Electromagnetic Analysis of Load Transfers in Smart Grids

Power utilities have increasingly invested in technology solutions, especially in the automation area, to improve the electricity supply to their consumers. One of the main desired features in a smart grid endowed with the ability of self-healing is that it must be reconfigurable, quickly and flexibly, in case of changes in service conditions. In this context, in fault situations, it is desired that the solution be identified quickly to minimize the affected de-energized area. A solution increasingly used by power utilities to achieve adequate power restoration time is the use of automation systems in distribution networks, for example, remote-controlled switches or reclosers. Through its use, it is possible to modify the topology of the network allowing isolating faults and restoring the electricity supply in contingency situations and also in cases of programmed shutdowns. During the opening and closing of the remote-control devices, abrupt changes in voltage and current may occur, causing more undesirable damage along the power grid. Therefore, this paper aims to present the development of a methodology to analyze the technical feasibility of parallelism in the distribution networks for the restoration of electricity through successive parallel transfers of the loads. This technique is required when it is not possible to transfer part of the load to only one feeder in the network. The electromagnetic transients that can arise in the system will be analyzed through simulations in the ATPDraw software to verify the viability of the parallelism maneuvers.