A backtracking search algorithm for distribution network reconfiguration problem

Abstract

This paper proposes a distribution network reconfiguration (DNR) methodology based on a backtracking search algorithm (BSA) for minimizing active power loss and minimizing voltage deviation. The BSA is a new evolutionary algorithm for solving of numerical optimization problems. It uses a single control parameter and two crossovers and mutation strategies for powerful exploration of the problem’s search space. The effectiveness of the proposed BSA has been tested on 69-node distribution network system and the obtained test results have been compared to those from other methods in the literature. In addition to BSA, two other algorithms—particle swarm optimization (PSO) and cuckoo search algorithm (CSA)—are implemented for comparisons. The simulation results show that the proposed BSA can be an efficient and promising method for distribution network reconfiguration problems.