Optimal power flow solutions for normal and critical loading scenarios using hybrid Rao-2 sine cosine algorithm

This study explores integrating a novel Hybrid Rao-2 Sine Cosine Algorithm (HRSCA) into power systems to address optimal power flow (OPF) challenges, particularly under high loading and contingency scenarios. HRSCA combines the Sine-Cosine Algorithm's exploratory capabilities with the Rao-2 algorithm's exploitative strengths, enhancing convergence speed and solution quality. It balances exploration and exploitation, ensuring diverse, optimal solutions that meet OPF constraints without added complexity. Rigorous testing on IEEE 30-bus and 118-bus systems demonstrates its robust performance and superiority over contemporary algorithms in standard OPF studies and scenarios like load growth and generator outages. HRSCA effectively lowers fuel costs and emissions, improves voltage stability, minimizes voltage deviations, and enhances load margin stability under operational stressors like faults. For example, in generator outage scenarios on the IEEE 30-bus system at a loading factor of 1.0932 p.u., it achieved a fuel cost of 1,021.6998 $/h, reflecting a marginal yet noteworthy 0.03 % improvement over the previously reported 1,022.0078 $/h. It also reduced power loss to 9.4336 MW, a notable 3.46 % improvement from 9.772 MW, with emission costs as low as 0.3726 ton/h and 0.3802 ton/h, respectively. For the IEEE 118-bus system, HRSCA minimized fuel costs to 129,088.63 $/h, a 1.62 % improvement over the base case of 131,220.52 $/h, outperforming many recent algorithms. These results highlight HRSCA's potential to enhance efficiency, stability, security, and environmental performance, even under critical conditions.