MICROPR(X:ESS(~SAND

MICROSYSTEMS
ELSEVIER Microprocessors and Microsystems 20 (1996) 251-258

Effective algorithms for designing power distribution networks

Y.K. Wong, K.L. Shi, T.F. Chan
Department of Electrical Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Received 15 September 1995; revised 19 February 1996

Abstract

In transmission planning, we need a good network design to minimize the construction cost and to determine the optimal location
of substations. This paper presents a feasible design method, using two mathematical techniques (Dijkstra's algorithm and Trans-
portation algorithm) to optimize substation sizes and service boundaries, given alternative locations for the substations under
reliability constraints. A reliability index, the Average Annual Customer Interruption Rate (AACIR) is used to determine the
reliability of loads. Appropriate measures can then be taken to increase the reliability of the system'.

Keywords. Distribution network; Optimization; Dijkstra's algorithm; Transportation algorithm

1. Introduction method [3] is used to determine the reliability index and

In a power system, the distribution network is very
important and the selection of the routes will greatly
affect the construction cost and reliability. In a large
system, some effective algorithms have to be employed
in order to find the optimal routes. Moreover, as the load
demands increase, new substations should be added. We
need to decide where to locate the substations in order to
have maximum cost effectiveness. Although computer
algorithms cannot give out a detailed configuration of
the distribution network, they can present quickly an
optimal solution based certain simplifying assumptions.
This optimal solution is a very significant reference for
the initial stage of designing a power distribution net-
work. So, the planner can spend more time to process
informal tasks, e.g., obtaining the geographic data and
load forecasting. In this paper, the problem encountered
is the planning of power distribution substation, sizes,
and service boundaries. For optimization, two techni-
ques, Dijkstra's algorithm [1] and Transportation algo-
rithm [2] are employed because of their computational
efficiency. The analysis leads to a preliminary view of
substation configurations with minimum construction
cost as well as transmission and distribution expenses.
Reliability is another important factor in distribution
system design. In order to provide good service to con-
sumers, a distribution system must have a high level of
reliability. In this paper, the Average Interruption Rate
0141-9331/96/$15.00 © 1996 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved
PH S0141-9331 (96)01088-5
the configuration of the system. The network design
therefore meets reliability condition while satisfying the
minimum cost criterion.
To implement those algorithms, a program,
R O U T E . E X E has been developed for designing optimal
source to load distribution networks. The power system,
China Light & Power Company of Hong Kong is used
as a case study. In designing a network, some other con-
straints have to be considered by planner at the same
time, such as the environmental, geo-technical, engin-
eering, construction and land resumption. As a result
of calculation, the optimal network design has been
obtained.
2. Optimization algorithms
The optimization algorithms include (1) Dijkstra's
algorithm, (2) the Transportation algorithm and (3) the
reliability constraints (Average Annual Customer Inter-
ruption Rate method).
2.1. Dijkstra's algorithm
Power distribution network design can be formulated
as a shortest-route problem that considers the determi-
nation of the minimum cost (distance) from an origin to
a destination through some connecting graph [4]. One
252 Y.K. Wong et al./Microprocessors and Microsystems 20 (1996) 251 258
powerful solution technique of the shortest-route prob-
lem is Dijkstra's algorithm. Referring to an appraisal of
algorithms by Dreyfus [5], the Dijkstra's method is
superior because it depends more on the number of
arcs than nodes. Especially with 25 percent or more of
the N ( N - 1) possible arcs present, Dijkstra's algorithm
out-performs other algorithms (N is the number of
nodes), hence it is chosen for solving the present design
problem of distribution network.
Dijkstra's algorithm determines the shortest chain
from the source to all other nodes in a network. Each
arc (i, j ) of the network has a positive cost (distance) cij
associated with it. If there is no arc from node i to k, the
cost cik is infinite. The algorithm does not require that
costs between a pair of nodes are symmetric (i.e.,
cjk :/: ckj is possible). If there is an edge between nodes
i a n d j in a network, it is replaced by two arcs (i,j) and
(j, i) with costs cij and cji equal to the costs associated
with the edge.
Let us assume that the cost or distance between any
two nodes is a non-negative number represented by c~;.
The algorithm assigns to every node a label which is
either temporary or permanent. Initially, each node
except the source node receives a temporary label
which represents the direct distance between the source
node and that node. The source node is assigned a per-
manent label of zero. Any node that cannot be reached
directly from the source node is assigned a temporary
label of c~, while all others receive temporary labels of
c~j, j :/: s. When it is determined that a node must belong
to the minimal path, its label becomes permanent. The
algorithm operates on the simple logic that if a shortest
path from node s to n o d e j is known and node k belongs
to this path, then the minimal path from s to k is the
portion of the original path ending at node k. The algo-
rithm starts withj = s and successively resetsj untilj = k
and then the process is stopped.
For a given node j, the cost Lsk is used to represent an
estimate of the length of the shortest path from the
source node s to node k. When this estimate cannot be
further improved, we call it a 'permanent label' and the
cost is represented by LIsk. Otherwise, it is referred to as a
'temporary label'. Initially, only the source node is per-
manently labeled. Every other label is temporary and
contains the direct distance from the source to the corre-
sponding node. To identify the node that is closest to the
source node, we select the minimum of the temporary
labels and declare it permanent, from this point on the
algorithm cycles in two phases, until the sink node is
permanently labeled.
Step 1. Inspect the remaining temporary labeled
nodes. Compare each temporary label already assigned
with the sum of the last permanent label and the direct
distance from the node with the permanent label to the
node under consideration. The minimum of these two
distances is defined as the new temporary label for that
Fig. 1. Network example for illustrating Dijkstra's algorithm.
node. Note that if the old temporary label is still mini-
mal, it will remain unchanged.
Step 2. Select the minimum temporary label and
declare it permanent. If node k is given a permanent
label, the algorithm is terminated. Otherwise, return to
step 1.
As an example, let's consider the network shown in
Fig. 1. The distances associated with the arcs and
nodes are indicated. By applying Dijkstra's algorithm
to the network, it can be shown that the shortest path
between nodes 1_.and 8_is the route 1 - 2 - 5 - 7 - 8 .
2.2. Transportation algorithm
The objective of the transportation model is to select a
minimum cost routing plan for transporting a single
commodity from a number of sources to a number of
destinations [6].
There are m source points in a network, where source i
has a supply of a i units of a particular item (commodity).
In addition, there are located n destination points, where
destination j requires bj units of the commodity. We
assume that a i > 0 and bj > 0. Associated with each
link (i, j), from source i to destination j, there is a unit
cost c,7 for transportation. The problem is to determine
the feasible shipping pattern from sources to destinations
that minimizes the total transportation cost.
Let xz; be the number of units shipped along link (i, j )
from source i to destination j. Further assume that the
total supply equals the total demand, that is
~"~m=1 a i = ~7=1 bj. If the total supply exceeds the total
demand, then a dummy destination can be created with
demand b,+l = ~m=l a i - - ~--~7=1b j , and Ci, n+ 1 = 0 for
i -- 1 , . . . , m. Assuming that the total supply equals the
total demand, the linear programming model for the
transportation problem may be formulated [2] as:
Minimize Z = ~ ~ £ijXij subject to
i=1 j=l
~'~ Xi/ ~ ai, i= 1,2,...,m (1)
j=l
~ xij = bj, j = 1 , 2 , . . . , n x~j > 0 , integers
j=l
m n
Z;ai:Zbj
i=l j=l
 Y.K. Wong et al./Microprocessors and Microsystems 20 (1996) 251-258 253

