Optimal placement of Distributed Facts devices in power networks Using Particle Swarm Optimization

The concept of Distributed Flexible AC Transmission Systems (D-FACTS) was introduced in order to provide a cost-effective solution for power flow control. Determining the location and amount of distributed compensation to be employed is an important problem. Proper deployment of DFACTS is necessary for optimal control of the power flow in a large meshed network. Being a distributed solution, DFACTS provides flexibility in terms of deployment. This often makes the problem even more computationally intensive. Recent studies show that Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique gives better results than classical optimization techniques, when applied to power engineering optimization problems. This paper shows the application of PSO for the optimal deployment of DFACTS. The technique is applied on the IEEE 39 bus system. Details of the method and the results obtained are presented in the paper.