GridPACK: A Framework for Developing Power Grid Simulations on High Performance Computing Platforms

Abstract

This paper describes the GridPACK TM framework, which is designed to help power grid engineers develop modeling software capable of running on high performance computers. The framework makes extensive use of software templates to provide high level functionality while at the same time allowing developers the freedom to express whatever models and algorithms they are using. GridPACK TM contains modules for setting up distributed power grid networks, assigning buses and branches with arbitrary behaviors to the network, creating distributed matrices and vectors and using parallel linear and non-linear solvers to solve algebraic equations. It also provides mappers to create matrices and vectors based on properties of the network and functionality to support IO and to manage errors. The goal of GridPACK TM is to substantially reduce the complexity of writing software for parallel computers while still providing efficient and scalable software solutions. The use of GridPACK TM is illustrated for a simple powerflow example and performance results for powerflow and dynamic simulation are discussed.

Innovative Research on Urban Community Governance Decision-Making Relying on Distributed High-Performance Computing Blockchain Key Algorithms

“…Palmer B introduced the GridPACK™ framework, which is designed to help grid engineers develop modeling software that can run on high-performance computers. GridPACK™ contains modules for setting up a distributed grid network, assigning buses and branches with arbitrary behavior to the network, creating distributed matrices and vectors, and using parallel linear and nonlinear solvers to solve algebraic equations [ 5 ]. But there is no clear introduction to how the framework works on related modeling software.…”

A graph‐based computational framework for simulation and optimisation of coupled infrastructure networks

“…Powerful modelling tools for different infrastructures currently exist but these have been developed in an ad‐hoc manner. For instance, power grid modelling tools such as PLEXOS [http://energyexemplar.com/software/plexos-desktop-edition] and GRIDPACK [5] are currently used to conduct high‐fidelity power grid simulations but lack capabilities to integrate with other modelling languages such as SYNERGY [https://www.dnvgl.com/services/advanced-hydraulic-modelling-synergi-gas-3894] which is used for natural gas pipeline simulations, POLARIS which is used for high‐fidelity transportation network simulation [6], and EPANET [7] which is used for water infrastructure simulation. Interfacing these tools to conduct co‐simulation is challenging because they do not have coherent data structures and because the physical equations and numerical techniques used to tackle such equations are quite different.…”

Algebraic multigrid for the nonlinear powerflow equations

“…This is a quasi‐Newton method where, under some powergrid assumptions, the Jacobian system for the full Newton's method is replaced with a system that decouples the corrections to the algebraic variables and A relevant strategy is the continuation/homotopy approach, where a difficult powerflow system is solved by consecutively applying Newton's method to a sequence of systems, starting with an easy system and progressively increasing the complexity of the system until the target system is reached (see References 2,9 where a continuation method was used in a voltage stability analysis). A more recent and natural strategy is to utilize high‐performance computers (HPC) for faster wall‐clock computation (see Reference 10 for a description of an HPC framework for powergrid applications, which includes solving the powerflow equations with Newton's method). HPC has also been used to solve the linear Jacobian systems in Newton's iteration.…”