Sharif Digital Repository

In distribution system planning studies, reliability evaluation is performed during optimization procedure to calculate the interruption cost, DISCO's income and to check the viability of constraints related to reliability indices. In each iteration of the optimization algorithm a special plan is evaluated that is different from other plans. So the configuration and specification of the network which is one of the input information for reliability evaluation is changing continuously that makes difficulties for this evaluation. To solve these difficulties, this paper presents a systematic method for reliability evaluation in distribution planning studies. The proposed approach can be... 

Optimal placement of switches can play a key role in providing resilience to power distribution systems against major faults caused by natural disasters. This study presents a resilience-based framework for optimal switch placement in distribution systems being consistent with the expansion plans of distributed generation units. At first, the impact of hurricanes on distribution system components is modelled using the geographic information system of distribution grid and the strength of components against extreme weather-related events. Then, a new resiliency index is proposed to assess the resilience of distribution grids. This index is involved in a mathematical model of the switch... 

In the past decade, distribution network operators have been broadly engrossed toward automated distribution networks. The operators acknowledge network automation as an efficient investment toward a better service reliability. This paper aims to provide a new long-term cost/benefit analysis for an optimal level of distribution network automation. In the analysis, reduction in customer outage cost is considered as the benefit of implementing automation systems with capital investment, and annual operation and maintenance costs. In the Finnish regulation model, there is a special incentive based on customer outage cost reduction. As the main contribution of this paper, the impact of earth... 

This paper investigates the performance of a smart distribution system comprised of multi-microgrids during emergency conditions. It also proposes a hierarchical scheme for outage management in such a system to enhance the security of supply during contingencies. This goal is achieved through sharing the available generation and storage capacities among different microgrids. In this regard, at first, a well-organized framework is devised in order to introduce the roles and tasks of each player in operation stage of a multi-microgrids system. Based on this framework, the general optimization model that needs to be evaluated in the proposed outage management scheme is formulated. Then, various... 

Bi-objective optimization of a multi-product multi-period three-echelon supply chain network consisting of manufacturing plants, distribution centers (DCs) each with uncertain services, and customer nodes is aimed in this paper. The two objectives are minimization of the total cost while maximizing the average number of products dispatched to customers. The decision variables are: (1) the number and the locations of reliable DCs in the network, (2) the optimum number of items produced by plants, (3) the optimum quantity of transported products, (4) the optimum inventory of products at DCs and plants, and (5) the optimum shortage quantity of the customer nodes. The problem is first formulated... 

Here, a case study of natural gas network is conducted. We design an optimal distribution network of natural gas. Our proposed network is composed of stations reducing gas pressure to desirable pressure using consumer's viewpoint. By using minimum spanning tree (MST) technique, an optimal distribution network among stations and consumers is constructed. Our aim is to determine both locations and types of stations minimizing location-allocation costs in the network. A case study in Mazandaran Gas Company in Iran is made to assess the validity and effectiveness of the proposed model  

In this letter, we discuss cost optimization of sensor networks monitoring structurally full-rank systems under distributed observability constraint. Using structured systems theory, the problem is relaxed into two subproblems: first, sensing cost optimization; and second, networking cost optimization. Both problems are reformulated as combinatorial optimization problems. The sensing cost optimization is shown to have a polynomial-order solution. The networking cost optimization is shown to be NP-hard in general, but has a polynomial-order solution under specific conditions. A 2-approximation polynomial-order relaxation is provided for general networking cost optimization, which is... 

Nowadays, large-scale power outages induced by ever-growing natural disasters are increasing at a galloping rate. In this regard, this paper aims at improving the resilience of power distribution systems in facing high impact low probability (HILP) events in the planning phase of the system. To this end, optimal switch placement along with the optimal distribution line hardening strategies is proposed to mitigate the repercussions of the natural calamities. So, decreasing the failure probability of the distribution lines alongside the optimal placement of remote-controlled switches (RCSs) to increase the maneuvering capability of the system, the system operator would be able to strengthen... 

Proliferation of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and integration of various distributed generation (DG) technologies have been recognized to play an undeniable role in modern power systems of the future. In order to effectively model the interactions of these two technologies, this paper develops a multi-criteria framework to coordinate the charging behaviors of PHEVs within an energy hub platform. In this regard, the desirable charging profiles from the viewpoint of both PHEV owners and hub manager are first captured and reported to the PHEVs Coordinator Entity (PCE). The PCE, then, runs an optimization framework in which several criteria including the PHEV owners’ convenience,... 

We propose novel techniques to find the optimal location, size, and power factor of distributed generation (DG) to achieve the maximum loss reduction for distribution networks. Determining the optimal DG location and size is achieved simultaneously using the energy loss curves technique for a pre-selected power factor that gives the best DG operation. Based on the network's total load demand, four DG sizes are selected. They are used to form energy loss curves for each bus and then for determining the optimal DG options. The study shows that by defining the energy loss minimization as the objective function, the time-varying load demand significantly affects the sizing of DG resources in... 

