Prediction of Vulnerability in Iran's Power Grid by Link Analysis

Recently, analysis of the vulnerable points of power grid as a vital national infrastructure network has received particular attention. Specifically, correction or prediction of vulnerable points can be effective in power grid crisis management. In most previous studies, prediction of the vulnerable points was based on the theory of network science and dealt with the power grid of no direction. In this paper, the power grid of a certain direction has been investigated and PageRank Weighted link analysis has been adopted to detect related vulnerable points. The major advantage of this method lays in shortening the calculation time and in yielding results that are in conformity with the Dispatching- Center's own computations. By modeling a fragment of the Iranian power grid at 400 and 230 KV, connectivity and vulnerable points are predicted. The obtained results following this innovative approach could be used by the power grid decision makers and managers to ameliorate the network management, security and development.