Supplies i ClI
Demands As an illustration of applying to the transportation
problem, an initial solution by the northwest corner
rule is shown in Table 2,
Using formula 1, the total cost Z1 = 35 100.
•

Fig. 2 Graphical structure of the transportation problem.
A graphical structure of the model to be formulated is
shown in Fig. 2. Input information required for the for-
mulation of the model is displayed in a rectangular array
which contains the cost coefficients for all possible
routes, and the supply and demand figure for the produc-
tion and demand contain, respectively. As an illustra-
tion, such an arrangement is shown in Table 1 for the
case corresponding to Fig. 2, where x q is the number of
units to be shipped from source i to destination j.
Because demands are usually more than supplies
(n > m) in power systems, the northwest corner method
is used in the paper to minimize the total cost of power
assignment, according to formula 1.
• Northwest corner method
Begin by assigning as much flow as possible to the
route linking the first source with the first terminal. Let
Xll be the number of units assigned. If al = bl, delete
both sources 1 and terminal 1, and select the route cor-
responding to x2> Otherwise, delete the source of term-
inal whose supply or demand is satisfied, and select either
x12 or x21, depending on which one corresponds to a
route that is feasible.
Assign as much flow as possible to the selected route,
and remove the source or terminal whose supply or
demand is also satisfied. If the supply and the demand
conditions are simultaneously satisfied, both the source
and the terminal are removed. Continuing in this fash-
ion, ifxij is the last basic variable selected, the next one to
be considered is xi4+l if the source has any supply avail-
able, is Xi+l,j if t h e j t h terminal has any unfilled demand,
o r Xi+l,j+ 1 otherwise.
Table 1
Input information for the transportation problem
bl b2 b3 bn
¢11 C12 Cl3
X12 X13
al XI1 Xln
I for power flow into a receiving point. The probability
a2 ¢21 [ ¢22 C23
X21 X22 X23 X2n
• Optimal assignment
Because there are different total costs of assignment
for various arrays of supplies and demands by the North-
west corner method, the optimal assignment is needed to
find the least total cost. Changing the permutation of the
array {ai, bjli=l,...,m;j=l,...,n} , a n d repeating the northwest
corner method and the transportation formulation (for-
mula 1), we can get a set of total c o s t {Zk[k=l,Z,...n!xm!/2 }.
When the total supply equals the total demand, the
northwest corner method has a property that the
assigning results are the same for any permutation
[al,...amlbl...bnl and its reversal symmetric permu-
tation [ a m , . . . a l l b n . . . b l ] . In a pair of symmetric per-
mutation only one should be selected, so the total
number of permutations is equal to n!~m!. Hence, by
taking Zmin = m i n { Z k } , we can get the minimum total
cost. For this example, Zmin = 28 220 and the assignment
is shown in Table 3. An optimal transportation result has
been thus obtained.
2.3. Reliability-average interruption rate method
We know that a reliable power system is very impor-
tant in providing an uninterrupted supply to the con-
sumers. Therefore, in this paper, the reliability is
considered as a constrained condition of the optimiza-
tion algorithms.
The Average Interruption Rate method [4] is quite
straightforward and can be applied to a relatively com-
plicated network. It provides a measure of continuity
rather than service quality by examining the simul-
taneous conditions that must exist for power flow in
series and parallel combinations of system components.
The application is based upon four principles.
a) A component operates in only two states, available
and unavailable. Maintenance is not considered and
the probability of a component being unavailable is
given by its forced outage rate p. If q is the availability
rate, then p 4- q = 1.0.
b) Component failures are assumed to be independent
and therefore the probability of simultaneous failures
is given by the product of the respective probabilities.
C1n
c) In a series system all components must be available
C2n of success is the product of the availability probabil-
ities. For a two-unit system with outage rates Pl and
P2 and availability rates ql and q2:

