Heuristic approach for loss reduction in distribution networks

Network reconfiguration in distribution systems is realized by changing the status of sectionalizing switches, and is usually done for loss reduction or load balancing in the system. This paper presents an effective heuristic based switching scheme to solve the distribution feeder loss reduction problem. The proposed algorithm consists of two parts. One is to set up a decision tree to represent the various switching operations available. Another is to apply a proposed technique called cyclic best first search. The proposed algorithm identifies the most effective the set of switch status configuration of distribution system for loss reduction. To demonstrate the validity of the proposed algorithm, numerical calculations are carried out the 32 bus system model