device code B for Bus; G for generator.
If the protected equipment is a Generator unit, Shunt unit or Load unit, enter: (1) The device type code: U for
Generator unit; S for shunt unit; D for load unit, followed by (2) the unit ID enclosed in quotation marks.
If the protected equipment is a Line, Phase Shifter or Transformer, enter: (1) The device type code: L for Line;
T for 2-winding transformer; X for 3-winding transformer; P for phase shifter. Upper case letter code indicates
protected equipment. Lower case code indicates additional branch outage (2) Bus1 name enclosed in quotation
marks, (3) Bus1 base kV, (4) Bus2 name enclosed in quotation marks, (5) Bus2 base kV, and (6) the circuit ID
enclosed in quotation marks.
An example breaker data section is shown below.
[MODIFY BREAKER CONNECTION DATA]
'NEVADA' 132= 'bk6' 0 1 /
2 2 /
X 'NEW HAMPSHR' 33 'NEVADA' 132 '1' /
X 'NEVADA' 132 'NEW HAMPSHR' 33 'MV' /
B /
X 'NEW HAMPSHR' 33 'NEVADA' 132 '2'

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 5 NETWORK DATA FORMAT • 277

SECTION 6 SOLUTION IN TEXT

6.1 POWER FLOW SOLUTION IN TEXT

You can generate a textual output of the power flow solution to a file or TTY Window by:
• Invoking the PFlow | Solution Report command in the Main Window.
• Selecting the “Report” button in the Batch Cases dialog box.

6.2 TITLE PAGE

The first page of the output is a title page that contains some basic information about the output, system statistics,
solution options and outages. An example follows:

-- ASPEN POWER FLOW(Tm) --

VERSION 11.1

DATE AND TIME: Tue Apr 14 10:50:19 2009

DATA FILE NAME: C:\ASPEN08\Aspen9.olr
NAME OF THIS FILE: C:\ASPENPF08\a.TXT
BASE MVA 100.

THIS FILE HAS: 9 BUSES

7 GENERATORS
4 LOADS
1 SHUNTS
5 LINES
5 2-WINDING TRANSFORMERS
0 3-WINDING TRANSFORMERS
0 PHASE SHIFTERS
0 SWITCHED SHUNTS

SOLUTION OPTIONS
Enforce generator Q limits [X]
Enforce LTC controls [X]
Enforce inter-area MW interchange [X]
Enforce gen. remote volt. control [ ]
Enforce switched shunt control [ ]
Enforce phase shifter MW control [ ]

Total generation=6507.939MW. Total losses=67.939MW

FILE COMMENTS:

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 6 SOLUTION IN TEXT • 279

6.3 BUS-BY-BUS REPORT IN ASPEN TEXT FORM
The bus-by-bus report follows the title page and is arranged in ascending order of the bus name. The output for each
bus begins and ends with a long line of dashes. The output for each bus includes:
• The bus identifiers (bus number, name, and nominal kV), area name, bus voltage in kV and per unit, bus type.
The bus type is:
PV: if the bus has a generator that regulates the voltage.
PQ: if the bus has no generator or has a generator with constant power output.
System Slack: if the bus is the system slack bus whose voltage angle is held at 0.0 degrees.
Area Slack: if the bus is the area slack bus (for controlling area interchange).
• For each of the branches incident on the bus, the program lists the branch identifiers (To Bus number, name,
nominal kV, circuit ID, and branch type), area name of the far-end bus, power flow in MW and MVAR, current
in Amps, loss in MW and MVAR. If the branch is a transformer, the tap voltages are also shown.
• Generator output in MW and MVAR, if any.
• Load consumption in MW and MVAR, if any.
• Shunt power consumption in MW and MVAR, if any.
The following is a sample output for area slack bus “North”, PV bus “North G1”, system slack bus “Slack”, and PQ
bus “Station S”.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 North 500.KV AREA 1 KV= 525.000@ 15.8 PU= 1.0500 TYPE PV
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 StationNN 500. 2L 1 570.00 -212.91 669.1 17.6848 -270.08
0 StationNN 500. 1L 1 1140.00 -425.82 1338.3 35.3695 -540.17
0 North G3 20. T 1 -1050.00 29.75 1155.2 0.0000 59.7756 TAP 500.00/ 20.00
0 North G2 20. T 1 -1050.00 29.75 1155.2 0.0000 59.7756 TAP 500.00/ 20.00
0 North G1 20. T 1 -1050.00 29.75 1155.2 0.0000 59.7756 TAP 500.00/ 20.00
GENERATOR 1 0.000 MW -549.474 MVAR
LOAD 1 1440.000 MW 0.000 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 North G1 20.KV AREA 1 KV= 21.000@ 19.1 PU= 1.0500 TYPE PV
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 North 500. T 1 1050.00 30.03 28879.3 0.0000 59.7756 TAP 20.00/500.00
GENERATOR 1 1050.000 MW 30.026 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 Slack 20.KV AREA 1 KV= 21.000@ 0.0 PU= 1.0500 TYPE SYSTEM SLACK
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 StationNN 500. T 1 967.94 -351.51 28311.9 0.0000 38.1934 TAP 20.00/500.00
GENERATOR 1 967.940 MW -351.514 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS 0 Station S 500.KV AREA 2 KV= 532.331@ -11.5 PU= 1.0647 TYPE PQ
TO BUS FLOW (MW MVAR AMP) LOSS (MW MVAR)
0 South 500. L 2 -385.47 37.43 420.0 4.5342 -193.37
0 StationNN 500. 2L 1 -307.27 -395.42 543.1 5.1755 -854.51
0 StationNN 500. 1L 1 -307.27 -395.42 543.1 5.1755 -854.51
LOAD 1 1000.000 MW 300.000 MVAR
SHUNT 1 -0.000 MW 453.402 MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

280 • SECTION 6 SOLUTION IN TEXT ASPEN Power Flow v12

6.4 BUS-BY-BUS REPORT IN WSCC TEXT FORM
The bus-by-bus report of the power flow solution follows the title page and is arranged in ascending order of the bus
name. The output for each bus includes:
• The bus identifiers (bus name, nominal kV), actual kV under the column labeled “BUS NAME”.
• Actual PU voltage and angle under the column labeled “VOLTS-PU”.
• Generation in MW and MVAR under the column “GENERATION”.
• Load in MW and MVAR under the column “LOAD”.
• Shunt in MW and MVAR under the column “SHUNT”.
• Branch identifiers (To Bus name, nominal kV, circuit ID, branch type), power flows and losses in
MW and MVAR for each of the branches incident on the bus. The tap ratio is also listed at the
beginning for the transformers.
The following is a sample bus-by-bus report in WSCC text format.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUS NAME VOLTS-PU ____GENERATION_ ____LOAD_______ ____SHUNT_____ __LINE FLOWS__ ___LINE LOSSES_
ACTUAL KV ANGLE MW MWAR MW MVAR MW MVAR TO BUS NAME MW MVAR MW MVAR

North 500. 1.0500 0.0 -549.5 1440.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 --------------------------------------------------
525.0 KV 15.8 StationNN 500.0 2L 570.0 -212.9 17.7 -270.1
StationNN 500.0 1L 1140.0 -425.8 35.4 -540.2
TAP 500.00/ 20.00 North G3 20.0 T 1050.0 30.0 -0.0 59.8
TAP 500.00/ 20.00 North G2 20.0 T 1050.0 30.0 -0.0 59.8
TAP 500.00/ 20.00 North G1 20.0 T 1050.0 30.0 -0.0 59.8

North G1 20. 1.0500 1050.0 30.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 --------------------------------------------------
21.0 KV 19.1 TAP 20.00/500.00 North 500.0 T 1050.0 30.0 -0.0 59.8

North G2 20. 1.0500 1050.0 30.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 --------------------------------------------------
21.0 KV 19.1 TAP 20.00/500.00 North 500.0 T 1050.0 30.0 -0.0 59.8

North G3 20. 1.0500 1050.0 30.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 --------------------------------------------------
21.0 KV 19.1 TAP 20.00/500.00 North 500.0 T 1050.0 30.0 -0.0 59.8

