Operating Modes Optimization of the Capacitor Banks in Electrical Power Systems

The reactive load regime in the electric power systems of the economic sites determines the electrical energy quality (voltage deviation), the power losses in the individual elements of the power supply system, the electricity cost. From this point of view, the compensation of reactive loads is a major task in the design and operation of power supply systems. In order to increase the efficiency of reactive power compensation, it is necessary to optimize the operating mode of the installed power factor (PF) correction devices. In the report, the capacitor banks are presented as widely applicable in the industry and as an effective and easy-to-use tool for reactive power compensation. This report presents the development of an objective function for operating modes optimization of the capacitor banks in a case of centralized management. The optimization criterion is to minimize the cost of reactive power transmission in the power distribution system. The constraints for the objective function are also considered here.