Simultaneous Network Reconfiguration and Capacitor Placement in Distribution Systems Using the Proposed Discrete PSO Algorithm with Chaos Module

In this study, a simultaneous optimization method is proposed for distribution network reconfiguration in the presence of harmonic disturbances, along with determining the optimal size and location of switchable capacitors. The main objectives are to reduce active power losses and improve voltage profiles while considering operational constraints and power quality. The optimization objective function includes active power loss costs, capacitor installation costs, and penalty terms for constraint violations. To enhance convergence speed and optimization accuracy, candidate buses for capacitor placement are selected using sensitivity analysis, and the search space is efficiently reduced. The proposed algorithm is a novel Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) with chaos module (PSOCM), which delivers fast and superior results compared to conventional methods. The applied constraints include the maximum allowable reactive power of installed capacitors and bus voltage limits according to the IEEE-519 standard. The algorithm is implemented on the Sirjan distribution network, and the results demonstrate significant performance improvements.