Computer-Aided Design of Industrial Electrical Distribution Networks

Abstract

The paper presents general-purpose computer-aided design system for the determination of the optimal design of the industrial, electrical distribution system. A cost-effective structure for such a network io often a multilovol, hierarchical structure with one or more voltage levels and several kinds of equipment. It consists of main supply point, transformer substations and/or switchboards together with supplying lines (which all together form a “backbone network“) and cable feeders connecting demand points to backbone network (local networks). A distribution planning model is formulated using graph theory and discrete programming. Decisions can be taken on two levels - the first concerns backbone network, the second specifies assignments of demand points to particular elements of the backbone. The model is rather general - backbone can be any of loopless structure. The problem structure typically leads to heuristic solutions of an iterative nature. A kind of such method is implemented in a general-purpose software package letting on automatic design of industrial electrical distribution systems.