Abstract Network on Chip (NoC) is an appropriate and scalable solution for today's System on Chips (SoCs) with the high communication demands. Application specific NoCs is preferable since they can be customized to optimize all requirements of the specific applications. This paper presents an OPtimization technique for Application specifIC NoCs (OPAIC), which aims not only to decrease the energy consumption but also to improve the area of NoCs. OPAIC is composed of three stages to find the optimum NoC; in the first stage, it uses a linearized form of a Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP) to map tasks on cores to minimize the energy. In the second stage, a Mixed Integer Linear Problem (MILP)... 

In the past decade, distribution network operators have been broadly engrossed toward automated distribution networks. The operators acknowledge network automation as an efficient investment toward a better service reliability. This paper aims to provide a new long-term cost/benefit analysis for an optimal level of distribution network automation. In the analysis, reduction in customer outage cost is considered as the benefit of implementing automation systems with capital investment, and annual operation and maintenance costs. In the Finnish regulation model, there is a special incentive based on customer outage cost reduction. As the main contribution of this paper, the impact of earth... 

Congestion management is one of the most important functions of independent system operator (ISO) in the restructured power system. This paper presents two new methodologies for optimal sitting and sizing of distributed generations (DGs) in the restructured power systems for congestion management. The proposed methodologies are based upon locational marginal price (LMP) and congestion rent that forms a priority list of candidate buses to reduce the solution space. The proposed priority list facilitates the optimal placement as well as the level of output power of DGs. The proposed methods are implemented on the IEEE 14-bus and IEEE 57-bus test systems to illustrate their effectiveness. An... 

This paper presents a new framework for planning studies of modern distribution networks. Presence of electric vehicles (EVs) and various technologies of distributed generation (DG) technologies are considered in the studies as two upcoming events of the future systems. In this regard, place and capacity of DG units along with the reinforcement of distribution lines are determined running a multi-objective (MO) optimization algorithm. Total losses of the distribution network along with annualized cost of expansion plans including investment, operation and maintenance costs are introduced as the main criteria which should be optimized in the proposed framework. An effective Posteriori... 

The optimal distribution of fluid viscous dampers (FVD) in controlling the seismic response of eccentric, single-storey, moment resisting concrete structures is investigated using the previously defined center of damping constant (CDC). For this purpose, a number of structural models with different one-way stiffness and strength eccentricities are considered. Extensive nonlinear time history analyses are carried out for various arrangements of FVDs. It is shown that the arrangement of FVDs for controlling the torsional behavior due to asymmetry in the concrete structures is very dependent on the intensity of the peak ground acceleration (PGA) and the extent of the structural stiffness and... 

This paper deals with energy management of microgrids during unscheduled islanding events, initiated by disturbances in the main grid. In these situations, the main challenge is uncertainty about duration of disconnection from the main grid. In order to tackle this issue, a stochastic framework is proposed for optimal scheduling of microgrid resources over this period. The presented framework addresses the prevailing uncertainties of islanding duration as well as prediction errors of demand and renewable power generation. According to this framework, the probability distribution of islanding duration needs to be estimated, instead of predicting its exact value. The objective is to minimize... 

The facility location problem and its related financial issues have a significant impact on the configuration of a supply chain structure (SCS). Although affording the setup cost of facilities requires a huge financial investment, a meticulous planning to recoup it has been neglected by an overwhelming majority of previous studies. To fill this gap, an economical investment plan of facilities is determined by striking a trade-off between the contribution of the stockholders’ capital and the loan arrangement. In the context of a multiperiod three-echelon SCS, the model also determines the optimum location of plants and the best supply and distribution patterns. The model maximizes the fill... 

This paper presents a new method for restoration of distribution networks after a fault occurrence. This problem is solved from the viewpoint of the distribution system operator with the main goal of minimizing the operating cost during the fault clearance period. The effects of distributed generation (DG) units and direct load control (DLC) programs are considered in designing the proposed restoration procedure. Moreover, the uncertainties associated with the predicted loads of different nodes and the availability of DG are modeled here. Robust optimization is used to model the uncertainties of restoration problems and manage their associated risks. Finally, a robust reconfiguration plan is... 

Reservoir fluid modelling is one of the most important steps in reservoir simulation and modelling of flow lines as well as surface facilities. One of the most uncertain parameters of the reservoir fluids is the plus fraction. An accurate and consistent splitting scheme can reduce this uncertainty and as a result, enhance the modelling of reservoir fluids. The existing schemes for splitting plus fractions are all based on assuming a specific mole fraction-molecular weight distribution with predefined constant values that may yield inaccurate and inconsistent results. In this study, an optimization-based algorithm was developed to determine the aforementioned controlling parameters of the... 

Installation of renewable energy sources (RESs) in power systems has been dramatically increased due to clean nature and declining investment costs in recent years. This growing trend has led to new issues in the system operational management such as intense ramps inflicted on the network called system flexibility constraints. In this regard, due to decreasing the investment in bulk flexible resources, utilities would be significantly rely on local flexible ramp resources in the system to meet the supply-demand gap in each time-period. However, development of independently operated microgrids (MGs) as a result of restructuring and privatization in the power systems has imposed limitations...