Dr. Rui Bo, professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 12,717,983, issued Aug. 25, by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent, titled “Method for generating a reduced equivalent model of an electric power network for SCED and SCUC applications,” addresses a problem that has long slowed down grid operations research.

Security-constrained economic dispatch (SCED) and security-constrained unit commitment (SCUC) are core functions that keep power grids running safely and efficiently. Running these programs on a full-scale grid model can take anywhere from half an hour to several days for a single scenario. Analyzing multiple scenarios can require several weeks. Detailed real-world grid models and certain operational data may contain sensitive or protected critical energy infrastructure information and therefore often cannot be publicly shared. That restriction has made it difficult for researchers and third parties to test and validate new tools against real-world conditions.

Dr. Bo’s method addresses both challenges. It takes actual power line flow and network congestion data from a real grid and produces a much smaller model that behaves like the original. SCED and SCUC programs run on this reduced model can deliver highly accurate results for power flow, congestion, market-clearing prices, and generation dispatch, while the sensitive grid topology and parameters underneath stay protected and difficult to reverse engineer. Unlike many conventional reduction approaches, the method accounts for multiple operating conditions when constructing the reduced network, helping it preserve relevant grid behavior across a range of system conditions.

Key highlights of the innovation:

• Faster analysis: Cuts SCED and SCUC computation time from days or weeks down to minutes or hours, making scenario testing far more practical.
• Protects sensitive grid information: Produces reduced models that can support data sharing and external research while protecting detailed topology and network parameters of the original system.
• Purpose-built for SCED and SCUC: Unlike existing network-reduction approaches, which can have significant limitations when applied to SCED and SCUC, this technology was developed specifically to support SCED and SCUC applications.

The technology has been developed into a working prototype and validated using real power grid data. S&T is now seeking a licensing and development partner to bring it into commercial power system operations and market simulation software.

The research underlying the invention was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under Contract No. D18AP00054. For technical details or licensing inquiries regarding U.S. Patent No. 12,717,983, email the technology transfer and economic development.