Power system reconfiguration and loss minimization for an distribution systems using bacterial foraging optimization algorithm

In this paper, a method based on bacterial foraging optimization algorithm (BFOA) is proposed for distribution network reconfiguration with the objective of loss minimization. A novel model to simplify a distribution network is presented. The feeder reconfiguration problem is formulated as a non-linear optimization problem, and BFOA is used to find the optimal solution. According to the characteristics of distribution network, some modifications are done to retain the radial structure and reduce the searching requirement. Test results of a 33 bus sample network have shown that the proposed feeder reconfiguration method can effectively ensure the loss minimization, and the BFOA technique is efficient in searching for the optimal solution. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.