An expert system operational aid for restoration and loss reduction of distribution systems

An application of expert system techniques to the restoration of distribution systems is reported. Primary feeders are typically radial in structure. To increase system reliability, neighboring feeders are connected through a normally open tie switch. When load zones on a feeder interrupted due to a fault, system operators need to identify neighboring feeders and try to restore customers through the tie switches. To restore the maximum number of zones, several steps are followed: group restoration, zone restoration and, if necessary, load transfer. Based on the methodology, an expert system is developed which can be utilized as an online aid to system operators in a distribution SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) environmental. The proposed expert system is implemented in Prolog. Knowledge representation, portability of the system, and computational efficiency are discussed. Several examples illustrate the capabilities of the system.<>