Optimal selection switching of remote terminal unit using reliability index in electric power distribution systems

Remote terminal units (RTUs) can trip the circuit in case of a fault in a power system when work with the central control room. RTUs are used to monitor faults at different parts of the power system. This paper presents optimal placement of RTUs by using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique to minimize customer outage, travel costs and improve System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI). The method is applied to IEEE 13 Node Test Feeder. The Results show as the number of RTUs installed in nodes with many customers is increased, SAIDI improves.