Qiuyu Peng

Multipath TCP: analysis, design, and implementation

Multipath TCP (MP-TCP) has the potential to greatly improve application performance by using multiple paths transparently. We propose a fluid model for a large class of MP-TCP algorithms and identify design criteria that guarantee the existence, uniqueness, and stability of system equilibrium. We clarify how algorithm parameters impact TCP-friendliness, responsiveness, and window oscillation and demonstrate an inevitable tradeoff among these properties. We discuss the implications of these properties on the behavior of existing algorithms and motivate our algorithm Balia (balanced linked adaptation), which generalizes existing algorithms and strikes a good balance among TCP-friendliness, responsiveness, and window oscillation. We have implemented Balia in the Linux kernel. We use our prototype to compare the new algorithm to existing MP-TCP algorithms.

Distributed algorithm for optimal power flow on a radial network

The optimal power flow (OPF) problem is fundamental in power system operations and planning. Large-scale renewable penetration calls for real-time feedback control, and hence the need for fast and distributed solutions for OPF. This is difficult because OPF is nonconvex and Kirchhoffs laws are global. In this paper we propose a solution for radial networks. It exploits recent results that suggest solving for a globally optimal solution of OPF over a radial network through the second-order cone program (SOCP) relaxation. Our distributed algorithm is based on alternating direction method of multiplier (ADMM), but unlike standard ADMM algorithms that often require iteratively solving optimization subproblems in each ADMM iteration, our decomposition allows us to derive closed form solutions for these subproblems, greatly speeding up each ADMM iteration. We present simulations on a real-world 2,065-bus distribution network to illustrate the scalability and optimality of the proposed algorithm.

Multipath TCP algorithms: theory and design

Multi-path TCP (MP-TCP) has the potential to greatly improve application performance by using multiple paths transparently. We propose a fluid model for a large class of MP-TCP algorithms and identify design criteria that guarantee the existence, uniqueness, and stability of system equilibrium. We characterize algorithm parameters for TCP-friendliness and prove an inevitable tradeoff between responsiveness and friendliness. We discuss the implications of these properties on the behavior of existing algorithms and motivate a new design that generalizes existing algorithms. We use ns2 simulations to evaluate the proposed algorithm and illustrate its superior overall performance.

Energy efficient multipath TCP for mobile devices

Most mobile devices today come with multiple access interfaces, \emph{e.g.}, 4G and WiFi. Multipath TCP (MP-TCP) can greatly improve network performance by exploiting the connection diversity of multiple access interfaces, at the expense of higher energy consumption. In this paper, we design MP-TCP algorithms for mobile devices by jointly considering the performance and energy consumption. We consider two main types of mobile applications: realtime applications that have a fixed duration and file transfer applications that have a fixed data size. For each type of applications, we propose a two-timescale algorithm with theoretical guarantee on the performance. We present simulation results that show that our algorithms can reduce energy consumption by up to 22

Feeder Reconfiguration in Distribution Networks Based on Convex Relaxation of OPF

\%

Distributed Optimal Power Flow Algorithm for Radial Networks, I: Balanced Single Phase Case

without sacrificing throughput compared to a baseline MP-TCP algorithm.

Distributed algorithm for optimal power flow on an unbalanced radial network

The feeder reconfiguration problem chooses the on/off status of the switches in a distribution network in order to minimize a certain cost such as power loss. It is a mixed-integer nonlinear program and, hence, hard to solve. In this paper, we propose a heuristic algorithm that is based on the recently developed convex relaxation of the ac optimal power flow problem. The algorithm is computationally efficient and scales linearly with the number of redundant lines. It requires neither parameter tuning nor initialization for different networks. It successfully computes an optimal configuration on all four networks we have tested. Moreover, we have proved that the algorithm solves the feeder reconfiguration problem optimally under certain conditions for the case where only a single redundant line needs to be opened. We also propose a more computationally efficient algorithm and show that it incurs a loss in optimality of less than 3% on the four test networks.The feeder reconfiguration problem chooses the on/off status of the switches in a distribution network in order to minimize a certain cost such as power loss. It is a mixed integer nonlinear program and hence hard to solve. A popular heuristic search consists of repeated application of branch exchange, where some loads are transferred from one feeder to another feeder while maintaining the radial structure of the network, until no load transfer can further reduce the cost. Optimizing each branch exchange step is itself a mixed integer nonlinear program. In this paper we propose an efficient algorithm for optimizing a branch exchange step. It uses an AC power flow model and is based on the recently developed convex relaxation of optimal power flow. We provide a bound on the gap between the optimal cost and that of our solution. We prove that our algorithm is optimal when the voltage magnitudes are the same at all buses. We illustrate the effectiveness of our algorithm through the simulation of realworld distribution feeders.

Optimal branch exchange for feeder reconfiguration in distribution networks

The optimal power flow (OPF) problem determines a network operating point that minimizes a certain objective such as generation cost or power loss. Traditionally, OPF is solved in a centralized manner. With increasing penetration of renewable energy in distribution system, we need faster and distributed solutions for real-time feedback control. This is difficult due to the nonlinearity of the power flow equations. In this paper, we propose a solution for balanced radial networks. It exploits recent results that suggest solving for a globally optimal solution of OPF over a radial network through the second-order cone program relaxation. Our distributed algorithm is based on alternating direction method of multiplier (ADMM), but unlike standard ADMM-based distributed OPF algorithms that require solving optimization subproblems using iterative method, our decomposition allows us to derive closed form solutions for these subproblems, greatly speeding up each ADMM iteration. We illustrate the scalability of the proposed algorithm by simulating it on a real-world 2065-bus distribution network.

Balanced Linked Adaptation Congestion Control Algorithm for MPTCP

The optimal power flow (OPF) problem is fundamental in power systems operation and planning. Large-scale renewable penetration calls for real-time feedback control, and hence the need for distributed solutions for the OPF problem. In this paper we propose a solution for an unbalanced radial distribution network. Our distributed algorithm is based on alternating direction method of multiplier (ADMM). The main idea is to exploit the tree topology of distribution networks and decompose the OPF problem in such a way that the subproblems in each ADMM macro-iteration either have closed-form solutions or reduce to eigenvalue problems whose size remains constant as the network size scales up. We present simulations on IEEE 13, 34, 37 and 123 bus unbalanced distribution network to illustrate the scalability and optimality of the proposed algorithm.

Multipath TCP: Analysis and Design

The feeder reconfiguration problem chooses the on/off status of the switches in a distribution network in order to minimize a certain cost such as power loss. It is a mixed integer nonlinear program and hence hard to solve. A popular heuristic search consists of repeated application of branch exchange, where some loads are transferred from one feeder to another feeder while maintaining the radial structure of the network, until no load transfer can further reduce the cost. Optimizing each branch exchange step is itself a mixed integer nonlinear program. In this paper we propose an efficient algorithm for optimizing a branch exchange step. It uses an AC power flow model and is based on the recently developed convex relaxation of optimal power flow. We provide a bound on the gap between the optimal cost and that of our solution. We prove that our algorithm is optimal when the voltage magnitudes are the same at all buses. We illustrate the effectiveness of our algorithm through the simulation of real-world distribution feeders.