Optimal Placement and Sizing for Fault Current Limiters: Multi-Objective Optimization Approach

Continuous system expansion and the interconnection requirements of distributed generators have led to high short- circuit currents (SCC) that can exceed the rating of existing circuit breakers. Fault current limiters (FCLs) can provide an efficient solution for reducing SCC. In this study, a multi-objective optimal FCL placement and sizing problem is formulated considering FCL cost and fault level reduction. A four-stage solution methodology, composed of an assessment stage, screening stage, optimization stage, and decision stage is proposed. The optimization stage utilizes a group-based chaotic multi-objective PSO to compute the high-quality Pareto solution, the screening stage applies an effective sensitivity factor to reduce the search space, and the decision stage employs a fuzzy decision-based mechanism to select one preferred solution. The effectiveness of the proposed method in solving the optimal FCL placement and sizing problem is evaluated on an IEEE 30-bus system at multiple loading levels.