Abstract

This paper presents a comparison of swarm intelligence and evolutionary techniques based approaches for minimization of system losses and improvement of voltage profiles in a power network. Efficient distribution of reactive power in an electric network can be achieved by adjusting the excitation on generators, the on-load tap changer positions of transformers, and proper switching of discrete portions of inductors or capacitors. This is a mixed integer non-linear optimization problem where metaheuristics techniques have proven suitable for providing optimal solutions. Four algorithms explored in this paper include differential evolution (DE), particle swarm optimization (PSO), a hybrid combination of DE and PSO, and a mutated PSO (MPSO) algorithm. The effectiveness of these algorithms is evaluated based on their solution quality and convergence characteristic. Simulation studies on the Nigerian power system show that a PSO based solution is more effective than a DE approach in reducing real power losses while keeping the voltage profiles within acceptable limits. The results also show that MPSO allows for further reduction of the real power losses while maintaining a satisfactory voltage profile.

Meeting Name

2008 IEEE Swarm Intelligence Symposium (2008, St. Louis, MO)

Department(s)

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sponsor(s)

National Science Foundation (U.S.)
United States. Department of Education

Keywords and Phrases

Minimisation; Optimal Control; Particle Swarm Optimisation; Power System Control; Power System Stability; Power Transformers; Reactive Power Control; Voltage Control; Convergence; Evolutionary computation; Integer programming; Nonlinear programming

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Final Version

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2008 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Sep 2008

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