Slack 20. 1.0500 967.9 -351.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 --------------------------------------------------
21.0 KV -0.0 TAP 20.00/500.00 StationNN 500.0 T 967.9 -351.5 0.0 38.2

South 500. 1.0500 1390.0 -38.3 2000.0 700.0 0.0 0.0 --------------------------------------------------
525.0 KV -7.3 Station S 500.0 L -385.5 37.4 4.5 -193.4
TAP 500.00/ 20.00 South G1 20.0 T 1000.0 552.8 -0.0 45.3

South G1 20. 1.0700 1000.0 552.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 --------------------------------------------------
21.4 KV -5.3 TAP 20.00/500.00 South 500.0 T 1000.0 552.8 -0.0 45.3

Station S 500. 1.0647 0.0 0.0 1000.0 300.0 -0.0 453.4 --------------------------------------------------
532.3 KV -11.5 South 500.0 L -385.5 37.4 4.5 -193.4
StationNN 500.0 2L 312.4 -459.1 5.2 -854.5
StationNN 500.0 1L 312.4 -459.1 5.2 -854.5

StationNN 500. 1.0640 0.0 0.0 2000.0 700.0 0.0 0.0 --------------------------------------------------
532.0 KV -2.0 Station S 500.0 2L 312.4 -459.1 5.2 -854.5
Station S 500.0 1L 312.4 -459.1 5.2 -854.5
North 500.0 2L 570.0 -212.9 17.7 -270.1
North 500.0 1L 1140.0 -425.8 35.4 -540.2
TAP 500.00/ 20.00 Slack 20.0 T 967.9 -351.5 0.0 38.2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 6 SOLUTION IN TEXT • 281

6.5 SOLUTION SUMMARIES
The Power Flow can produce the following summaries on area interchanges, voltage violations, line and 2-winding
transformer overloads, LTC transformers, generators, loads and interarea tie lines.
Area Interchange Summary
This summary contains a list of all areas in the system. Each entry in the list includes area name, total area
generation, load, export in MW(positive if leaving the current area), area slack bus identifier and slack MW. This
summary also includes the total system generation, load, and loss in MW at the end.
The following is a sample area interchange summary.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AREA INTERCHANGE SUMMARY

_AREA_______________MW Gen.___MW Load____Export__Losses____Area Slack__________Slack MW_

1 AA 4117.94 3440.00 624.89 53.05 Slack 20. kV 967.94
2 BB 2390.00 3000.00 -624.89 14.89 South 500. kV 1390.00
Total system generation= 6507.94MW; Total load= 6440.00MW; Totol losses= 67.94MW
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Voltage Violation Summary

The voltage violation summary contains two lists: 1) buses whose voltage magnitude is below the minimum
acceptable voltage and 2) buses whose voltage magnitude is above the maximum. The buses are listed in ascending
order of their name. Each entry in the list includes bus identifiers (number, name, nominal kV), area name, actual bus
voltage in kV and per unit, and bus type.
The following is a sample voltage-violation summary.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOLTAGE VIOLATION SUMMARY
THERE ARE NO BUSES WITH VOLTAGE UNDER 0.950 PU.

7 BUSES HAVE VOLTAGE OVER 1.050 PU:

_______BUS_NAME_________KV_AREA_______KV______PU_____TYPE_
0 North G1 20. 1 21.000 1.0500 PV
0 North G2 20. 1 21.000 1.0500 PV
0 North G3 20. 1 21.000 1.0500 PV
0 South G1 20. 2 21.400 1.0700 PV
0 Station S 500. 2 532.331 1.0647 PQ
0 StationNN 500. 1 532.015 1.0640 PQ
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overloaded Line Summary

This summary contains a list of overloaded lines and transformers. Each entry in the overloaded line list includes the
line identifiers (the bus number, bus name and nominal kV of the two end buses, circuit ID and type), actual current
and current rating in amps, and as a percentage of the rating. The lines without current rating information are ignored
in the summary. Each entry in the overloaded transformer list includes the identifiers of the 2-winding transformer
(the bus number, bus name and nominal kV of the two end buses, circuit ID and type), MVA rating, branch flow in
MVA and as a percentage of the rating. The transformers without MVA rating information are ignored in the
summary.
The following is a sample summary of the overloaded lines and transformers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OVERLOADED LINE SUMMARY
_______BUS1___________________________BUS2__________________________AMPS____RATING___PERCENT
21 North 500.kV - 22 StationNN 500.kV 1L 2318.0 1000.0 231.80
21 North 500.kV - 22 StationNN 500.kV 2L 1159.0 1000.0 115.90
22 StationNN 500.kV - 13 Station S 500.kV 1L 1043.8 1000.0 104.38
22 StationNN 500.kV - 13 Station S 500.kV 2L 1043.8 1000.0 104.38

OVERLOADED TRANSFORMER SUMMARY

_______BUS1___________________________BUS2__________________________ MVA____RATING___PERCENT
11 South G1 20.kV - 12 South 20.kV T 1216.4 1000.0 121.64
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

282 • SECTION 6 SOLUTION IN TEXT ASPEN Power Flow v12

LTC Transformer Summary
The LTC Transformer summary contains a list of all the LTC transformers in the system. Each entry in the list
includes the transformer identifiers (the bus number, bus name and nominal kV of the two end buses, circuit ID and
branch type), the side number of the movable tap (1 if the tap is on the Bus 1 side; 2 if it is on the Bus 2 side), the
primary and secondary taps, the identifiers, minimum, maximum, actual PU voltages, and flag showing the position of
LTC tag of the controlled bus.
The following is a sample LTC transformer summary.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LTC TRANSFORMER SUMMARY
_____BUS1________________________BUS2_________________ ___TAP1/TAP2__ _____CONTROLLED BUS_________ __Min/Max____PU____FLAG
0 South G1 20.kV - 0 South 500.kV T 2 20.00 600.00 0 South 500.kV 1.500 1.500 1.210 W2
FLAGS: W1 - TAP AT LOWER LIMIT; W2 - TAP AT UPPER LIMIT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generator, Load and Shunt Summary

The generator, load and shunt summaries list the devices in ascending order of the bus name. Each entry in the
generator list includes the generator identifiers (the bus number, bus name and nominal kV), area number, bus type,
MVA rating, minimum and maximum MVAR limits, scheduled MW and PU voltage, actual MW, MVAR, MVA,
power factor and PU voltage. Each entry in the load list includes the load identifiers (the bus number, bus name and
nominal kV), area number, actual voltage in kV and per unit, MW, MVAR, MVA and power factor of the load. Each
entry in the shunt list includes the shunt identifier and the MVAR consumed at 1.0 p.u. voltage.
The following is a sample generator and load summary.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GENERATOR SUMMARY
__SCHEDULED__ ________________SOLVED________________
_______BUS_NAME_________KV_AREA_TYPE_MVARAT_____QMIN_____QMAX__ MW PU MW MVAR MVA PF PU
0 North 500. 1 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 0.00 1.050 0.00 -549.47 549.47-0.000 1.050
0 North G1 20. 1 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 1050.00 1.050 1050.00 30.03 1050.43 1.000 1.050
0 North G2 20. 1 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 1050.00 1.050 1050.00 30.03 1050.43 1.000 1.050
0 North G3 20. 1 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 1050.00 1.050 1050.00 30.03 1050.43 1.000 1.050
0 Slack 20. 1 3 100.00 -7777.00 7777.00 967.94 1.050 967.94 -351.51 1029.79 0.940 1.050
0 South 500. 2 1 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 1390.00 1.050 1390.00 -38.28 1390.53 1.000 1.050
0 South G1 20. 2 0 100.00 -9999.00 9999.00 1000.00 1.070 1000.00 552.81 1142.63 0.875 1.070
Total Generation in Summary = 6507.939MW
Type: 0=Holds V, 1=Area slack; 2=Fixed P+jQ; 3=System slack.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOAD SUMMARY
_______BUS_NAME_________KV_AREA________KV_____PU________MW_____MVAR______MVA_____PF__
0 North 500. 1 525.000 1.050 1440.00 0.00 1440.00 1.000
0 South 500. 2 525.000 1.050 2000.00 700.00 2118.96 0.944
0 Station S 500. 2 532.331 1.065 1000.00 300.00 1044.03 0.958
0 StationNN 500. 1 532.015 1.064 2000.00 700.00 2118.96 0.944
Total Load in Summary = 6440.000MW+j 1700.000MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHUNT SUMMARY
_______BUS_NAME_________KV_AREA________KV_____PU________MW_____MVAR______MVA_____PF__
0 Station S 500. 2 532.331 1.065 0.00 4.53 4.53 -0.000
Total shunt in Summary = 0.000MW+j 4.534MVAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interarea Tie-Line Summary

