Construction and operation of a distribution automation system for large urban distribution system

The experience on construction and operation of current Distribution Automation (DA) is summarised in this paper. A pilot project of DA based on Geographic Information System (GIS) is conducted and some effective measures for improving the system are discussed considering the problems in practice. Due to the large quantity of distribution devices and frequent changes, a system interface to achieve graphics - models integration could be utilized to solve the data maintenance problem for DA and ensure its applicability. An integrated data maintenance procedure for GIS and DA is proposed to increase the data accuracy and timeliness. Research on the operation and maintenance technologies, functional improvement, as well as advanced application software development for DA system (DAS) are conducted, and a customizable DAS is built to satisfy different needs of distribution application. The results are successfully applied to a large city distribution networks, which illuminates its high theoretical and practical engineering value.