Distribution Feeder Reconfiguration Algorithm for Electrical Outage Situations

Feeder reconfiguration is a multi-objective process that modifies the topology of the network. This study aims to develop algorithms for distribution feeder reconfiguration during electrical outage situations to improve the reliability of the medium voltage distribution network. Matrix row/column operations are performed on the connection matrix of the graphical network model based on the incidence matrix for finding reconfiguration paths. Modern distribution networks consist of switching devices equipped with remote terminal units (RTU), that sense abnormal conditions and respond remotely. Algorithms are designed to coordinate with RTU operations. The demand, which is forecasted using past current data taken from RTUs periodically, is compared with the calculated capacity of the adjacent feeders using an objective function, applying constraint conditions multiplied by weighting factors. Load shedding is performed when the total load exceeds the capacity. Radiality of the network and the safety of operation are ensured throughout the process. Algorithms were tested using a prototype software and a demonstration network panel. 11kV overhead distribution network was taken as the case study. The speed of the process was compared with data collected from utility and effective results were observed.