Optimized Sectionalizing Switch Placement Strategy in Distribution Systems

• Published in: IEEE transactions on power delivery Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 362 - 370
• Main Authors: Abiri-Jahromi, Amir, Fotuhi-Firuzabad, M., Parvania, M., Mosleh, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.01.2012; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Automated; Automation; Circuit faults; Connection and protection apparatus; Decision making; Disturbances. Regulation. Protection; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Electrical power engineering; Exact sciences and technology; Financing; Investments; Linear programming; Maintenance costs; Maintenance engineering; Miscellaneous; mixed-integer linear programming; Networks; Operation. Load control. Reliability; Placement; Power networks and lines; Power system reliability; Reliability; sectionalizing switch placement; Studies; Switches; Performance evaluation; Positioning; Automation; Costs; Outage; Decision support system; Decision making; Clientele; Power system stability; Mixed integer programming; Maintenance; sectionalizing switch placement; Long term; Optimization; Remote control; Electrical network; mixed-integer linear programming; Selector switch; Effectiveness factor; Reliability; Distribution network
• ISSN: 0885-8977; 1937-4208
• DOI: 10.1109/TPWRD.2011.2171060

Automation is acknowledged by distribution utilities as a successful investment strategy to enhance reliability and operation efficiency. However, practical approaches that can handle the complex decision-making process faced by decision makers to justify the long-term financial effects of distribution automation have remained scarce. An automated and remote-controlled sectionalizing switch play a fundamental role in an automated distribution network. This paper introduces a new optimization approach for distribution automation in terms of automated and remotely controlled sectionalizing switch placement. Mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) is utilized to model the problem. The proposed model can be solved with large-scale commercial solvers in a computationally efficient manner. The proposed sectionalizing switch placement problem considers customer outage costs in conjunction with sectionalizing switch capital investment, installation, as well as annual operation and maintenance costs. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is tested on a reliability test system and a typical real size system. The presented results indicate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.