Optimal stochastic fault tracking for rural electrical distribution networks via emergency brigades

• A new fault tracking method was developed and applied to real rural distributions networks.
• The proposed fault tracking is a powerful tool for route plan scheduling of emergency brigades.
• Strategy is a stochastic discrete optimization of expected working time.
• Task involves inspection times, transit times and the lines probability of failure.
• Zoning of failures makes effective use of the technologies.

This article presents the results obtained when applying a new strategy for finding faults in rural distribution systems. This paper proposes a working protocol for the minimization of the average restoration time via the emergency brigades. The methodology involves two stages: (i) discrimination and (ii) tracking of electric faults. The process uses only the principal distribution substation recorded data to construct the “short-circuit current ranges” of fault locations (zoning). The tracking is a probabilistic optimization process which uses the failure probability, the inspection time and the transit time of each line (the three basic ideas used by the emergency brigades to locate faults). The validity and robustness of the model is verified with real short-circuit situations. According to the results, the proposed strategy provides a plan of action to emergency brigades reducing, significantly, the time and mileage used to find the point where the failure occurred.