Reliability evaluation of a distribution feeder

Feeder reliability is a vital part of power distribution systems. Typically, feeder reliability is summarized using a handful of standard indices. The most common indices used by utility companies are the system average interruption frequency index, system average interruption duration index, customer average interruption duration index, and average service availability index. Many different techniques can be implemented to improve overall feeder reliability. These techniques may include, but are not limited to, neighboring feeder tie-lines, appropriate lateral and transformer fusing, feeder re-closer schemes, and normal open point lateral inter-ties. The feeder under consideration has had below average reliability indices over the past few years. This paper will analyze the feeder and presents methods to improve the overall reliability while minimizing costs to the utility.