An efficient brute-force solution to the network reconfiguration problem

We suggest a method for determining a minimal-loss radial configuration for a power distribution network, using an exhaustive search algorithm. While exhaustive, the method is highly efficient, deriving its efficiency from the use of graph-theoretic techniques involving semi-sparse transformations of a current sensitivity matrix. The algorithm can be applied to networks of moderate size and has advantages over existing algorithms for network reconfiguration in that it guarantees a globally optimal solution (under appropriate modeling assumptions), and is easily extended to take account of phase imbalance and network operation constraints. A 33-bus example is used to demonstrate the operation of the algorithm.