The interarea tie-line summary for each area contains:
• The area number.
• Information on tie-line flows. For each of the tie lines in the area, the report lists the far-end
area name, power flow in MW (positive if leaving the current area), and the line or transformer
identifiers.
• Total area export. This is the sum of all the tie-line flow in MW.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 6 SOLUTION IN TEXT • 283

The following is a sample interarea tie-line summary.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERAREA TIE-LINE SUMMARY
AREA 1 AA
TO AREA 2 312.443 MW ON: 0 StationNN 500.kV 1 - 0 Station S 500.kV 2 1L
TO AREA 2 312.443 MW ON: 0 StationNN 500.kV 1 - 0 Station S 500.kV 2 2L
624.885 MW TOTAL EXPORT
AREA 2 BB
TO AREA 1 -312.443 MW ON: 0 Station S 500.kV 2 - 0 StationNN 500.kV 1 1L
TO AREA 1 -312.443 MW ON: 0 Station S 500.kV 2 - 0 StationNN 500.kV 1 2L
-624.885 MW TOTAL EXPORT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deleted and Out-of-Service Equipment Summary:

The summary contains a list of deleted and out-of-service equipment, and the temporarily outaged generators and
branches for a case. Each entry in the list includes the flag ( "D": Deleted, or "O": Out-of service), type and identifier
of the equipment.
The following is a sample interarea tie-line summary.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DELETED AND OUT-OF-SERVICE EQUIPMENT:

D: BUS 0 North G1 20.kV

D: GENTR on 0 North G1 20.kV
O: LOAD on 0 StationNN 500.kV
O: LINE 0 North 500.kV - 0 StationNN 500.kV 2L
D: 2-W XFMR 0 North G1 20.kV - 0 North 500.kV T
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

284 • SECTION 6 SOLUTION IN TEXT ASPEN Power Flow v12

SECTION 7 DETAILS AND TECHNIQUES

7.1 SHORTCUTS FOR THE MAIN WINDOW

Getting Information on a Piece of Equipment
Double-click the mouse on the equipment of interest to open the info dialog box.
Scrolling
Press the arrow keys in the numerical keypad to scroll the one-line diagram both horizontally and vertically. Rolling
the mouse wheel also scrolls the diagram up and down.
Zoom and Out
Hold down the <Ctrl> key and roll the mouse wheel to change the zoom setting continuously.
Pan the One-Line Diagram
Press down the mouse wheel and drag the mouse to pan the one-line diagram.
Inserting a Tap Bus
Select ‘Bus’ from the drag/drop pallet and drop it onto the middle of a line symbol.
Adjusting Length of Bus Symbols
Click the left mouse button on either end of the bus symbol and drag to shorten or lengthen the symbol. Before
shortening a bus symbol, you may have to move equipment attached to the portion of the bus symbol that will be
eliminated.
Opening the Phasor Panel
Hold down the <Ctrl> key and double-click the mouse on a network element.
Using Buttons on Toolbar
There is a toolbar immediately below the menus. The buttons on the toolbar are shortcuts for a number of frequently
used commands, such as solving the power flow and viewing the results on the one-line diagram.

The fifteen icons on the toolbar are shortcuts to the following frequently used commands:

File | New
File | Open Binary Data File
File | Save
Tools | Undo

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 7 DETAILS AND TECHNIQUES • 285

 Tools | Data Browser
PFlow | Power Flow
PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line
Display Flow of Real and Reactive Power (shortcut for he PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line command)
Display Losses (shortcut for the PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line command)
Display Current Flows (shortcut for the PFlow | Show Solution on 1-line command)
PFlow | Solution Browser
Tools | Scripting | Run script
View | Device Palette
View | TTY Window

Shutting Down ASPEN Power Flow

You can exit the Power Flow by double-clicking on the control menu box in the upper-left corner of the Main
Window. This is equivalent to executing the File | Exit command.

7.2 SHORTCUTS FOR THE TTY WINDOW

Scrolling
Rolling the mouse wheel scrolls the viewport up and down.
Selecting Everything from the Mouse Position Onward
Double-click the right mouse button on a line of text selects that line and all the lines that follow.
Closing the TTY Window
Double-clicking on the control menu box of the TTY Window closes the window. This is equivalent to executing the
"Menu | Close Window" command.

7.3 SHORTCUTS FOR THE DIALOG BOXES

Move between controls with the <Tab> button
Shortcut for the OK Button
Pushing the <Enter> key on the keyboard.
Shortcut for the Cancel Button
Pushing the <Esc> key on the keyboard.
Press the Help button or <F1> For Help
Most dialog boxes have a Help button at the bottom. If the Help button is not here, you can get help by pressing the
<F1> key on the keyboard.

286 • SECTION 7 DETAILS AND TECHNIQUES ASPEN Power Flow v12

7.4 KEYBOARD ACCELERATORS
While the mouse is the simplest way to execute commands in the Power Flow, experienced users will find that the
fastest way to do certain operations is to use the keyboard accelerators. For example, using the View | Find Bus By
Name command with the mouse means moving the mouse to the View menu, clicking on the menu and selecting the
Find Bus By Name command. But you can do the same thing by striking the <F> key.
The keyboard-accelerator equivalent of a command, if available, is shown directly on the pop-up menu. For example,
on the View | Find Bus By Name command, you will see:
Find Bus By Name F
The accelerators for the various windows are listed below. (You can use either upper or lower case characters.)
Main Window Accelerator Command
1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 Zoom Size 1 through 5 (for backward compatibility with V9)
A View | Find Annotation
B PFlow | Solution Browser
<Ctrl> + C Network | Copy
D Network | Delete
<Delete> Network | Delete
<Ctrl> + D Diagram | Show/Hide with Tag
E View | Go To End Bus
F View | Find Bus By Name
I In/Out Of Service | Put In Service
L PFlow | Power Flow
N View | Find Bus By Number
O In/Out of Service | Take Out of Service
<Ctrl> + T Network | Apply Tag
<Ctrl> + V Network | Paste
W Tools | Data Browser
<Ctrl> + Z Tools | Undo

7.5 COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS

You can supply OneLiner/Power Flow executable files with command-line parameters to perform special operations
at the program start up. The parameters are entered in the Windows Start | Run edit box or in a Windows batch file.
In the following, C:\ASPENDIR\aspenpf.exe is the full path name of the ASPEN Power Flow executable file. For the
combined OneLiner/Power Flow executable, substitute this with C:\ASPENDIR\oneline.exe.

TO START Power Flow WITH WINDOW MAXIMIZED:

Use command line:

C:\ASPENDIR\aspenpf.exe -M

TO START Power Flow WITH NO TOOLBAR:

Use command line:

C:\ASPENDIR\aspenpf.exe -T

TO START Power Flow WITH NO WARNING MESSAGES:

Use command line:

C:\ASPENDIR\aspenpf.exe -Q

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 7 DETAILS AND TECHNIQUES • 287

TO START Power Flow AND RUN A PowerScript PROGRAM:

Use command line:

C:\ASPENDIR\aspenpf.exe -R ScriptFileName [ORLFileName] [-S]
where:
ORLFileName Full path name of OLR file to open before running PowerScript program.
ScriptFileName Full path name of the PowerScript program. This parameter is optional.
-S Shutdown the program after script execution is complete. This parameter is optional.

