Identification of operation strategies of distribution networks using a simulated annealing approach

In this paper, the authors present a model to identify optimal operation strategies of electric distribution networks considering that one wants to minimize active power losses. This objective can be achieved by adequately selecting transformer taps and the sections of capacitor banks in operation. In order to make the model more realistic, the developed application admits the specification of admissible voltage ranges for each node and maximum branch currents. The integer nature of this problem virtually made it impossible to be solved for real sized networks given the involved calculation time. In this paper, the authors describe the application of simulated annealing to this problem in order to address these difficulties. The developed application is illustrated using a IEEE test network and a realistic network having 645 nodes based on a Portuguese distribution system.