Ranking of feeder sections of distribution systems for maintenance prioritization accounting distributed generations and loads using diagnostic importance factor (DIF)

This paper presents an algorithm for deciding preferences in maintenance activities for feeder sections of distribution systems. A component importance measure, known as diagnostic importance factor (DIF), has been used for this purpose. A methodology has been developed to compute a newly framed weighted cumulative diagnostic importance factor (WCDIF) for each feeder section which represents quantitatively relative significance for prioritization of maintenance activities. The developed methodology includes the effect of distributed generations (DG) and loads. It has been implemented on two sample distribution systems and ranking lists of feeder sections for maintenance activities have been obtained.