7.6 WHAT IF POWER FLOW DOES NOT CONVERGE

Power flow is a nonlinear problem. A solution is not guaranteed.
When the power flow solution fails to converge, you will see a dialog box that looks like this:

You can direct the program to stop solving the power flow now, or continue to iterate with or without the automatic-
control adjustments.
If you decide to continue and you think there is a problem, we suggest you turn on the Solution Monitor, which will
give you a detailed account on what is being adjusted and lists of buses with the highest and lowest voltages in each
iteration. You can find the Solution Monitor output in the TTY Window.
IDENTIFY THE CAUSE
There are many reasons why a power flow does not converge. These include:
• Data errors. For example, the tap kV of a transformer was set to an unrealistic position.
• Too much or too little reactive support.
• Unrealistic generation schedule or load profile.
• The system slack bus has to output more than the lines and transformers in its vicinity can transport.
• Unrealistic control targets. For example, a generator is asked to control the voltage at a bus that is too far away.
• Unexpected interactions between automatic controls.
While we do not have a solution that works in all situations, we can give you some ideas on what to look for when the
power flow fails to solve.

288 • SECTION 7 DETAILS AND TECHNIQUES ASPEN Power Flow v12

ANALYSIS OF A FAILED SOLUTION
When the power flow solution stops without converging, the program will ask you whether you want to see an
analysis. We strongly recommend that you answer “Yes”.

The TTY Window will appear to show you a list of the largest power mismatches and the highest and lowest voltages
at the very last iteration. (See picture below.) This information may help you pinpoint the portion of the network that
is causing the problem.

The last three lines of the analysis are designed to show you the amount of real power that has to be generated by the
system slack bus. If this number is unrealistic large, it could be the cause of the problem.
ITERATION LOG
We recommend that you take a close look at the iteration log in the TTY Window that precedes the analysis. It looks
something like this:

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 7 DETAILS AND TECHNIQUES • 289

The iteration log has a lot of useful information. The columns labeled “P(MW) and Q(MW)” are the sum of real- and
imaginary-power mismatches across the entire network. (The mismatch at a bus is the difference between the
scheduled net power -- i.e., generation minus load -- and the net power computed using the latest voltage estimate.)
The column labeled “Unsolved” shows the total number of buses whose mismatches exceeded the convergence
thresholds. The power mismatches can give us some value insight on what is wrong. There are several possible
scenarios:
• The power mismatches grows increasing large, and the program stopped when they “blow up”.
This classic power-flow divergence is a sign that something is drastically wrong. We suggest
you look for errors in the generation schedule and in the load and shunt patterns.
• The power mismatches decrease at first, but after a number of iteration they remain more or
less static and refuse to go lower. This is often a sign that that is either too much or too little
var support in your network model.
• The power mismatches decrease at first, but after a number of iteration, they go up and down
and never settle down. This problem is usually caused by the program’s failure to bring
automatic controls to within their target range.
In the last case, the remaining columns of the table will tell you which types of automatic controls are at fault.
Specifically, the numbers under the various columns are:
• LTC: Number of transformer load tap changers (LTCs) that were adjusted.
• Qlimit: The sum of (1) the number of generators whose MVAR output went beyond the output
and were switched to PQ type, and (2) the number of generators what were switched to PQ
type previously and were reverted back to PV type.
• Area: Number of areas slack buses whose MW output was adjusted to meet net area MW
export target.
• RemoteV: Number of generators whose MVAR output was adjusted to meet voltage-
magnitude target at a remote bus.
• SVD: Number of switched shunts whose MVAR output was changed to control voltage.
• PSC: Number of phase shifters whose shift angle was adjusted to meet MW-flow targets.

290 • SECTION 7 DETAILS AND TECHNIQUES ASPEN Power Flow v12

• DC: Number of 2-terminal dc lines that were adjusted to meet the power and voltage
schedules. The quantities adjusted include the firing and extinction angles and the tap voltage
of the commutation transformers.
In this example (see picture above), the failure to solve is mostly likely caused by one LTC and one area-
interchange constraint. The easiest way to find out which specific devices are causing the problem is to re-
solve the power flow with the Solution Monitor turned on. Once you identify the culprit, we suggest you do
the following:
• Take a close look at the automatic-control parameters. Fix any errors and retry.
• Check the feasibility of the control target by manipulating the control yourself. For example,
for an LTC, you can manually change the tap KV on the moveable-tap side and see if you
could bring the voltage magnitude of the controlled bus to within limits. If you cannot do it
manually, then we suggest you consider changing the target voltage or disable the control.
OTHER THINGS TO TRY
There a number of things that you may want to try if the problem persists.
• Try solving the power flow with a large number of iterations, without adjusting any automatic
controls.
• Try making the convergence criteria less restrictive.
• Check network for anomalies: Run the Check | NETWORK ANOMALIES COMMAND. Pay
special attention to the lists of “Transformers with wrong phasing”, “Transformer with tap
higher then” and “Transformer with tap lower than”. Fix errors and retry. Note: Unlike most
commercial power flow software, the ASPEN Power Flow is not adversely affected by branch
with very small impedances.
• Try limiting the automatic-control adjustments to a subset of the power network. You can do
this in the Solve-Power-Flow dialog box by entering a list of areas in the “In area” edit box.
This works best when the network data came from a solved case (e.g., from a PSS/E raw file)
and your company’s territory is a small part of the network.
• Try solving the power flow with the “Stagger automatic-control adjustment” option turned on.
This may help in cases where the solution is hindered by unexpected interactions between
different types of automatic controls.
• If the problem is caused by a dc line, try replacing the rectifier with a load and the inverter by
a generator. For the load that replaces the rectifier, set the MW consumption equal to the dc
line’s MW schedule and set the MVAR consumption to 30% of that value. For the generator
that replaces the inverter, set the MW output to the dc line’s MW schedule, and the voltage
magnitude to a reasonable value. (Note: In case the system is divided into two disjoint sub-
networks when the dc line is removed, try solving each of the two sub-networks separately by
changing the system-slack-bus selection in the Solve-Power-Flow dialog box.) If this fixes the
problem, then you need to look closely at the dc-line parameters and see if they are correct.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 7 DETAILS AND TECHNIQUES • 291

SECTION 8 POWERCALC SPREADSHEET

8.1 INTRODUCTION
Starting with V12, you can embed unlimited PowerCalc spreadsheets on the one-line diagram. PowerCalc
spreadsheets support Microsoft Excel-style operation and calculations. This section documents the built-in PowerCalc
functions for reading network database and fault solution. More built-in PowerCalc functions for reading power flow
solution will follow. PowerCalc objects are displayed on the one-line diagram in the same manner as text
annotations. The display can include content of select spreadsheet cells, which the program refreshes dynamically
with calculation result.
Typical applications of PowerCalc spreadsheets include:
• Inclusion of supporting data and calculations of the network model
• Extension of OneLiner/Power Flow computational and analytical capabilities

8.2 PowerCalc FUNCTIONS LIST

=====================================================================
APC1LObj(INDEX)

Purpose: Link cell to OneLiner object.

Note: Function is designed for use in PowerCalc button +1L

=====================================================================
APCFault(OBJHND,PCODE,FCODE[,FLAG,R [,X [,OUTAGEGND,OUTAGEn...]]])
Purpose: Simulate fault
Parameters:
OBJHND= Link to OneLiner Bus, relay group or Branch object
FCODE= FC_BUS1 - Bus or close-in
FC_BUS2 - Remote bus
PERCENT - Intermediate percent 0.1-99.9
FC_ENDL - Line end
FC_EOPN - End open
PCODE= PC_3LG
PC_ABG,PC_BCG,PC_CAG
PC_AG,PC_BG,PC_CG
PC_AB,PC_BC,PC_CA
FLAG= Simulation flag (not being used in this version)
R= Fault resistance. Default 0
X= Fault reactance. Default 0
OUTAGEGND= Grounding chain resistance. Default 0
OUTAGEn= Link to OneLiner line, transformer or phase shifter
object(s) to be outaged. Default: none
Note: PowerCalc button +Flt automatically insert this function

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 8 POWERCALC SPREADSHEET • 293

=====================================================================
APCGetBranch( BUSHND, PREVBRANCH )
Purpose: Return link to bus branch
Parameters:
BUSHND= Link to 1-line bus
PREVBRANCH= Link to previous branch at the bus. Assign 0 to
get the first branch.
Note: Link returned in this function can be used in APCFault() and
other functions.

