Sharif Digital Repository

Trying to find the most efficient and cost-effective decisions on the maintenance of different component types in power distribution systems is an increasingly challenging concern largely driven by the current financial constraints in distribution utilities worldwide. In regard to deal with this challenge, the paper presents a practical application of the Delphi method and the Modified Analytical Hierarchical Process (MAHP) that can be used to find the most critical component types of the system in order to assist in accordingly allocating the available maintenance budget. The proposed approach involves the experience and knowledge held by experts and the historical empirical performance... 

Design and development of fault diagnosis schemes (FDS) for electric power distribution systems are major steps in realizing the self-healing function of a smart distribution grid. The application of the FDS in the electric power distribution systems is mainly aimed at precise detecting and locating of the deteriorated components, thereby enhancing the quality and reliability of the electric power delivered to the customers. The impacts of two types of the FDS on distribution system reliability are compared and presented in this paper. The first type is a representative of the FDS which diagnoses the deteriorated components after their failing. However, the second type is a representative of... 

Confronted with the power system restructuring trend reforming the past-regulated power systems, the need for a narrower insight on the costly maintenance strategies seems imperative. It falls within the realm of reliability centered maintenance to enhance the cost effectiveness of power distribution maintenance policies. From a practical point of view, this paper devises a novel approach on the basis of the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) accompanied by fuzzy sets theory to determine the most critical component types of distribution power systems to be prioritized in maintenance scheduling. In the presence of many qualitative and quantitative attributes, fuzzy sets can effectively... 

In a practical power system, automating all the substations is neither affordable nor economically justifiable. On the other hand, the trend for electric power subsidies elimination in some regions, such as Iran, aggravates this situation. To enhance the cost effectiveness of distribution automation system, this paper proposes a novel applicable qualitative-quantitative method using analytical hierarchical process (AHP) to find the optimum placement of remote terminal units (RTU). Entire attempt is to contribute all the crucial technical and practical parameters related to this problem in order to find the most reliable solution. Optimum number of RTUs is determined using the concepts of... 

Due to the important role that distribution systems play in quality of power delivered to the customers, there has always been a great deal of interest in investigating different methods of efficiency enhancement for these networks. Two of these methods are Feeder Reconfiguration (FR) and Capacitor Allocation (CA); both have been widely employed to reduce losses and improve several other operational characteristics in electrical power distribution systems. As in FR process the topology of the network changes, it is necessary to change some previous settings; for instance: the capacity of capacitor banks in service in each bus, after each reconfiguration process. This is due to the fact that... 

Along with the increasing demand for electrical power, distributed generations (DGs) have so far found their pivotal roles in the restructured environment of power distribution systems. As an indispensable step toward a more reliable power system, the DGs optimal allocation strategy, deemed to be the most techno-economically efficient scheme, comes to the play and is profoundly taken under concentration in this study. This paper devises a comprehensive multi-objective (MO) optimization approach by which all the crucial and maybe contradictory aspects of great influence in the placement process can be accounted for. Total imposed costs, total network losses, customer outage costs as well as... 

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) infrastructures have so far been brought into the huge amount of focus since the need for a more reliable power system accosting with the catastrophic events of interruptions has been raised. Hence, benefiting from an automation technology which can remotely monitor and coordinate commands to enable immediate response and switching are obviously inevitable. This paper outlines an implementable method in response to the goal of placement of remote terminal units (RTUs) which are in charge for data acquisition and control in a power distribution system. In this light, a new practical methodology based on the robust decision making (DM) method,... 

Design and development of fault diagnosis schemes (FDS) for electric power distribution systems are major steps in realizing the self-healing function of a smart distribution grid. The application of the FDS in the electric power distribution systems is mainly aimed at precise detecting and locating of the deteriorated components, thereby enhancing the quality and reliability of the electric power delivered to the customers. The impacts of two types of the FDS on distribution system reliability are compared and presented in this paper. The first type is a representative of the FDS which diagnoses the deteriorated components after their failing. However, the second type is a representative of... 

So far, the need for power systems to be control automated has been approached. Moreover, the advent of smart technological infrastructures calls for a more systematic and well-designed schemes for data acquisition process. Hence, Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) are going to be considered as a crucial part of smart grid puzzle in power distribution systems. This paper aims to present a novel practical approach to have the RTU placement dilemma unraveled in power distribution systems. Practically approaching in this paper, some pragmatic factors of major importance in this respect are introduced. A framework with which the utility's experts' knowledge could be efficiently exploited is presented... 

One of the most concerning problems in Smart Grids is the lack of a proper data acquisition system with high security, desired flexibility and required network capacity. These demands prove the vital role of communications in conjunction with smart girds. In this paper, Wireless Sensor Networks are proposed as a compatible choice for satisfying these requirements. However, Wireless Sensor Networks utilized for smart grids necessitate some specifications. We will study these specifications and suggest viable manipulations in the architecture of sensor nodes and network topology. Furthermore, after analyzing the properties of various communication systems, an appropriate choice is included in... 

