Hermit Crab Shell Exchange Algorithm for Transmission Network Expansion Planning Problem

One of the most significant problems in power systems is transmission network expansion planning (TNEP). As the complexity of the TNEP problem makes it difficult to be solved by available deterministic methods, so to develop a model or any solution for TNEP as per present requirement is a field of interest for many researchers. Further to search for recent approaches, to handle such complex problems, is also a popular task. In such problems like TNEP the solutions’ time-bound dependency drives the researchers to create approximate methods. Algorithms that mimic the behavior of different species have been successfully used to solve some significant real-world problems in the recent past. Nature-inspired algorithms (NIAs) are created by taking cues from how different species adapt to their environment. In the same series, this paper is an attempt to solve the TNEP problem by applying a recently developed algorithm in the field of NIAs namely, hermit crab shell exchange (HCSE) algorithm. The newly developed strategy is applied to two common case systems, namely Graver’s six bus systems as well as Brazilian 46 bus systems. The outcomes were subsequently evaluated against other sophisticated algorithms that have been recorded in existing literature. The findings indicate that the HCSE algorithm is both precise and skilled in solving the TNEP problem for the considered cases.