=====================================================================
APCGETDATA(OBJHND,PCODE[,ARRAYIDX])
Purpose: Retrieve 1-line object data
Parameters:
OBJHND= Link to 1-line object
PCODE= PowerScript data access code that corresponds to the field.
ARRAYIDX= [Optional] Index of data when the data field is an array

=====================================================================
APCGETI(OBJHND,PCODE,[NPLR[,NTERM[,FIDX]]])
APCGETV(OBJHND,PCODE,[NPLR[,NTERM[,FIDX]]])
APCGETISC(OBJHND,PCODE,[NPLR[,NTERM[,FIDX]]])
APCGETVSC(OBJHND,PCODE,[NPLR[,NTERM[,FIDX]]])
Purpose: Retrieve fault simulation current and voltage
Parameters:
OBJHND= Link to 1-line object
PCODE= Phase code. Enter PC_A,PC_B,PC_C,PC_Z,PC_P,PC_N,PC_X for
phase A,B,C sequence Zero, Positive, Negative
and tertiary current respectively.
NPLR= [Optional] Polar format display. 1=TRUE. Default = 0
NTERM= [Optional] index of the terminal of multi-terminal equipment,
where result is desired. Default 1.
FIDX= [Optional] Index number of the fault simulation case.
Default: current case

=====================================================================
APCGETIPF(OBJHND[,NTERM])
APCGETVPF(OBJHND[,NTERM[,PU]])
APCGETPQ(OBJHND [,NTERM])
Purpose: Retrieve load flow simulation current, voltage and power
Parameters:
OBJHND= Link to 1-line object
NTERM= [Optional] index of the terminal of multi-terminal equipment,
where result is desired. Default 1.
PU= [Optional] Per-unit out voltage flag. Default: 1

=====================================================================
APCGetRlyHnd( RLYGROUP[, RLYHND])
Purpose: Return link to relay object
Parameters:
RLYGROUP= Link to relay group
RLYHND= Link to previous relay in the group. Assign 0 to
get the first relay.

=====================================================================
APCPickedObjHnd()
Purpose: Return link to highlighted object on the 1-line

=====================================================================
APCPickFault([SFCODE[,FIDX]])
Purpose: Select fault case for solution display
Parameters:
SFCODE= Fault selection code: SF_FIRST,SF_LAST,SF_NEXT,SF_PREV
FIDX= [Optional] Case index to use with SF_NEXT and SF_PREV

=====================================================================
APCRlyOp( RLYHND[, FLTIDX[,CASEIDX]] )
APCRlyTime( RLYHND[, FLTIDX[,CASEIDX]] )
Purpose: Display relay element operation and time
Parameters:
RLYHND= Link to relay object
FLTIDX= [Optional] Fault case index number
CASEIDX= [Optional] SetData case index number.

=====================================================================
APCSETDATA(OBJHND,PCODE,VAL[,CASEID])

294 • SECTION 8 POWERCALC SPREADSHEET ASPEN Power Flow v12

Purpose: Modify 1-line object data
Parameters:
OBJHND= Link to 1-line object
PCODE= PowerScript data access code that corresponds to the field.
VAL= New value.
CASEID= [Optional] Index number of data case

=====================================================================
COMPLEX( COMPLEXNO[|REAL, IMAGINARY[, POLAR]] )
Purpose: Returns string representation of a complex number
Parameters:
COMPLEXNO= complex number string
IMREAL= [Optional] Real part
IMAGINARY= [Optional] Imaginary part
POLAR= [Optional] Print in polar format. Default: 0

=====================================================================
COMPLEXP( COMPLEXNO[|MAG, ANGLE[, POLAR]] )
Purpose: Returns string representation of a complex number
Parameters:
COMPLEXNO= complex number string
MAG= [Optional] Magnitude
ANGLE= [Optional] Angle in degree
POLAR= [Optional] Print in polar format. Default: 1

=====================================================================
STR(VAL)
Purpose: Returns string representation of a number
Parameters:
VAL= numeric value or reference to a numeric cell

=====================================================================
VAL(STR)
Purpose: Returns numerical value of a string representation of a number
Parameters:
STR= string value or reference to a string cell

=====================================================================
Excel equivalent complex number manipulation functions:
IMANGLE, IMSUM, IMDIV, IMPRODUCT, COMPLEX, IMCONJUGATE, IMSUB,
IMAGINARY, IMABS, IMREAL, IMARGUMENT

=====================================================================

NOTE: Additional supported standard Excel functions are listed in pdf file
SP6ExcelFunc.pdf

ASPEN Power Flow v12 SECTION 8 POWERCALC SPREADSHEET • 295

APPENDIX

ASPEN Power Flow v12 APPENDIX • 297

APPENDIX A: SOLUTION ALGORITHM

A.1 POWER FLOW SOLUTION

The power flow employs the full Newton-Raphson iterative method to solve the system of nonlinear power-flow
equations. The Jacobian matrix is computed and factored anew in each iteration. The fast-decoupled method is no
longer available in version 11 because we have found that the Newton-Raphson method is much more reliable and
takes only a little longer to solve the power flow.
The power flow uses several advanced techniques to handle the constraints on area interchange, LTC transformers
and generator Q limits. The program checks and adjusts each of these control types in turn and updates the bus
voltages with fast local-solution methods before proceeding to the next control type. When needed, partial matrix
refactorization is used to update the Jacobian matrix.

A.2 SPARSE MATRIX AND VECTOR METHODS

ASPEN Power Flow employs the classical sparse matrix methods as well as the recently-developed sparse vector
methods. Sparse matrix methods are well-known in the utility industry. The classical reference for sparse matrix
methods is:
W.F. Tinney and J.W. Walker, "Direct Solutions of Sparse Network Equations by Optimally
ordered Triangular Factorization," Proceedings of the IEEE, pp. 1801-09, November 1967.

Sparse vector methods were discovered only in the late 1970’s, and they are much less well known. The original
paper on the sparse vector method is the following:
W.F. Tinney, V. Brandwajn and S.M. Chan, "Sparse Vector Methods," IEEE Trans. on Power
Apparatus and Systems, pp. 295-301, February 1985.
The sparse vector methods exploit, in addition to the high percentage of zeroes in the matrix, the extremely sparse
vectors in fault calculations.
These advanced solution techniques are the key to the program's efficiency and modest storage requirements.

298 • APPENDIX ASPEN Power Flow v12

APPENDIX B: 2-WINDING TRANSFORMERS

C.1 INTRODUCTION
The following are the answers to some commonly-asked questions about the modeling of 2-winding transformers.

Q: How do I model a transformer with these parameters:

Primary tap: 125kV line-to-line, wye connected with grounded neutral.
Primary nominal kV: 115kV
Secondary tap: 14.4kV line-to-line, wye connected with grounded neutral.
Secondary side nominal kV: 13.8kV
Impedance: 6.0% based on a 15MVA base, with the primary and secondary taps at 125kV and 14.4kV,
respectively.

A: We will let Bus1 and Bus2 of the transformer model be the primary and secondary bus, respectively. For this
example, all that is necessary is to convert the transformer impedance to the system 100MVA base.
6.0% x ( 100MVA / 15.0MVA ) = 40.0% or 0.400 pu
In this equation we make use of the well-known fact that the per-unit impedance is directly proportional to the MVA
base. The rest of the transformer parameters can be entered into the program as they are.

Q: How do I adjust the transformer impedance if the impedance given by the manufacturer was measured at different
voltage taps than those being used.

A: Experimental evidence indicates that the per-unit short-circuit impedance increases with the voltage tap, but there
is no simple analytical formula to convert the impedance from one voltage tap to another. The most common
assumption is that the per-unit impedance remains constant at all voltage taps. One may also compute the impedance
using interpolation if the impedance is known at two or more voltage taps.

Q: I have a wye-delta transformer which is modeled by a branch and a shunt in my old short circuit program (Figure
C.1). The nominal kVs are 115 and 69. How do I model this transformer in ASPEN Power Flow and what value
should I use for the infinite impedance?

Figure C.1: The equivalent circuit of a 2-winding wye-delta transformer. The figure shows the positive- and
zero-sequence impedances in per cent. The zero-sequence impedances are enclosed in parentheses.

