Network reconfiguration for reliability worth enhancement in distribution systems by simulated annealing

Distribution network reconfiguration provides an effective way to control the tie and sectionalizing switches in the system to give an appropriate connection for certain reasons. In this paper, the emphasis of distribution network reconfiguration is on enhancing the reliability of electric power supply so that customer interruption cost is minimized subject to system operational constraints. A simulated annealing technique in conjunction with reliability worth analysis is used to search for the optimal or near-optimal network configuration. The methodology is tested with a distribution system connected at Bus 2 of the Roy Billinton Test System (RBTS). The simulation result indicates that the appropriate on/off statuses of the switches can reduce the customer interruption cost.