Management of voltage regulators in unbalanced distribution networks using voltage/tap sensitivity analysis

Voltage regulation in unbalanced distribution networks (UDNs) with increasing the penetration of distributed generation sources (DGs) represents a great challenge for the network operator. The voltage regulation devices in UDNs have different configurations in each area based on line and load configurations. In this paper, an optimal voltage management strategy for UDNs is proposed. This strategy depends on voltage/tap sensitivity analysis, and it considers three, two, and single-phase voltage regulators with different connections (star, delta, and open delta). Numerical results on different IEEE distribution test feeders (13-node, and 37-node) have been performed. The results show that the proposed strategy can optimally manage the different configurations of voltage regulators without excessive tap oscillations. Moreover, the results illustrate that the proposed strategy can effectively mitigate voltage problems (voltage rise, and voltage drop) with high penetration of DGs.