A: Use these parameters for the transformer: (We assume the per-unit impedances have already been adjusted to the
appropriate MVA base.)
Winding configuration: Wye-delta with delta leading or lagging
Positive-sequence impedance: R+jX = 0.0+j0.0575 pu
Zero-sequence impedance: R0+jX0 = 0.0+j0.0462 pu
BUS1 tap voltage: 115.0 kV
BUS2 tap voltage: 69.0 kV

ASPEN Power Flow v12 APPENDIX • 299

That's all. There is never a need to specify infinite impedances or special shunts for 2- winding transformers in
ASPEN Power Flow.. The program automatically creates the appropriate equivalent circuits based on the winding
configuration and the values of R, X, R0 and X0 given.

300 • APPENDIX ASPEN Power Flow v12

APPENDIX C: CASE COMPARISON PROGRAM

C.1 INTRODUCTION
The ASPEN Case Comparison Program, DIFFER.EXE, is designed to compare two ASPEN data files and to report
on their differences in network parameters and relay settings (including coordination pairs). This program can also
generate a change file that you can use in OneLiner and Power Flow to automatically update a data file.
The program accepts two types of input files:
• Binary data files with the .OLR extension.
• Text data files with the .DXT extension.
You can use this program to compare:
• Two .OLR files,
• A .OLR file and a .DXT file, or
• Two .DXT files.
The program produces two output text files:
• A difference report with the .REP extension.
• (Optional) A change file with the .CHF or .ANA extension.
The difference report is an English-like report listing all the differences between the two input files. This report is
shown on the main window and can also be sent to the printer. We will refer to the first input file as 'FileA' and the
second as 'FileB'.
The change file contains a collection of commands that, when it is applied to FileA, the resulting file will have the
same network parameters and relay settings as those of File B. See 'Section 3.2 Main Window Commands : File |
Read Change File' for a description of this command for more information. Three types of commands are in the
change file:
• Commands to delete network elements and relays that are in FileA but not in FileB;
• Commands to add network elements and relays that are in FileB but not in FileA;
• Commands to modify the network elements and relays that are in both files, but have different parameters.
The format of the change file is identical to the ASPEN network data format described in Section 5 and the relay data
format described in Section 6.

C.2 APPLICATION NOTES

Comparing two .OLR files
The ability to compare two .OLR files allows you to:
• Check for changes made between this year's and last year's base case.
• Check for changes between a base case and a case that has been altered.
Comparing a .OLR file and a .DXT file
The ability to compare a .OLR file with a .DXT file was implemented with the following application in mind.
Company A is member of a reliability council. Once a year, it receives from the
council a data file that contains Company A's system plus some equipment of Company
A's immediate neighbors. Engineers in Company A must update their OneLiner data
files to keep pace with this new information.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 APPENDIX • 301

The brute-force solution of importing the new data from scratch is not practical. A better solution is to compare the
existing data in the current .OLR file with the new data from the council and then use the change file produced by The
Case Comparison Program to update the .OLR file using OneLiner or Power Flow.
The procedure is the following:
• Make a copy of the current .OLR file, which we will call V93.OLR.
• Convert the data file from the council into a text data file in the ASPEN format using one of the conversion
programs available from ASPEN. We will call the converted program COUNCIL.DXT.
• Run DIFFER.EXE to compare V93.OLR with COUNCIL.DXT. We will call the difference report,
REPORT.REP, and the change file, CHANGE.CHF.
• Run OneLiner or Power Flow to update V93.OLR using CHANGE.CHF. The network of the updated file will
be identical to that of COUNCIL.DXT.

C.3 INSTRUCTIONS
1. Double click on the Case Comparison icon in the ASPEN
OneLiner/Power Flow program group to start the program.
When the program starts up, you will see the Main Window.

2. Select the File | Compare command to specify input files.

A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the input for input data File A.
The input file can be either a binary data file or a text data file. A binary data
file must have the .OLR extension. A text data file must have the .DXT
extension.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of
the first input data file, 'File A', and click on "OK".
Note: The order in which you specify the two input files is unimportant if you
do not want to produce a change file. If a change file is wanted, File A must

302 • APPENDIX ASPEN Power Flow v12

 be the file that needs to be updated later in OneLiner/Power Flow -- namely,
File A+Change File=FileB.
The dialog box for input File A will be replaced by a similar dialog box for
input data File B.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
second input data file, 'File B', and click on "OK".
The dialog box will disappear and another dialog box will appear allowing
you to enter the comparison options.

3. Select the portion of the network you would like to compare. Click on:
Entire Network: To compare the entire network.
Boundary: Then, enter a two-character boundary circuit identifier to
compare just the equipment at the system boundary.
Please refer to the Diagram | Equivalent Branch Color Code and
Network | Boundary Equivalent commands in Section 3.2 for
discussions of boundary equivalence. For the purposes of this
command, a boundary branch is any line, transformer or phase
shifter that has the circuit ID you specify in the edit box labeled
Ckt ID. A boundary bus is defined as any bus that is connected
to one or more boundary branches.
The program will report on the differences in the parameters of
boundary branches, loads, shunts and generators connected to
boundary buses.
Area no: Click on “Inside” or “Outside area(s)” and enter a string of
area numbers and ranges, separated by commas.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 APPENDIX • 303

 For example, to compare equipment within areas 1, area 3, and
areas 5 through 9, enter “1,3,5-9” (without the quotes) in the
edit box and click on the “Inside” radio button.
Zone no: Same as area number, except this is for comparing
equipment within zones.
4. Select the method in which the two files will be correlated. Click on:
Name and kV: Two buses, one from each input file, are considered to be
same bus if they have the same name and nominal kV.
Bus Number: Two buses, one from each input file, are considered to be same
bus if they have the same non-zero bus number. If the bus
numbers are both 0, the two buses are considered the same if
their names and nominal kVs are identical.
5. Click on "Produce Change File" if you want the program to produce a
change file. Click on ‘ASPEN Format’ to produce a change file that
you can use within OneLiner/Power Flow. Click on ‘ANAFAS’ to
produce a change file in the ANAFAS format.
6. Select which elements to compare. Click on:
Buses: To compare buses.
Areas and Zones: To compare Areas and Zones.
Generators: To compare generators.
Loads: To compare loads.
Shunts: To compare shunts.
Transmission Lines: To compare transmission lines.
Phase Shifters: To compare phase shifters.
Switches: To compare switches.
Transformers: To compare two- and three-winding transformers.
Mutual Coupling: To compare the zero-sequence mutual coupling between lines.
Overcurrent relays, fuses: To compare overcurrent relays and fuses.
Distance relays: To compare distance relays.
Coordination pairs: To compare coordination pairs.
DC lines: To compare 2-terminal dc lines.
7. Click on "OK". Then specify the difference and change file names.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the file name of the difference report.
The default extension for the report file is .REP.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
difference report and click on "OK".
If you selected the "Produce Change File" option, another dialog box will
appear asking you for the name of the change file. The default extension for
the change files is .CHF
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
change.
8. Click on "OK".
The dialog boxes for the file name and the comparison options will disappear.
Another dialog box will appear reporting on the program's progress.

304 • APPENDIX ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Any differences detected by the program will be written out to the Main Window and to
the output file. When the comparison is finished, the dialog box will disappear and the
Main Window will look something like the following.

Note: Because of the limited capacity of the text buffer, some of the output
may not be accessible by scrolling this window. The full output, however, is
always available in the output file.
9. Print either the Difference Report or the Change File.
You can print either the difference report or the change file report by selecting
the appropriate command in the File menu.
10. Select the File | Exit command to exit the program.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 APPENDIX • 305

APPENDIX D: BUS SELECTOR

D.1 INTRODUCTION
The bus selector is utilized by a number of commands to help you select a set of buses for various purposes. The bus-
selector dialog box looks like this:

The list box on the left shows all the buses in the network that have not been selected. The buses are sorted by name
or by number depending on the option you selected in the Diagram | Options dialog box. The label beneath this list
box will read “Search for name” or “Search for number” depending on the sort order.
You can change the sort order by clicking on the two radio buttons in the “Sort by” group box.
The list box on the right shows the buses you selected. This list box is empty initially.
Here are the instructions on how to use this dialog box to select buses.
SEACH FOR BUSES
Enter bus name or number in the “Search for” edit box under the left list
box to search for a bus in that list box.
There is a similar Search edit box under the right list box.
SELECT BUSES MANUALLY

”
Highlight one or more buses in the left list box and click on the “

button to select them. The program will transfer the selected buses to the
right list box.
” button
Highlight one or more buses in the right list box and click on “
to de-select them. The program will transfer the selected buses to the left
list box.
SELECT A GROUP OF BUSES

” button.
Click on the button labeled “…” to the right of the “

The Add To List dialog box will appear. You can specify the criteria for
selecting buses to be transferred from the left list box to the right list box. We
will refer to these as the ‘source list box’ and ‘destination list box’,
respectively.

