A graph-theoretic service restoration algorithm for power distribution systems

Distribution system service restoration is one of the most challenging problems under the umbrella of smart grids. Many heuristic based optimization techniques were utilized for the restoration of power distribution networks. However, the primary concern with these heuristic-based techniques is the amount of time and the computational requirements to develop an optimal service restoration scheme. Therefore, a graph theoretic-based algorithm is proposed as an alternative to heuristic-based algorithms. To verify its effectiveness, the proposed algorithm is compared with the traditional genetics algorithm (GA) and applied to a modified IEEE 123 test feeder. The results show that, given the same amount of computational time for GA, the proposed graph theory algorithm is able to provide a more optimal solution based on multiple objective functions.