Modeling of LV distribution network based on metering data

For a long time, due to various reasons, power utilities don't have full or accurate mastering of information of LV distribution network. This is one of the cases for distribution network parameters. Accurate circuit parameters of LV distribution network are basis of power flow calculation, loss analysis and energy theft detection. Electrical parameters are important, but research on them is far from sufficient mainly because of absence of measured data in LV distribution network. Implementation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) provides new ways for solving this problem. This paper researches approaches on accurate electrical circuit parameter calculation in LV distribution network using smart meter measurements, so as to obtain accurate model of LV distribution network. Provided distribution network topology is known, the method leverages a series of smart meter measurements at end nodes of distribution network, mainly voltage, active power and reactive power at customer sides. It calculates voltage of the most upstream node or source node in radial network with bottom up approach and builds an optimization model to minimize source node voltage variance derived from different meter node measurements, or the differences between estimated source node voltage from different smart meter measurements and actual voltage measurement in source node over a period of time. Then the best estimates for branch impedances are obtained. Validity of the proposed method is verified with a practical distribution network with 17 metering nodes and 21 branches. ©, 2015, Power System Technology Press. All right reserved.