306 • APPENDIX ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Click on:
All buses: This option will select all the buses in the source list box.
Buses in the 1-line selection: This option is available only if you have
highlighted a bus or a branch on the one-line diagram prior to
using the Bus Selector. This option will select the bus or the
terminals of the branch if they are in the source list box.
Buses in area(s): This option will select buses in the source list box that
belong to the areas you specify. Type the area number as a
comma delimited list, e.g., “2,3-5,10” (without the quotes), into
the edit box. Alternatively, press the button labeled ‘…” to the
right to select the areas from a dialog box.

Buses in zone(s): Same method as for “Buses in area(s)”, except this

option will select buses in the source box that belong to the
zones you specify.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 APPENDIX • 307

 Buses from file: To select buses within a bus-list file if those buses are in the
source list box. The file must be of the bus-list format of
Section H.2.
In vicinity of current selection: This option is available only if there are one
or more buses in the destination list box. Enter a tier limit of 1
or higher to transfer the neighbors of the existing selection
to the destination list box.
Enter additional selection criteria:
Bus number range: The program will exclude buses whose bus
numbers are outside of this range.
Nominal kV range: The program will excluded buses whose
nominal kVs are outside of this range.
Also include all neighbor buses. Enter a kV range. This option will add to
the list buses in the source list box that are in the vicinity of the
buses that were already selected.
Press OK.
The program will transfer the selected buses to the destination list box.
DE-SELECT A GROUP OF BUSES
To de-select a group of buses based on certain criteria, click on the button
” button.
labeled “…” to the right of the “
The Add To List dialog will appear. You can specify the criteria for selecting
buses to be transferred from the right list box to the left list box.
The instructions are the same as those for selecting buses. The only difference
is that the ‘source list box’ is the right list box and the ‘destination list box’ is
the left list box.
When you press OK, the program will transfer the selected buses from the
right list box to the left list box.
SAVE THE SELECTED BUSES TO A FILE
Press the Store button at the upper right corner of the Bus Selector dialog
box to store the selected buses to a file.
A Save-File dialog box will appear to ask you for the file name.
Use the controls in the standard dialog box to name the bus-list file.
The selected buses are stored in a text file of the format described in Section
H.2. You can retrieve this list later with the Recall button.
CLOSE THE BUS SELECTOR
Press the OK button in the Bus Selector dialog box when you have
collected the buses you want in the right list box.

308 • APPENDIX ASPEN Power Flow v12

D.2 BUS-LIST FILE FORMAT
The bus-list file is a text file with a bus name and nominal kV on each line. A sample file with four bus names is
shown below:
'ARKANSAS', 33
'CLAYTOR', 132
'DOT BUS', 13.8
'FLORIDA', 33
Each bus name must be enclosed by single quotes or double quotes depending on the string-delimiter option you
selected in the Network | Options dialog box.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 APPENDIX • 309

APPENDIX E: BUS SELECTOR

E.1 INTRODUCTION
The bus selector is utilized by a number of commands to help you select a set of buses. The bus-selector dialog box
looks like this:

The list box on the left shows buses in the network that have not been selected. The buses are sorted initially by
name or by number depending on the option you selected in the Diagram | Options command. The label beneath this
list box reads “Search for name” or “Search for number” depending on the sort order.
You can change the sort order by clicking on the two radio buttons in the “Sort by” group box.
The list box on the right shows the buses you selected. This list box is empty initially.
Here are the instructions on how select buses with this dialog box.
SEACH FOR BUSES
Enter bus name or number in the “Search for” edit box under the left list
box to search for a bus in that list box.
There is a similar Search edit box under the right list box.
SELECT BUSES MANUALLY

”
Highlight one or more buses in the left list box and click on the “

button to select them. The program will transfer the selected buses to the
right list box.
” button
Highlight one or more buses in the right list box and click on “
to de-select them. The program will transfer the selected buses to the left
list box.
SELECT A GROUP OF BUSES

” button.
Click on the button labeled “…” to the right of the “

The Add To List dialog box will appear. You can specify the criteria for
selecting buses to be transferred from the left list box to the right list box. We
will refer to these as the ‘source list box’ and ‘destination list box’,
respectively.

310 • APPENDIX ASPEN Power Flow v12

 Click on:
All buses: This option will select all the buses in the source list box.
Buses in the 1-line selection: This option is available only if you have
highlighted a bus or a branch on the one-line diagram prior to
using the Bus Selector. This option will select the bus or the
terminals of the branch if they are in the source list box.
Buses in area(s): This option will select buses in the source list box that
belong to the areas you specify. Type the area number as a
comma delimited list, e.g., “2,3-5,10” (without the quotes), into
the edit box. Alternatively, press the button labeled ‘…” to the
right to select the areas from a dialog box.

Buses in zone(s): Same method as for “Buses in area(s)”, except this

option will select buses in the source box that belong to the
zones you specify.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 APPENDIX • 311

 Buses from file: To select buses within a bus-list file if those buses are in the
source list box. The file must be of the bus-list format of
Section H.2.
In vicinity of current selection: This option is available only if there are one
or more buses in the destination list box. Enter a tier limit of 1
or higher to transfer the neighbors of the existing selection
to the destination list box.
Enter additional selection criteria:
Bus number range: The program will exclude buses whose bus
numbers are outside of this range.
Nominal kV range: The program will excluded buses whose
nominal kVs are outside of this range.
Also include all neighbor buses. Enter a kV range. This option will add to
the list buses in the source list box that are in the vicinity of the
buses that were already selected.
Press OK.
The program will transfer the selected buses to the destination list box.
DE-SELECT A GROUP OF BUSES
To de-select a group of buses based on certain criteria, click on the button
” button.
labeled “…” to the right of the “
The Add To List dialog will appear. You can specify the criteria for selecting
buses to be transferred from the right list box to the left list box.
The instructions are the same as those for selecting buses. The only difference
is that the ‘source list box’ is the right list box and the ‘destination list box’ is
the left list box.
When you press OK, the program will transfer the selected buses from the
right list box to the left list box.
SAVE THE SELECTED BUSES TO A FILE
Press the Store button at the upper right corner of the Bus Selector dialog
box to store the selected buses to a file.
A Save-File dialog box will appear to ask you for the file name.
Use the controls in the standard dialog box to name the bus-list file.
The selected buses are stored in a text file of the format described in Section
H.2. You can retrieve this list later with the Recall button.
CLOSE THE BUS SELECTOR
Press the OK button in the Bus Selector dialog box when you have
collected the buses you want in the right list box.

312 • APPENDIX ASPEN Power Flow v12

E.2 BUS-LIST FILE FORMAT
The bus-list file is a text file with a bus name and nominal kV on each line. A sample file with four bus names is
shown below:
'ARKANSAS', 33
'CLAYTOR', 132
'DOT BUS', 13.8
'FLORIDA', 33
Each bus name must be enclosed by single quotes or double quotes depending on the string-delimiter option you
selected in the Network | Options dialog box.

