Distribution network reconfiguration for load balancing using binary particle swarm optimization

In this paper, a method based on modified binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO) is proposed for distribution network reconfiguration with the objective of load balancing. A novel model to simplify distribution network is presented. The feeder reconfiguration problem is formulated as a non-linear optimization problem, and BPSO is used to find the optimal solution. According to the characteristics of distribution network, some modifications are done to retain the radial structure and reduce searching requirement. Test results based on a sample network have shown that the proposed feeder reconfiguration method can effectively keep load balancing, and the BPSO technique is efficient in searching for the optimal solution.