2.5 Loading Data 11
2.5 Loading Data
Almost all operations require that a data file is loaded. The name of this file is
always displayed in the edit text Data File of the main window. To load a file
simply double click on this edit text, or use the first button of the tool-bar, the
menu File/Open/Data File or the shortcut <Ctr-d> when the main window is
active. The data file can be either a .m file in PSAT format or a Simulink model
created with the PSAT library.
If the source is in a different format supported by the PSAT format conversion
utility, first perform the conversion in order to create the PSAT data file.
It is also possible to load results previously saved with PSAT by using the
second button from the left of the tool-bar, the menu File/Open/Saved System or
the shortcut <Ctr-y>. To allow portability across different computers, the .out files
used for saving system results include also the original data which can be saved in
a new .m data file. Thus, after loading saved system, all operations are allowed,
not only the visualization of results previously obtained.
There is a second class of files that can be optionally loaded, i.e. perturbation
or disturbance files. These are actually Matlab functions and are used for setting
independent variables during time domain simulations. In order to use the program,
it is not necessary to load a perturbation fi le, not even for running a time domain
simulation.
2.6 Running the Program
Setting a data file does not actually load or update the component structures. To
do this, one has to run the power flow routine, which can b e launched in several
ways from the main window (e.g. by the shortcut <Ctr-p>). The last version of
the data file is read each time the power flow is performed. The data are updated
also in case of changes in the Simulink model originally loaded. Thus it is not
necessary to load again the file every time it is modified.
After solving the first power flow, the program is ready for further analysis, such
as Continuation Power Flow, Optimal Power Flow, Small Signal Stability Analysis,
Time Domain Simulation, PMU placement, etc. Each of these procedures can be
launched from the tool-bar or the menu-bar of the main window.
2.7 Displaying Results
Results can be generally displayed in more than one way, either by means of a
graphical user interface in Matlab or as a ascii text file. For example p ower
flow results, or whatever is the actual solution of the power flow equations of the
current system, can be inspected with a GUI (in the main window, look for the
menu View/Static Report or use the shortcut <Ctr-v>). Then, the GUI allows to
save the results in a text file. The small signal stability and the PMU placement
GUIs have similar behaviors. Other results requiring a graphical output, such as
continuation power flow results, multi-objective power flow computations or time