PowerFactory 15.0 offers major features in calculation functionality, extensions to the data model and data management system. It comes with improved visualisation features, new models and solving algorithms. The newly enhanced distribution analysis tools integrate advanced network analysis and optimisation techniques with economic evaluations. With its rich modelling capabilities for variable loads and distributed generation such as PV, fuel cells, wind generation and battery storage, PowerFactory is perfectly suited for network planning and operation studies of increasingly smart grids.

PowerFactory 15.0 product highlights include among others :
  • Geographic Diagrams and enhanced tools for visualizing topological network structures.
  • Optimal Power Supply Restoration functions.
  • Enhanced Reliability Assessment for balanced and unbalanced networks.
  • Voltage Profile Optimisation for bi-directional power flows.
  • Arc-Flash calculation (IEEE1584, NFPA 70E) incl. label printing.
  • Automatic Cable Sizing (IEC 60364-5-52, NF C15-100, NF C13-200, BS 7671, etc.)
  • Static Motor Starting simulation.
  • Simulation Scan module.
  • Techno-Economic evaluation of grid expansion strategies.
  • New and improved models such as MV load model, secondary substations, single-phase static generator and PLL model, capacitive voltage transformer, improved cable parameter calculation, etc.
  • Database offline mode with local caching and re-synchronisation, automatic rule-based database housekeeping.

Besides, PowerFactory 15.0 comes with a revised user interface which provides tools for customization by means of defining user profiles.
In this way, PowerFactory can be flexibly adapted to specific customers' needs.

Some of the new key features and enhancements available in PowerFactory 15.0 can be summarised below. Specific details of all enhancements, including examples, and associated Technical References are available in the PowerFactory 15 manual.

Protection
PowerFactory 15.0 introduces a completely new tabular reporting format which vastly improves the protective device setting reporting capability of the software. With the previous approach ASCII reports for protection settings were generated in the output window which were not able to deal with the structure of complex relay models. Furthermore the settings could not easily be exported to other software environments like Microsoft Word or Excel. The new tabular report command overcomes these problems by generating pre-configured tabular outputs customized to the protective device class.

Arc-Flash Hazard Analysis
PowerFactory 15.0 introduces new tools to conduct Arc-Flash hazard assessments:
Arc-Flash calculations can be conducted in accordance with IEEE-1584 2002 and NFPA
70E 2008 standards.
Arc-Flash calculations can be performed using globally or individually specified circuit- breaker tripping times, or protection clearing times based on actual protection settings. The calculation takes into account the arc resistance when determining protection clearing times.
Incident Energy and PPE requirements can be displayed on the Single Line Graphic.
PowerFactory automates the preparation of Arc-Flash labels based on the calculation results.

Motor Starting
In addition to dynamic motor starting simulations, PowerFactory 15.0 introduces the ability to perform static motor starting simulations to assess motor voltages before, during, and after starting, and to assess whether starting is successful.

Automatic Cable Sizing
PowerFactory 15.0 provides a new functionality to perform Cable Sizing optimization in accor- dance with various international standards.
The Cable Sizing command can be executed on a network model, balanced or unbalanced, with or without any cable types previously defined. PowerFactory will assign types and calculate cable ratings according to the selected international standard, such as IEC 60364-5-52, BS 7671, NF C15-100, and NF C13-200

For more information on new features and enhancements, please refer to the document "What's New in PowerFactory 15.0".
Further details are also given in the new User Manual which is included in the software.

To download what is New in PowerFactory 15, CLICK HERE