Models for Seismic Vulnerability Analysis of Power Networks: Comparative Assessment

Electric power networks are spatially distributed systems, subject to different magnitude and recurrence of earthquakes, that play a fundamental role in the well-being and safety of communities. Therefore, identification of critical components is of paramount importance in retrofit prioritization. This article presents a comparison of five seismic performance assessment models (M1 to M5) of increasing complexity. The first two models (M1 and M2) approach the problem from a connectivity perspective, whereas the last three (M3 to M5) consider also power flow analysis. To illustrate the utility of the five models, the well-known IEEE-118 test case, assumed to be located in the central United States, is considered. Performances of the five models are compared using both system-level and component-level measures. Spearman rank correlation ρ is computed between results of each model. Highest ρ values, at both system- and component-level, are obtained, as expected, between M1 and M2, and within models M3 to M5. The ρ values between component-level measures are relatively high across all models, indicating that simpler ones (M1 and M2) are appropriate for vulnerability assessment and retrofit prioritization. The complex flow-based models (M3 to M5) are suitable if actual performance of the systems is desired, as it is the case when the power network is considered within a larger set of interconnected infrastructural systems. © 2014 Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering.