Analysis of sectionalizing switch placement in medium voltage distribution networks in the aspect of improving the continuity of power supply

The paper addresses the problem of placement of sectionalizing switches in medium voltage distribution networks. Proper placement of sectionalizing switches is one of the elements leading to higher power networks reliability. The methods of optimal allocation of such switches in a MV distribution network are presented in the paper. SAIDI was used as a criterion for the sectionalizing switches placement. For selecting optimum placements, three methods were used: brute force method, evolutionary algorithm and heuristic algorithm. The calculations were performed for a real MV network.