Feeder Reconfiguration for Unbalanced Distribution Systems With Distributed Generation: A Hierarchical Decentralized Approach

• Published in: IEEE transactions on power systems Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 1633 - 1642
• Main Authors: Fei Ding, Loparo, Kenneth A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.03.2016; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Construction; Data buses; Distributed generation; Energy loss; feeder reconfiguration; Feeders; genetic algorithm; multi-agent; Networks; Optimization; penalty function method; Power generation; Reactive power; Reconfiguration; Sensitivity; Sensitivity analysis; Stress concentration; Switches; Topology; unbalanced distribution system
• ISSN: 0885-8950; 1558-0679
• DOI: 10.1109/TPWRS.2015.2430275

Most existing approaches for distribution network reconfiguration assume that the distribution system is (three-phase) balanced and a single-phase equivalent is used. However, distribution feeders are usually unbalanced due to a large number of single-phase loads, nonsymmetrical conductor spacing, and three-phase line topology. This paper builds on our previous work and studies feeder reconfiguration for unbalanced distribution systems with distributed generation (DG). The three-phase bus locations and sizes of DG units are determined using sensitivity analysis and nonlinear programming, respectively, and distribution feeders are reconfigured every hour based on the status of time-varying loads, output power from DG units and faults on the network while minimizing the energy loss costs and DG operating costs. Simulation results show the effectiveness and computational efficiency of the proposed approach.