Criteria for interfeeder switching in distribution systems

The purpose of the paper is to find the optimal criteria for interfeeder switching in a distribution system during emergency conditions. A feeder in a distribution system usually has several interfeeder switches properly located along the feeder to link with other feeders. Under emergency conditions, such as when faults occur on the distribution feeder, these switches are operated interdependently to minimise the loss of load and to prevent or unbalance power flow on the distribution feeders. A computer program is developed to find the optimal switching algorithm. The cost function of the switching operation is defined, and the bipartite graph network is constructed according to the configuration of the distribution system. The binary integer programming technique is used to minimise the objective function which is set up based on the relief of feeder overloading and unbalance. A distribution system comprising several substations in the Taiwan Power Company is selected for the simulation of optimal switching and the accuracy and efficiency of this program are verified.