Author(s)

Shane J. Kimble, Divya T. Vedullapalli, Elham B. Makram

Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.

A great concern for the modern distribution grid is how well it can withstand and respond to adverse conditions. One way that utilities are addressing this issue is by adding redundancy to their systems. Likewise, distributed generation (DG) is becoming an increasingly popular asset at the distribution level and the idea of microgrids operating as standalone systems apart from the bulk electric grid is quickly becoming a reality. This allows for greater flexibility as systems can now take on exponentially more configurations than the radial, one-way distribution systems of the past. These added capabilities, however, make the system reconfiguration with a much more complex problem causing utilities to question if they are operating their distribution systems optimally. In addition, tools like Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Distribution Automation (DA) allow for systems to be reconfigured faster than humans can make decisions on how to reconfigure them. As a result, this paper seeks to develop an automated partitioning scheme for distribution systems that can respond to varying system conditions while ensuring a variety of operational constraints on the final configuration. It uses linear programming and graph theory. Power flow is calculated externally to the LP and a feedback loop is used to recalculate the solution if a violation is found. Application to test systems shows that it can reconfigure systems containing any number of loops resulting in a radial configuration. It can connect multiple sources to a single microgrid if more capacity is needed to supply the microgrid’s load.

Distributed Generation (DG), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Distribution Automation (DA), Fault Location, Isolation, and Restoration (FLISR), Self-Healing Network, Micro-Grid, Smart Grid

Kimble, S. , Vedullapalli, D. and Makram, E. (2017) Optimal Partitioning of Distribution Networks for Micro-Grid Operation. Journal of Power and Energy Engineering, 5, 104-120. doi: 10.4236/jpee.2017.59009.