Reliability Assessment of Power Distribution Cyber–Physical Systems Considering the Impact of Wireless Access Networks

With the rapid increase in the number of various terminal devices in distribution systems, the important impact of communication networks on power supply reliability in cyber–physical distribution systems (CPDSs) is becoming increasingly prominent. The traditional wired communication method makes it difficult to meet the demand in some scenarios due to high cost and construction difficulty. For this reason, this study evaluated the reliability of power distribution cyber–physical systems, considering fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication technology wireless access conditions. First, a reliability model of a communication channel in a 5G communication network was established, and the indirect impact of information system failure on the power distribution system was analyzed. Secondly, a reliability assessment method based on the improved least path method was devised by combining switch action failure, self-healing processing, and load transfer. The simulation results show that 5G communication technology has significant advantages in improving system reliability, and the proposed method is closer to the development direction of future power distribution systems, which provides an effective reference basis for the optimized operation of power distribution cyber–physical systems.