REACTIVE POWER OPTIMIZATION OF AN ELECTRIC POWER DISTRIBUTION NETWORK FOR ENHANCED SYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Problems in the distribution system’s power supply have created significant trouble for businesses, industries, and residents, especially since they use a lot of electricity. When there are many power outages and huge drops in power, communities lose income, achieve less, and experience a lower standard of living. Strategizing for reactive power optimization is key to solving these difficulties by making the voltage stable, reducing loses, and enhancing the system’s functioning. The study examined the current Marine Base 11kV network, which includes eighteen 500kVA transformers, using data collected from the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED). The analysis of the network was done using ETAP 19.1 and by applying Newton-Raphson load flow to determine the system’s true working conditions. The analysis was used to determine the location and size of capacitors banks needed to improve the netwrok performance. The analysis identified the optimal locations and ratings of capacitor banks required to enhance network performance. Results indicated that bus voltages occasionally deviated from the IEEE-recommended operating limits of 0.95–1.05 p.u., necessitating reactive power compensation to maintain voltage stability and power quality. The team rectified this flaw by installing 3 × 300 kVAR capacitor banks at bus 16. Once compensation was done, the power system losses dropped significantly from 82.039 kW + j40.802 kVAR to 36.6 kW + j20 kVAR. In addition, the voltage profile improved as the overall voltage drop reduced from 5.85% to 1.79%. It was confirmed by these results that putting capacitor banks in the grid helps the supply voltage stay steady, reduces energy loss, and maintains the grid’s reliability and efficiency. Future work should focus on field implementation and validation of the proposed capacitor placement, while also extending similar optimization studies to other feeders within the Port Harcourt distribution network. Additionally, dynamic or switched capacitor banks may be considered to adapt to varying load profiles and avoid overcompensation during light-load conditions.