Distribution asset management under strict budget constraints

Component derating and reconfiguration for distribution reliability is proposed in this work. Under the budget constraints postponing predictive maintenance is seen in many utilities. This practice can cause adverse effects on the performance of the utility. This work proposes a technique to improve the system reliability by derating the component with time varying hazard rate. Derating of a component will not have any sensible meaning unless the load on the component is reduced to the derated value or less. Therefore derating should be followed by reconfiguration of the system. This work proposes a simple reconfiguration system that will ensure that the whole load is energized while the loadings on the components are limited to the derated values.