Congestion Analysis Framework for Fault Location, Isolation, and Service Restoration in Microgrids

Congestion analysis is crucial for planning distribution networks as it identifies locations of congestion that could lead to power outages and affect system reliability or voltage quality. Through this analysis, network planners can proactively address areas of congestion, guiding the strategic deployment of new infrastructure and upgrading existing networks. This paper presents a congestion analysis framework for long-term distribution network planning aimed at determining the maximum load capacity that a feeder can support during the service restoration process of the Fault location, isolation, and service restoration (FLISR) function without causing network congestion. The proposed framework focuses on congestion analysis, including voltage congestion and overload conditions. The study case uses the real 22 kV distribution network of the Mae Sariang microgrid of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Thailand, which implemented FLISR function and utilizes the PowerFactory DIgSILENT for simulation.