Reliability Evaluation of Distribution System

Reliability evaluation of electric power systems has traditionally been an integral part of planning and operation of electric power systems. The changes in the electric utility industry create a need for more realistic techniques for power system reliability evaluation. In this paper, we present a reliability analysis algorithm for radially operated, electrical distribution systems. The algorithm takes into account equipment performance history and converges in a matter of seconds for systems containing a number of components. The study presented here evaluates improvement in reliability evaluation scheme over the conventional process. A new reliability evaluation approach using Monte Carlo method is proposed to assess distribution system reliability. This exploration makes possible the comparison of alternative system designs to discover systems yielding desired reliability properties utilizing the reliability indices for load points and the overall system that have been computed . Basic features, algorithms and a variety of case studies are presented in this paper to illustrate the capabilities of the proposed method and its suitability for educational and research purposes.