The Process of System Collapse Based on Areas of Vulnerability

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new approach to the process of system collapse based on areas of vulnerability. For this purpose, a new category of contingencies called abnormal contingencies and a new system operating state called verge-of-collapse are proposed. The application of these abnormal contingencies to the vulnerable areas can lead to a system on the verge-of-collapse. In particular, there are two conditions that generally occur for a system to be on the verge-of-collapse: firstly, the system is in a degraded state or close to its operation limits and secondly it must be subjected to abnormal contingencies in the areas of vulnerability. The result of this study is to define areas of vulnerability in a network which can then be identified and appropriate remedial action initiated when required. Different stages are required for the protection of systems on the verge of collapse, namely: a) how to define areas of vulnerability, b) how to identify these areas of vulnerability and c) how to protect the system in the presence of areas of vulnerability. This paper is the first stage in proposing a new approach to the protection of systems on the verge of collapse