Fault Location Observability Using Phasor Measurement Units in a Power Network Through Deterministic and Stochastic Algorithms

Abstract

This article studies deterministic and stochastic algorithms for placing minimum number of phasor measurement units (PMUs) in a power system in order to locate any fault in the power system. The optimization problem is initially formulated in a mixed integer linear programing framework with binary-valued variables as well as in a binary integer linear programing model. Then, the optimization problem is formulated as an equivalent non-linear programing model, minimizing a quadratic objective function subject to equality non-linear constraints defined over a bounded and closed set. The problem is solved by using a Sequential Quadratic Programming algorithm. The non-linear program is illustrated with a 7-bus test system. Also, stochastic algorithms such as binary-coded genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization have been implemented in solving the optimal PMU placement under fault condition. The accuracy of suggested algorithms is independent from the fault type and its resistance. The optimization models are applied to the IEEE systems. The numerical results indicate that the proposed algorithms locate minimizers at the optimal objective function value in complete agreement with those obtained by branch-and-bound algorithms.