An Iterative Heuristic Method to Determine Radial Topology for Distribution System Restoration

TL;DR

This paper introduces a fast, graph theory-based heuristic method for real-time determination of radial topology in distribution system restoration, enabling quick and reliable critical load recovery after outages.

Contribution

It presents a novel iterative heuristic considering power flow states to efficiently determine radial topologies in distribution networks.

Findings

Determines radial topology within seconds

Ensures restoration capacity during critical load recovery

Validated on multiple case studies

Abstract

Coordinating multiple local power sources can restore critical loads after the major outages caused by extreme events. A radial topology is needed for distribution system restoration, while determining a good topology in real-time for online use is a challenge. In this paper, a graph theory-based heuristic considering power flow state is proposed to fast determine the radial topology. The loops of distribution network are eliminated by iteration. The proposed method is validated by one snapshot and multi-period critical load restoration models on different cases. The case studies indicate that the proposed method can determine radial topology in a few seconds and ensure the restoration capacity.