Expert system-aided service restoration in distribution automation

The authors deal with service restoration following a fault on a feeder. A justification of the expert system approach is given and an efficient restoration strategy yielding minimal switching operations and constraint checking is proposed. The suggested strategy has been implemented. A rule-based expert system for service restoration has been developed using PROLOG and C. It has the capability of identifying the necessary switches for fault isolation, deciding whether the tripped circuit breaker can be reclosed, and generating the appropriate switching sequences. The system has shown satisfactory performance in various operating situations on real systems.<>