Topology Error Monitoring Using Bad Data Detection Methods

For real-time monitoring of distribution systems, distribution system state estimation (DSSE) methods have been developed. For accurate DSSE results, an accurate system model is needed. However, topology of a distribution network changes due to various reasons and some changes may not be monitored or known to the control center. This leads to an incorrect model used for the DSSE and thus causes incorrect estimation results. The main contributions of this article includes development of a topology monitoring scheme using bad data detection (BDD) methods in the presence of the most common topology errors in practice, including capacitor bank failure and load balancing. Additionally, common measurement schemes are investigated to determine how a measurement scheme can be used in order to improve topology error detection. Test results using a sample IEEE distribution feeder have been provided to illustrate the the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.