Abstract:The strategies of distribution network reconfiguration are applicable for minimizing power loss and saving electrical energy in the distribution system. Network reconfiguration is usually represented by constant load demand so ignoring the variability of load demand causes uncertainty and misleading results in the minimization of power loss. This paper consists of two parts: first, the reconfiguration was accomplished using an optimization framework based on constant load to find sets of optimal switches. The minimization of active power loss was taken as an objective function while bus voltage, branch current and system radiality were taken as system constraints. The study was applied to a 33-bus test distribution network, which is exceedingly used as test examples for solving reconfiguration problems. Second, lists of the configurations set obtained from the first part, as well as other different optimization methods proposed earlier under constant load demand were taken as test switches. Additionally, the network in the presence of distributed generators was taken to analyze the reconfiguration under an active network. Two types of load demands; the variable load and voltage-dependent load, are proposed to represent the practical load demands. This paper presents a new method for good analysis as it defines the effect of loading levels and loading patterns on a distribution system performance for passive and active networks. The proposed approach tries to find the actual power loss under different characteristics of loads. Therefore, the probable benefit of this approach is the contribution to providing more flexibility for electrical utilities in terms of distribution system operation, while also opening new prospects in the automation of smart distribution systems.

Self-reconfiguration in electrical power grids is a significant tool for their planning and operation during both normal and abnormal conditions. The increasing in employment of Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs), as well as the rapid growth of the new communication technologies have increased the application of Feeder Automation (FA) in Distribution Networks (DNs). In a Smart Grid (SG), automation equipment, such as a Smart Breaker (SB), is used. Using either a wired or a wireless network or even a combination of both, communication between the Control Center (CC) and SBs can be made. Nowadays, wireless technology is widely used in the communication of DNs. This may cause several security vulnerabilities in the power system, such as remote attacks, with the goal of cutting off the electrical power provided to significant consumers. Therefore, to preserve the cybersecurity of the system, there is a need for a secure scheme. The available literature investments proposed a heavyweight level in security schemes, while the overhead was not considered. To overcome this drawback, this paper presents an efficient lightweight authentication mechanism with the necessary steps to ensure real-time automatic reconfiguration during a fault. As a first stage, authentication will be made between CC and SB, SB then sends the information about its status. To ensure the integrity of the authentication exchange, a hash function is used, while the symmetric algorithm is used to ensure privacy. The applicability of the suggested scheme has been proved by conducting security performance and analysis. The proposed scheme will be injected on ABB medium voltage breaker with the REF 542plus controller. Therefore, the probable benefit of the suggested scheme is the contribution to provide more flexibility for electrical utilities in terms of reducing the overall computational overhead and withstanding to various types of attacks, while also opening new prospects in FA of SGs.

No abstract

The combination of droop control and communication-based secondary control is eligible to maintain the steady voltage and frequency at the point of common coupling (PCC) together with the property of power sharing between the distributed generators. However, the performance of this combination is threatened by the slow dynamic and communication failure. In this context, an improved droop control is proposed to address the issue of slow dynamic and enhance the power-sharing accuracy in the autonomous microgrid. The droop coefficients are determined through a comprehensive analysis to assess the eigenvalues and plot the loci of the dominant poles. Robust secondary control is subsequently proposed to restore the voltage and frequency to their nominal values with a novel feature that ensures the performance continuity during the communication failure. The key idea of the proposed secondary control relies on utilizing the predictive values of the PCC voltage in the dq-rotating frame using two dynamic lookup tables during communication loss. The proposed control is evidenced by the simulation results in the MATLAB environment.INDEX TERMS Autonomous microgrid, dq-voltage droop control, dq secondary control, communication failure.

No abstract