Collaborative Research: RIPS Type 2: Strategic Analysis and Design of Robust and Resilient Interdependent Power and Communications Networks

电力和通信网络可以说是国家最关键的两个基础设施，它们是高度相互依存的，因为通信网络传输电网要素的测量和控制数据，反过来又需要可靠的电力供应才能成功运行。因此，电网的初始故障可以触发通信网络的故障，通信网络的故障可以触发电网的进一步故障，从而导致级联故障。现有的模型和分析方法过于简化了电力网络和通信网络之间复杂的相互关系，因此在处理级联网络应力时效果不佳。该项目的目标是开发和验证一种全新的范例，以一种可处理且准确的方式捕捉网络之间相互依赖的复杂性，并利用其预测能力来确定网络压力的结果，并提供规范性解决方案，通过加强关键网络元素来减轻级联故障。在这样做的同时，该项目使用博弈论方法来解释驱动网络供应决策的社会经济动机，这些决策是由竞争市场实体拥有和运营的，这些市场实体也必须为了整个电力通信网络系统的福祉而相互合作。该项目的目的是在参与机构开展研究生和本科生课程发展活动，特别是将经济和社会科学学科的学生聚集在一起，否则这些学生可能不会接触能源和通讯领域。该项目朝着原则性理解相互依赖的电力和通信网络以及开发可用于增强其稳健性的实际解决方案迈出了重要的一步。研究分为三个相互依存的重点领域：1)宏观层面的分析与设计：该重点领域建立了一种基于布尔逻辑的隐含相互依赖关系的创新方法的分析基础，以表征跨越全国的大规模电力和通信网络中不同网络实体之间的相互依赖关系及其对整体网络弹性的影响。这种方法的一个关键新颖之处在于将复杂的相互依赖关系提炼成可分析处理的逻辑关系，这些逻辑关系可用于做出故障恢复决策。2)微观层面的分析和设计：这个重点领域深入到电力和通信系统的单个实体，如系统控制器和发电机，以了解每个实体的健康如何受到当前条件的影响。在不同的系统实体之间构建真实的图形，并通过详细的模拟观察网络上事件的级联，从而产生对每个组成实体的可靠性的见解。3)社会经济分析：鉴于网络/公用事业运营商有不同的动机，这一推动力将技术见解转化为适用的政策决策，该决策基于博弈论和对利益相关者进行的调查/访谈，以进行社会经济分析。确定与每个运营商相关的实体在整体系统弹性方面的价值，激励他们强化关键实体，并创建资源交易的交换，这是这一部分的关键方面。该项目的直接影响是就如何最好地提高电力和通信基础设施的复原力这一关键问题提出建议。所开发的分析方法也适用于其他异质相互依赖的网络。该项目的教育方面是基于在工程和社会科学的思想之间创造协同效应，并使这些思想能够为广泛的学生所利用。特别注重为女性和少数民族学生提供学习机会是进一步的优势。

Power and communication networks, arguably the two most critical infrastructures of the nation, are highly interdependent in that communication networks transport measurement and control data of power network elements, and in turn require reliable power supplies to operate successfully. Hence, an initial failure in the power network can trigger failures in the communication network, which can then trigger further failures in the power network, thus resulting in a cascading failure. Existing models and analytical methods oversimplify the complex inter-relationships between power and communications networks, and hence are ineffective in dealing with cascading network stresses. The goal of this project is to develop and validate a fundamentally new paradigm for capturing the complexity of interdependency between networks in a tractable yet accurate manner, and to utilize its predictive power to determine outcomes of network stresses and to provide prescriptive solutions to mitigate cascading failures by strengthening critical network elements. While doing so, the project uses game theoretical methods to account for the socio-economic motivations that drive provisioning decisions in networks that are owned and operated by competing market entities that also have to cooperate with each other for the well-being of the entire power-communication network system. The project aims at both graduate and undergraduate curriculum development activities at the participating institutions, particularly at bringing together students from economics and social sciences disciplines that may not otherwise be exposed to the energy and communications domain. The project takes an important step towards the principled understanding of the interdependent power and communication networks, and the development of practical solutions that can be used to enhance their robustness. The research is organized into three interdependent thrust areas:1) Macro-level Analysis and Design: This thrust area establishes the analytical foundations of an innovative methodology based on Boolean logic based implicative interdependency relations to characterize interdependency between different network entities in large scale power and communication networks spanning the entire country, and its impact on overall network resilience. A key novelty of this approach is to distill complex interdependencies into analytically tractable logical relationships that can be used to make failure recovery decisions.2) Micro-level Analysis and Design: This thrust area delves deep into individual entities of the power and communication systems, such as system controllers and power generators, to understand how the health of each is affected by prevailing conditions. Constructing realistic graphs across different system entities and observing the cascade of events across the network through detailed simulations yield insights on the dependability of each constituent entity.3) Socio Economic Analysis: Given that the network/utility operators have different motivations, this thrust transforms technical insights into applicable policy decisions based on game theory and surveys/interviews conducted with the stakeholders for socio-economic analysis. Identifying value of the entities associated with each operator on overall system resilience, incentivizing them to harden crucial ones, and creation of an exchange to trade in resources form the key aspects of this part.The direct impact of this project is on providing recommendations on the critical issue of how best to enhance the resilience of power and communication infrastructure. The analytical methodology developed is also relevant to other heterogeneous interdependent networks. The educational aspect of the project is based around creating synergies between ideas drawn from engineering and the social sciences and making these available to a broad-spectrum of students. A special focus on providing learning opportunities to female and minority students is a further strength.