Abstract
The increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) is necessitating development of new algorithms and tools for distribution system operation and planning; however, there is a lack of publicly available electrical distribution test systems at the large scale-multi-feeder, multi-substation- which are required for realistically evaluating the performance and scalability of these new developments. This paper presents a Reference Network Model (RNM) aimed to design large-scale, U.S.-style, synthetic distribution systems. Special emphasis is placed on two algorithms that allow multiphase feeder design: 1) a method to select the most suitable number of phases for each section considering the connected customers, and 2) a method to assign phases to the users to provide near-balanced phasing while maintaining realistic levels of imbalance. The performance of the developed algorithms is verified by comparing the obtained system designs with the original IEEE 8,500-node test feeder and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) J1 feeder.
Phase selection algorithms to minimize cost and imbalance in U.S. synthetic distribution systems
