Optimal capacitor placement in distribution systems for power loss reduction and voltage profile improvement

• Published in: IET generation, transmission & distribution Vol. 10; no. 5; pp. 1209 - 1221
• Main Authors: Abou El-Ela, Adel Ali, El-Sehiemy, Ragab A, Kinawy, Abdel-Mohsen, Mouwafi, Mohamed Taha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Institution of Engineering and Technology 07.04.2016
• Subjects: Algorithms; ant colony optimisation; ant colony optimisation algorithm; backward/forward sweep algorithm; capacitor costs; Capacitors; capacitors locations; Costs; distribution networks; distribution system sizing; East Delta Network; energy loss minimisation; loss sensitivity analysis; loss sensitivity indices; LSI; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Networks; objective functions; optimal capacitor placement; Optimization; power loss reduction; radial distribution systems; sensitivity analysis; switched capacitors; Switching theory; system constraints; Unified Egyptian Network; voltage profile improvement; optimal capacitor placement; LSI; distribution networks; sensitivity analysis; loss sensitivity analysis; objective functions; radial distribution systems; capacitor costs; backward/forward sweep algorithm; East Delta Network; distribution system sizing; energy loss minimisation; voltage profile improvement; Unified Egyptian Network; loss sensitivity indices; ant colony optimisation algorithm; capacitors locations; system constraints; power loss reduction; ant colony optimisation; switched capacitors
• ISSN: 1751-8687; 1751-8695; 1751-8695
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-gtd.2015.0799

This study presents a two-stage procedure to identify the optimal locations and sizes of capacitors in radial distribution systems. In first stage, the loss sensitivity analysis using two loss sensitivity indices (LSIs) is employed to select the most candidate capacitors locations. In second stage, the ant colony optimisation algorithm is investigated to find the optimal locations and sizes of capacitors considering the minimisation of energy loss and capacitor costs as objective functions while system constraints are fully achieved. The fixed, practical switched and the combination of fixed and switched capacitors are considered to find the optimal solution. The backward/forward sweep algorithm is developed for the load flow calculations. The proposed procedure is applied to different standard test systems as 34-bus and 85-bus radial distribution systems. In addition, the application of the proposed procedure on a real distribution system of the East Delta Network as a part of the Unified Egyptian Network is used as a test system. Numerical results show the capability of the proposed procedure to find the optimal solution for significant saving in the total cost with more accurate and efficient, competitive compared with other methods in the literature especially with increasing the distribution system sizing.