Selection of switching devices for distribution feeders with reliability vulnerable customers

The selection of the types, numbers, and locations of automated switching devices is an important issue for distribution feeders. The frequency and duration of the interruptions of power delivery caused by failures of lines can be considerably reduced by adequately placed switching devices localizing the effects of the failures by separating the failed from healthy feeder sections. This paper proposes ways to account for the supply interruption vulnerable customers when selecting the switching devices by taking care of both the network owner’s and customers’ costs. Three different approaches for taking care of the relevant issues when determining the present worth costs of possible solutions are applied. The considered approaches are compared and discussed for two typical feeder configurations.