A Reconfiguration Method for Regional Distribution Networks with Graph-based Ant System

The graph-based ant system method is used for solving reconfiguration problem in regional distribution networks. The solution process includes an off-line part and an on-line part. The off-line part analyses topology. Route graph is used for expressing the feasible solution set. The online part searches the best solution by simulating the ants' traveling in route graph. Since the feasible solution set is large, this paper modifies the rules of route selection and pheromone updating to avoid the searching process falling into stagnation. Simulation example using an actual regional distribution networks indicates the method's effectiveness.