A MISOCP Formulation for Distribution Optimal Network Reconfiguration Considering Fault Detection Isolation & Recovery Practices

The adoption of optimal network reconfiguration (ONR) tools is crucial in enhancing the operational efficiency, security and reliability of smart distribution grids, since ONR can be used to ensure grid integrity and quality of supply among end-users. However, in order to improve ONR applicability in a SCADA/DMS framework, the actual practices in fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) must be taken into account. For this reason, this paper proposes a distribution ONR formulation, based on Mixed-Integer Second Order Cone Programming (MISOCP), aimed at optimizing system's active power losses and quality of supply indicators, while respecting power flow equations, connectivity and radiality constraints, together with other constraints on selectivity and coordination of protection devices. The proposed ONR model has been tested on IEEE 33-Bus test system for replicability purposes, and then validated on a realistic-sized primary distribution network model which supplies energy to a municipality in the South of Italy. The benefit that ONR can bring in terms of power losses and reliability indices reduction varies according to the initial configuration and the adopted FDIR scheme. In the presented tests, quality of supply indicators' reductions range in the interval 10%-38%. The computing time required to solve a full MISOCP-ONR problem with a realistic-sized network is below 10 minutes, making the proposed approach compatible with SCADA/DMS extended real-time framework.