Optimal Reconfiguration of Radial Distribution Power System Using a Heuristic Optimization Approach

Abstract

The distribution power networks are the main component to transfer the electrical power energy from generation stations to the users. The efficiency of distribution networks is measured through the active power loss in the network and the quality of voltage drop at each node in the system. This thesis aimed to reconfigure the power system to minimize the active power loss in normal operations by one of the modern heuristic techniques which depends on mimicking the whale hunting method. Firstly, the various types of optimizations are listed and the techniques used to solve the reconfiguration problem to minimize the power loss including the whale optimization algorithm to solve this problem is also discussed in detail in this thesis. The reconfiguration problem needs much time to reach the optimal point by using mathematical programming methods. The proposed method to solve this problem depends on mimicking nature to reach the preys based on some constraints. These constraints guarantee the quality of the operating systems such as system topology and voltage drop at each node. The whale optimization algorithm is proposed in this thesis to solve the reconfiguration problem applying to IEEE 33 bus system, IEEE 69 bus system, and IEEE 118 bus system. The results are very competitive comparing with other heuristic methods applying to these systems. Further, the various types of power systems such as radial and loop are described. This thesis deals with the radial power systems as they are widely used and relatively of low cost.