Enhanced PSO for network reconfiguration under different fault locations in smart grids

According to the environments of the distribution system, avoiding the faults sometimes is not possible. Reconfiguration in power grid is a vital tool for the operation under abnormal conditions. In this paper, an enhanced particle swarm optimization is proposed for optimal network reconfiguration in smart grid based on various branch faults. The essential objective of the proposed method is to supply restoration for a maximum number of customers with minimum power loss while satisfying operational constraints. All possible fault locations in branches were pre-identified, and the faulty branches were isolated by opening the switches pair until the network is reconfigured. To ensure effectiveness of the proposed enhancement, a computer simulation has been applied to IEEE 33-bus network which is often used as a test network. The new networks are tested to realize the effect of the fault on network behavior in terms of grid security and reliability. The performances of various configurations are also compared and investigated under different fault locations. The proposed method discusses all possible faults that can occur in the grid, and provides more flexibility for the electric utilities regarding network operation and planning. The availability of optimal solution for each probable fault in the smart grid control center is the main advantage of the proposed approach.