A practical codification and its analysis for the generalized reconfiguration problem

Distribution network reconfiguration problem is simply aimed at finding the best set of radial configurations among a huge number of possibilities. Each solution of this set ensures optimal operation of the system without violating any prescribed constraint. To solve such problem, it is important to count on efficient procedure to enforce radiality. In this paper, we propose a reliable approach to deal properly with topology constraint enabling algorithm convergence toward optimal or quasi-optimal solutions. A simple and practical codification of individuals used in evolutionary algorithms to solve the generalized reconfiguration problem is detailed in this paper. Mathematical formulation, algorithm, and simulation results are presented for the distribution reconfiguration problem, incorporating a new representation scheme which is immune to topologically unfeasible possibilities. The individual interpretation procedure is straight and it demands no additional data structure or graph preprocessing. Comparisons are made for five well-known distribution systems to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methodology. It is also demonstrated that optimal configurations are properly surveyed when single or multiple sources are dealt.

► We solve reconfiguration problem through novel coding applied to evolutionary algorithms.
► Our coding scheme enables more efficient searches than others already known in literature.
► Along interpreting, unfeasible configurations are smartly avoided causing no harm to convergence.
► Four systems were tested and our scheme persistently found higher number of global optima.