Influence of Sectionalizing Switches Placement on the Continuity of Customers Power Supply

One of the tasks of smart grids in a network failure situation is a quick localization of the failure. Reducing the time of the failure can be accomplished by providing distribution networks with sectionalizing switches. A method of selecting optimum placement of sectionalizing switches in medium voltage distribution networks has been presented in this paper. Two criteria of switch placements have been analyzed. The first of them is based on the reserve factor, defined in this paper. A solution is being sought after, for which the reserve factor, being an objective function, reaches it's maximum. In the second criterion the annual cost of the network has been analyzed. A sum of the cost of sectionalizing switches and the cost of undelivered energy is covered by the Distribution System Operator constitute the objective function. A minimum cost solution has been sought after. It's own evolutionary algorithm has been used for the sake of analyzing the complex combinatorial task of sectionalizing switch localization. The presented criteria of sectionalizing switch localization has been applied in calculations performed for an exemplary medium voltage network.