Research on cascaded failure robustness of power communication coupling network

The proposed system model considers the interdependency between power and communication networks and investigates the cascading failure process in the system. Two interdependency models, weak and strong, are suggested to determine the extent of the loss of controllability after failures and how it affects power network. A congestion-aware load balancing scheme is also proposed to reduce the density of severe cascades. The results of the cascading failure simulations on data from power networks show that increasing the coupling between the networks is generally beneficial, as it can help distribute the load and prevent the occurrence of severe cascades. However, the robustness of network and the nature of the interdependencies between coupled networks should also be considered. Overcoupling will decrease system robustness against cascading failure in certain scenarios. The average unserved load in power network and the number of failed nodes in the communication layer are used as metrics to evaluate the system's performance under different scenarios. The proposed models and schemes can be useful for designing and optimizing interdependent power-communication networks to improve their robustness against cascading failures.