A fast algorithm for generation of forests: application to distribution system reconfiguration

This work proposes a procedure that only produces forests from another forest. Each configuration of a radial distribution system corresponds to the kind of graph called a forest. The proposed procedure is very fast. It uses a new internal computer representation of graphs (configuration) called graph chain representation (GCR). In fact, besides a new procedure to always generate feasible configurations, this paper also proposes a new load flow using the GCR for radial networks. These two improvements compose a genetic algorithm approach able to deal with large distribution systems, i.e., systems with large number of switches and buses. The proposed approach was tested in a large electrical radial distribution system