Proto-Radial Algorithm to Obtain the Radial Set: A Deterministic Approach to Optimize Radial Systems

A novel deterministic approach, based on pre-search of the radial set, is proposed for optimal reconfiguration of radial systems. This type of optimization consists in finding a spanning tree that optimizes a given objective function. On the other hand, the deterministic approach means that the best solution will always be found. Due to the combinatorial nature of the problem, exhaustive evaluation of all possible solutions is generally not feasible when analyzing medium to large scale systems because of the enormous computational time required. The proposed algorithm works on a topologically equivalent reduced system to improve performance when facing this huge challenge in the optimization of radial systems, which consists in obtaining the Radial Set of feasible solutions. The proposal was tested in the optimal reconfiguration of two electrical distribution systems taken from the scientific literature, obtaining results that demonstrate a promising potential to apply the proposed algorithm in real medium-sized industrial system.