Optimizing restoration of distribution system during cold load pickup situations

Restoration of distribution system in cold weather and after long interruptions creates cold load pickup problem due to loss of diversity among the loads in residential area. Under such conditions the distribution system load may have to be restored step by step, using sectionalizing switches to prevent overheating of substation transformer. The order in which the sections are restored has a significant impact on the total time of restoration. To find the best sequence, Backtracking Search Method (BTSM) is proposed in this paper. This Search which using a tree organization for possible sequences, has major advantage: if it is realized that the partial sequence can in no way lead to an optimal solution, then other possible test sequences may be ignored entirely. An order of sections will be selected either to minimize the total restoration time or to minimize customer interruption duration. Results obtained using Backtracking Search Method is compared with Adjacent Pairwise Interchange Method (APIM) and global search for two test system.