Algorithm for expansion planning in distribution systems taking faults into consideration

This paper presents a solution algorithm for expansion planning in distribution systems in which fault cases are taken into consideration. The proposed method can take all the predetermined severe fault cases into consideration simultaneously, and can avoid installing excess facilities without affecting the ability for fault restoration. In the algorithm, the whole problem is decomposed into sub-problems according to pre-determined fault cases, and is efficiently solved by using the branch exchange algorithm and the decomposition-coordination technique. The validity and the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm are demonstrated by numerical examples