Validation of a methodology for service restoration on a real Brazilian distribution system

Recently a practical and efficient methodology for service restoration in distribution systems was developed. This methodology combines Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithms with the tree encoding named Node-Depth Encoding. In comparison with other methodologies already proposed for service restoration, the novel features of this methodology are: (i) to generate adequate service restoration plans for large scale distribution networks (networks modeling distribution systems with thousand of buses and switchers) with relatively soft computing without requiring any network simplification; and (ii) to generate service restoration plans for multiple-faults as good as for a single fault. This paper reports the experience in using that methodology to generate service restoration plans in one real distribution system of COPEL, a company of the Brazilian Electricity sector. More specifically, this paper reports: the main points of that methodology, the analysis of the service restoration plans generated by it performed by engineers of COPEL, and also some suggestions of these engineers in order to improve the methodology.