Improved binary gaining–sharing knowledge-based algorithm with mutation for fault section location in distribution networks

Abstract

AbstractFault section location (FSL) plays a critical role in shortening blackout time and restoring power supply for distribution networks. This paper converts the FSL task into a binary optimization problem using the feeder terminal unit (FTU) information. The discrepancy between the reported overcurrent alarms and the expected overcurrent states of the FTUs is adopted as the objective function. It is a typical 0–1 combinatorial optimization problem with many local optima. An improved binary gaining–sharing knowledge-based algorithm (IBGSK) with mutation is proposed to effectively solve this challenging binary optimization problem. Since the original GSK cannot be applied in binary search space directly, and it is easy to get stuck in local optima, IBGSK encodes the individuals as binary vectors instead of real vectors. Moreover, an improved junior gaining and sharing phase and an improved senior gaining and sharing phase are designed to update individuals directly in binary search space. Furthermore, a binary mutation operator is presented and integrated into IBGSK to enhance its global search ability. The proposed algorithm is applied to two test systems, i.e. the IEEE 33-bus distribution network and the USA PG&E 69-bus distribution network. Simulation results indicate that IBGSK outperforms the other 12 advanced algorithms and the original GSK in solution quality, robustness, convergence speed, and statistics. It equilibrates the global search ability and the local search ability effectively. It can diagnose different fault scenarios with 100% and 99% success rates for these two test systems, respectively. Besides, the effect of mutation probability on IBGSK is also investigated, and the result suggests a moderate value. Overall, simulation results demonstrate that IBGSK shows highly promising potential for the FSL problem of distribution networks.