This paper investigates a reliability-centered approach for the placement procedure of remote terminal units (RTUs) in power distribution systems. Entire attempt is contributed to incorporate the practical aspects interrelated with the problem, e.g. the accessibility to the candidate substations, the load point criticality, as well as the load probabilistic behavior and consequently the inevitable variation in the electricity price. The placement process is done through an optimization problem wherein the common reliability indices, as the decisive factors in the placement process, are going to be minimized. The approach is successfully applied to a real power distribution feeder of Iran's... 

The desire to decrease electrical loading by using energy efficient lighting has resulted in a high level of attention to replacing conventional incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). In Iran from energy management point of view, people are encouraged by ministry of power to use CFLs. Also after elimination of subsidies, the substantial increase in electric energy price resulted in a high level of penetration of CFLs in electricity grid. CFL is a nonlinear load, therefore it injects harmonic to the network. In past, due to lower application of CFL, these harmonics were ignored, however today by the widespread application of CFLs; these small sources are combined and have... 

The increasing use of electrical energy in nowadays modern societies and industries has brought about a sharp need for more efficient means of electricity generation. It seems rather logical to increase the electricity production proportional to the increasing rate of the demand. Distributed Generation (DG) has been recently accepted to be one of the most efficient means of electricity generation, particularly near to the load centers. The DG has been also considered in the generation expansion planning of power systems. In this paper, three main factors associated with the DGs placement procedure is scrutinized through a multi-objective optimization approach. One of the main factors... 

In a practical power system, automating all the substations is neither affordable nor economically justifiable. On the other hand, the trend for electric power subsidies elimination in some regions, such as Iran, aggravates this situation. To enhance the cost effectiveness of distribution automation system, this paper proposes a novel applicable qualitative-quantitative method using analytical hierarchical process (AHP) to find the optimum placement of remote terminal units (RTU). Entire attempt is to contribute all the crucial technical and practical parameters related to this problem in order to find the most reliable solution. Optimum number of RTUs is determined using the concepts of... 

In distribution system planning studies, reliability evaluation is performed during optimization procedure to calculate the interruption cost, DISCO's income and to check the viability of constraints related to reliability indices. In each iteration of the optimization algorithm a special plan is evaluated that is different from other plans. So the configuration and specification of the network which is one of the input information for reliability evaluation is changing continuously that makes difficulties for this evaluation. To solve these difficulties, this paper presents a systematic method for reliability evaluation in distribution planning studies. The proposed approach can be... 

Nowadays, the essentiality of asset management in power systems and higher utilization of resources have become more critical to keep pace with the radically growing demand of today's networks. Power transformers are amongst the most important equipments installed in power distribution systems. Therefore, this paper presents a novel methodology to improve the utilization of substation transformers. In this methodology, the transformer utilization of a two-transformer substation is increased via reconfiguration considering the single contingency policy (SCP). The online reconfiguration helps to maximize the amount of load transferred from a substation with a failed transformer to its... 

Implementation of Distribution Automation (DA) in electric power distribution systems can result in customer satisfaction with improved reliability, consistent quality and high-tech services. Loop Restoration Strategy (LRS) is a special DA method in the feeder level which is used by electric utilities to improve distribution system reliability. The effects of the implemented LRS on the reliability indices of a given distribution system mainly depend on its Automatic Control System (ACS). Selecting the type of ACS of LRS by electric utilities relies on the level of improvement required at load points and system oriented reliability indices. A step by step evaluation procedure is proposed in... 

Distribution system operator (DSO) has traditionally been responsible for the reliable operation of power distribution systems. The advent of distributed energy resources (DERs) and microgrids in distribution networks has required a new platform for DSOs. The new DSO, which is for the most part an independent agent, is responsible for aggregating a widely dispersed DERs (which include small thermal generation units, energy storage, and demand response) and flexible loads in electricity markets. DSO coordinates and balances the transactive dispatch of supply and demand at the distribution level and links wholesale and retail electricity markets. In this paper, a framework for the day-ahead... 

Distribution system operator (DSO) has traditionally been responsible for the reliable operation of power distribution systems. The advent of distributed energy resources (DERs) and microgrids in distribution networks has required a new platform for DSOs. The new DSO, which is for the most part an independent agent, is responsible for aggregating a widely dispersed DERs (which include small thermal generation units, energy storage, and demand response) and flexible loads in electricity markets. DSO coordinates and balances the transactive dispatch of supply and demand at the distribution level and links wholesale and retail electricity markets. In this paper, a framework for the day-ahead... 

Optimal placement of switches can play a key role in providing resilience to power distribution systems against major faults caused by natural disasters. This study presents a resilience-based framework for optimal switch placement in distribution systems being consistent with the expansion plans of distributed generation units. At first, the impact of hurricanes on distribution system components is modelled using the geographic information system of distribution grid and the strength of components against extreme weather-related events. Then, a new resiliency index is proposed to assess the resilience of distribution grids. This index is involved in a mathematical model of the switch...