ASPEN Power Flow v12 APPENDIX • 313

 Breaker Rating Module 245
Bus
adjust symbol length 285
change area and zone in region 145
change nominal kV 141
Index change symbol 171
data used for text file 258
delete 133
find by name 184
find by number 185
go to end bus 187
insert tap bus into a line 157
merge 156
new 81
place 169
A place using state-plane coordinates 176
Acquire Graphics from Another File 177 remove tap bus from a line 158
ANAFAS Format restore 139
export to 72 show and hide 172
read change file 70 slack bus 195
Annotation split 155
add to one-line diagram 130 Bus Selector 304, 308
attach to objects 131, 178 Bus-List File Format 307, 311
detach from objects 131
find on one-line diagram 186 C
highlight attached object 188
Anomalies Checking 217 Case Comparison Program 15
Area Case File 15, 197
data 226 Change File 15, 299, 302
data in text data file 273 comments 256
renumber 227 read 70
show area number on one-line 192 Change from Line to Series Capacitor/Reactor 144
show tie lines on one-line 192 Change Nominal kV 141
Area Interchange Constraints Change T to 3-Winding Transformer 143
enforcement in solution 196 Circuit Breaker See Breaker
Color Code
by voltage class 166
B Command Line Parameters 287
Batch Cases 207 Contigencies
Binary Data File 15, 299, 300 simulation 197
close 61 Contingency Analysis 197
create new 58 Copy to Clipboard
open 59 network and relay data in region 152
save 62 network data 151
save as 63 one-line graphics in a region 163
Boundary Equivalent relay data 151
ID for fictitious branches and generators 162 Curve Collection
special color code for fictitious elements 168 save on exit 61
Branch Names on One-Line 191
Breaker D
check anomalies 218
data 84 Data Browser 222
data in text data file 274 area data 226
delete all 138 customization 229
model 245 report 228

ASPEN Power Flow v12 Index • 315

 scale load and generation 226 Find Bus
zone data 227 by name 184
DC Line by number 185
data in text data file 271 invisible bus 225
new 127 Font size
Default Parameters for New Objects 162 main window 165
Delete Frequency
all circuit breakers 138 system 65, 67, 161
all in area or zone 135
all inside a region 136 G
all outside a region 137
equipment with tag 134 GE Format
network elements 133 compatibility with 220
Device palette 57 export to 72
Insert tap node 157 Generator 245
new 2-winding transformer 109 data in text data file 260
new 3-winding transformer 121 delete 133
new dc line 127 new 90
new line 103 restore 139
new load 94 scale output 226
new phase shifter 115 take out of service 148
new series capacitor/reactor 106 Generator Remote Voltage Control
new shunt 97 enforcement in solution 196
new switch 119 Generator VAR Limt
new switched shunt 100 enforcement in solution 195
new synchronous machine 90 Go To End Bus 187
Show/Hide 193 GPS Coordinates 176
Disguise File Identity 182 Graphics
Drag-and-Drop See Device palette acquire from another file 177

E H
Equivalent Branch Color Code 168 Help 52
Excel function 294 Hide Bus
Exit Program 79 by region 173
Export selected bus 173
graphical data from Main Window 75
network data 72 I
Ignore
F phase shift 162
File Impedances on One-Line Diagram 190
backup file 16 Import
binary data files 15, 299, 300 network data 60
case file 15 Insert Line Kink 180
case files 197 Insert Tap Bus 157
change files 15, 299, 302 Installing Power Flow Program 14
line table file 15
line table files 104 K
output files 16
PowerScript file 15 Key
text data file 15, 16, 255, 300 update memory 234
Windows metafile 16 Keyboard Accelerators 287
File Comments 64 kV Color Code 166
Find Annotation on one-line 186

316 • Index ASPEN Power Flow v12

L show/hide elements 174
Network Data
Line See Transmission Line importing 60
Line Table File 15, 104 Note See Annotation
Load
data in text data file 261
delete 133 O
models 245 One-Line Diagram
new 94 creation 169
restore 139 scale/shift 181
scaling 226 view solution on 209
take out of service 148 On-Line Help 52
Load Flow See Power Flow Outage List 160
Load Tap Changer Output File 16
2-winding transformer 112
3-winding transformer 124
initial position in solution 195 P
reset center position 159 Palette See Device palette
specifying parameters for 113, 125 Paste from Clipboard
Lock One-Line Graphics From Being Modified 183 equipment and relays in region 154
LTC See Load Tap Changer network data 153
relay data 153
M using drag/drop palette 57
Phase Shift
Macro See PowerScript ignore option 162
Merge Buses 156 Phase Shifter
Merge Files 68 model 247
Models new 115
2-winding transformers 250, 297 Place Buses 169
3-winding transformers 252, 299 Plain One-Line Diagram 189
phase shifter 247 Power Flow
transformer 248 contingency analysis 197
transmission line 246 convergence tolerance 194
Mutual Coupling Pair iteration limit 194
copy 151 solution algorithms 296
data in text data file 272 solution on one-line 209
paste 154 solution parameters 194
MVA base solution report in text 279
2-winding transformer 111 solution summaries 282
3-winding transformer 123 solve batch cases 207
generator 92 write solution report to file or TTY Window 213
phase shifter 116 PowerCal Sheet 293
system 58, 65, 67 add to one-line diagram 132
PowerScript
N customize user-defined commands 232
editor 230
N-1 Contingencies 199 run a script 231
Network Preferences
anomalies checking 217 sort by bus name or no. 164
export data 72 time in sec. or cycles 164
hide equipment by area or zone 174 unit of length 165
options 161 Previous Curve Collection See Curve Collectiion
properties 80 Print
show equipment by area or zone 174 one-line diagram 77
show equipment by region 172 selected text 238

ASPEN Power Flow v12 Index • 317

Printer Solution On One-Line 209
setup 76 Solution Output Format
Properties ASPEN 213
network 80 WSCC 213
PTI Format Solution Report
compatibility with 220 write to file or TTY Window 213
export to 72 Sorting Preference
Put Equipment in Service 147 by bus name or bus number 164
Sparse Matrix and Vector Methods 296
R Split Bus 155
State Plane Coordinates 176
Relay Group in bus dialog box 82
copy a relay from 151 Statistics 65
copy all relays in group 151 String Delimiter for Text Data Files 162
pasting a relay into 153 Switch
Remove Tap Bus 158 data in text data file 271
Report new 119
network data from Browser 228 reactance 161
relay data from Browser 228 toggle 140
Reset text position 179 Switched Shunt
Restore 139 data in text data file 262
bus, generator, load, shunt, or branch 139 models 246
Run Configuration Program 233 new 100
System Frequency 161
S
Scale/Shift One-Line Diagram 181
T
Script See PowerScript T Circuit Model of 3-Winding Tansformer 143
Scrolling Tags 66
with mouse wheel 28 special color 168
with scrollbars 28 Take Out of Service 148
Series Capacitor Tap Bus 82
change from line 144 show or hide bus name on one-line 165
Series Capacitor/Reactor Tapped line 82
new 106 Text Data File 15, 16, 300
Setup Power Flow Program 14 comments 256
Shortcuts format information 255
for the dialog boxes 286 open 60
for the keyboard 287 Text Orientation Option 165
for the main window 285 Three Winding Transformer
for the TTY window 286 change from T model 143
Show Bus models 252, 299
by region 172 new 121
in area or zone 174 Toolbar 193, 285
Show/Hide Area 174 Transformer See also Two-Winding Transformer and
Shunt Three-Winding Transformer
data in text data file 261 2-winding model 250, 297
delete 133 3-winding model 252, 299
models 245 models 248
new 97 new 2-winding 109
restore 139 new 3-winding 121
Size Limitations 12 reset taps to nominal 159
Slack Bus 195 symbol, American or European 164
Snap to State Plane Coordinates 176 symbols, American or European 17
Solution Browser 215 Transmission Line

318 • Index ASPEN Power Flow v12

 change to series capacitor/reactor 144
data in text data file 264
models 246
new 103
restore 139
TTY Window
clear contents of 236
close 240
copy selected text to clipboard 242, 243
print selected text 238
save selected text to file 239
select all text 241
select font and size of text 237
view in main window 193
Tutorial 18
PowerScript 53
Two Winding Transformer
models 250, 297
new 109

U
Undo 221
Unit of Length Preference 165

V
View
areas, tie lines on one-line 192
branch names on one-line diagram 191
impedances on one-line diagram 190
plain one-line diagram 189
solution on one-line 209
toolbar on Main Window 193
TTY Window 193

W
Windows Metafile 16
Working Model 13
WSCC Output Format 213

Z
Zig-zag grounding transformer 98
ZigZag-Delta 2-Winding Transformer 110
ZigZag-Wye 2-Winding Transformer 110
Zone
data 227
data in text data file 274
renumber 228
Zoom Slider
main window 56

ASPEN Power Flow v12 Index • 319

ASPEN Power Flow v12 Index • 321