An expert system for locating distribution system faults

A rule-based expert system designed to locate the faults in a distribution system is presented. Distribution system component data and network topology are stored in the database. A set of heuristic rules is compiled from the dispatcher´s experience and imbedded in the rule base. To locate distribution system faults, an inference engine is developed to perform deductive reasoning on the rules in the knowledge base. The inference engine comprises three major parts: the dynamic searching method, the backtracking approach, and the set intersection operation. The expert system is implemented on a personal computer using the artificial intelligence language Prolog. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, the expert system has been used to locate faults in a real underground distribution system within the service area of the Taipei City District Office of the Taiwan Power Company. It is found that the expert system can identify fault location very efficiently. Therefore, it can serve as a valuable tool to help distribution system dispatchers determine fault locations