A systematic approach to service restoration in distribution networks

Abstract

The progressive automation of distribution networks, along with the large amount of information gathered by smart devices, allow Distribution Management Systems (DMS) to be endowed with decision-making tools aimed at optimizing the service restoration process. This article presents an algebraically-assisted, heuristic procedure intended to guide the DMS operators in the selection of switching maneuvers during fault isolation and supply restoration of faulted MV feeders. At each step, the proposed methodology determines, among the possible switching sequences, the one that minimizes the impact of the interruption on unserved loads. The probabilistic character of the addressed problem involves the use of several statistical parameters, such as equipment failure rates, expected traveling times between network nodes, etc. The procedure is illustrated on a tutorial example and a real distribution system. The results are very close to those obtained with more exhaustive search procedures, at much shorter execution times, which makes the proposed approach also suitable for reliability-centered investment analysis.