Optimal Location of Reclosers in Electrical Distribution Systems Considering Multicriteria Decision Through the Generation of Scenarios Using the Montecarlo Method

This work presents a novel methodology for the optimal location of reclosers in electric distribution systems. The proposal uses a multicriteria analysis to evaluate the reliability indicators for this level 3 (distribution) by generating scenarios from pseudo-random variables. The reliability indicators considered in the study are the System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI), System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI), and Average Energy Not Supplied (AENS). It is employed a deterministic random generation in a defined range associated with each analysis variable (failure rate by elements and loads, failure duration, number of customers per load point, mean power consumed at each load point, etc.) The reliability indicators (criteria) are calculated for every possible location of a recloser in the candidate primary sections, thus obtaining the decision matrix, normalized and weighted by the CRITIC method to find the optimal location according to a minimum criterion. This analysis is repeated N times through the generation of scenarios using the Montecarlo method, establishing the probability of occurrence of each winning alternative and choosing the final optimal location of the first recloser within the distribution system. The methodology also proposes the switching coordination repeating the previously described analysis for locating a second recloser considering that the first was already a winning alternative within the generation of “many” scenarios. The scope of the proposed methodology is the number of reclosers that it is desired to analyze considering cost constraints and is general for any distribution system. The analysis is carried out with comprehensive programming in the Matlab software environment. The results successfully respond to the maneuver and switching tests with the joint criterion of minimizing all reliability indicators for level 3 (distribution). With this proposal, knowledge gaps in reliability studies are solved. The absence of data is completed with generations of pseudo-random variables, and the optimal location of the reclosers responds to all reliability criteria in distribution with weighting alternatives. The novel proposed methodology is validated with an exhaustive search analysis where all possible single or multiple reconnection scenarios are analyzed. The winning location alternative found coincides with the one determined by the proposed methodology in more than 90% of the generated random scenarios.