International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 12, Number 12 (2017) pp. 3084-3089 © Research India Publications. https://dx.doi.org/10.37622/IJAER/12.12.2017.3084-3089 3084 Optimal Capacitor Allocation for the Reconfigured Network using Ant Lion Optimization Algorithm A.V. Sudhakara Reddy 1 and Dr. M. Damodar Reddy 2 Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, India. 1 ORCID: 0000-0001-7497-4172 Abstract This paper presents an Ant Lion Optimization (ALO) algorithm for optimal allocations and sizing of capacitors for the original and reconfigured distribution systems. Feeder reconfiguration is the process of changing the distribution network topology by changing the status of sectional and tie switches. First the candidate buses for installing capacitors are identified using Fuzzy Approach. Then the proposed ALO algorithm is to find the size of capacitors. The main objective is to reduce the total real loss and consequently, to increase the net energy savings per year. The attained results via the proposed ALO algorithm are compared with original network to highlight their benefits. The proposed algorithm is to minimize the losses and total cost and to enhance the voltage profiles and net saving for various distribution systems. The proposed ALO algorithm has been tested on a standard IEEE 33- bus and 69-bus test system for capacitor placement for original and reconfigured network to reduce the power loss and energy savings. Keywords: Ant Lion Optimization, Energy savings, Optimal Capacitor Placement, Radiality Constraint, Simultaneous Reconfiguration. INTRODUCTION In power distribution system (PDS) planning, the major challenge is to supply uninterrupted power within allowable limits. In primary distribution systems, the sectional switches are used for both protection (to isolate a fault) and for configure management to reconfigure the network. A power distribution network consists of radial feeders which can be connected together by several tie switches. Power loss reduction major concern of electrical distribution utilities. Among conventional methods, optimal reconfiguration and capacitor placement are the two successful techniques which can be applied on the network. However, the configuration is changed during switching operation by changing the status of sectional and tie switches. Reconfiguration (RCG) of radial distribution systems is a very successful and efficient to reduce losses, improvement of voltage profile and enhance system reliability. Distribution networks are generally structured in mesh but operated in a radial configuration for effective coordination of their protective schemes and to reduce the fault level. The aim of network reconfiguration is to obtain a radial operating configuration that minimizes real power loss while satisfying all the operational constraints without the islanding of any node. A number of research papers have been emerged on the general topic of feeder reconfiguration, there is still a need to develop more appropriate and effective techniques for the network reconfiguration under reliable operating conditions. Many recent researches on distribution feeder reconfiguration on reducing the power losses. Merlin[1] offered the sequential opening algorithm. Simplicity is the main advantage of heuristic methods. Das[2] proposed a simple and efficient method for solving radial distribution networks, which involves only the evaluation of a simple algebraic expression of voltage magnitudes and no trigonometric functions as opposed to the standard load flow case. Shirmohammadi[3] described a technique for the reconfiguration of distribution networks to reduce their resistive line losses. Goswami[4] presented a heuristic algorithm for feeder reconfiguration. Jeon[5] presented the simulated annealing with tabu search algorithm for loss reduction by switching operation in distribution systems. Venkatesh[6] proposed a novel algorithm based on fuzzy adaption of evvolutionary programming to optimal network reconfiguration to achieve the minimal kW losses and best voltage profile. Yuji[7] proposed tabu search to reconfiguration for an open loop radial distribution network with distributed generators to minimize the total line losses subjected to the line or transformer capacity constraints and voltage constraint. Damodar Reddy[8] proposed a fuzzy multi-objective approach used for the capacitor placement in the reconfigured network. In addition to loss reduction, simultaneously as reconfiguration also improves the nodal voltage deviations and branch current limit violation. Mirjalili[9], proposed novel nature inspired algorithm is called Ant Lion Optimizer (ALO). The ALO algorithm mimics the hunting mechanism of antlions in nature, implemented in 2015. Sudhakara Reddy[10] proposed PSO algorithm with an objective of reducing power losses by using Network reconfiguration by simultaneous switching Method. Sudhakar Reddy[11] described the dragonfly algorithm exclusively for network reconfiguration problem. Singh[12] proposed a bit shift based Particle Swarm Optimization to solve the problem of feeder reconfiguration for different load models in a power distribution system. Damodar Reddy[13] described an Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for maximum savings using capacitor