am Cml L Cm2 Cm3 Cmn qs = qlq2

Xml Xm2 Xm3 Xmtt
Ps = 1 - qlq2 = P l +P2 - P I P 2
254 Y.K. Wong et al./ Microprocessors and Microsystems 20 (1996) 251-258

Table 2
Initial solution by the Northwest Corner Rule

bl b2 b3 b4 b5 b6

al L 19 49 [ 43 55 47 53 250

02 [ 2o 37 28 42 30 38 200

a3 19 33 32 40 70 35 400

150 80 100 200 190 130 850

a) Row 1 assignment

bj b2 b3 b4 b5 b6

a1 150 80 20 250 Row 1 satisfied

b) Row 2 assignment

bl b2 b3 b4 b5 b6

al 150 80 20 250
a2 80 120 200 Row 2 satisfied

c) Starting basic feasible solution by the northwest corner rule

bl b2 b3 b4 b5 b6

al 150 80 20 250
a2 80 120 200
a3 80 190 130 400 Row 3 satisfied

If pl and P2 are much less than unity, the product Pl P2
can be neglected. The failure probability of a series
system in this case is the sum of the element failure
probabilities.
d) In a parallel system, all paths must fail, if no power is
to flow into the receiving point. For a two-element
system, the failure probability is the product of the
two component failure values.
Forced outage rate is defined as the total component
outage time divided by the total component exposure
time and is the probability of component outage exis-
tence. To provide an indication of both outage frequency
and outage duration, the definition can be modified to
indicate the probability of outage occurrence rather than
outage existence. The forced outage rate is defined as:
sum of the days upon which an outage "~
of specified minimum duration occurred J
p=
sum of unit days

Table 3
Optimal solution by the Northwest Corner Rule (Zmi n = 28 220)

b6 b2 b4 hi b5 b3

al 53 49 55 [ 19 47 43
130 80 190 400

a2 38 [ 37 [ 42 [ 20 [ 30 28
10 150 90 250

a3 33 40 [ 19 l 70 _ _32
100 I00 200

130 80 200 150 190 100 850

 Y.K. Wong et al./Microprocessors and Microsystems 20 (1996) 251-258 255
B C Table 5
Line 1 Line3 Average Annual Customer Interruption Rate
Supply LoadC
Line2
LoadB
Load B. Lines 1 and 2 6.85 x 10 4
Load C. Lines 1, 2, and 3 0.1006
Fig. 3. A small systemto illustrate reliabilitycalculations.

If component forced outage rates for different minimum
specified duration is compiled, it is possible to predict the
frequency of occurrence of this condition at any par-
ticular point in the system. It should be realized that
outages can occur on the same day but not simulta-
neously. This method assumes that all outages occurring
during one day are simultaneous outages. This can be
partially reconciled by considering that if two compo-
nents within an area are forced out of service during
the same day, the probability of simultaneous occurrence
is somewhat higher than that implied by absolute outage
independence. This method is restricted to the evaluation
of continuity at a particular point.
As an example, let's consider the system shown in
Fig. 3. The failure rates for each line section are shown
in the Table 4.
Considering the failures per year as the number of
days upon which failures occur within the year, the prob-
ability of an outage occurring on lines 1 or 2 is given by:
Pl = P2 = 0.5/365 = 1.37 x 10 -3
Similarly:
P3 = 0.274 x 10 -3
The Average Annual Customer Interruption Rate
(AACIR) is defined as the expected number of days in
a year that the specified outage condition for the load bus
will occur. For the system, the AACIR of load B and
load C are:
Pb = (1.37 X 10-3)(1.37 X 10 -3) = 1.878 X 10 -6
rates for each line section can be obtained by correctly
combining the failure's rates of the series and parallel
equipment configurations within each section.
Reliability index is constructed by the AACIR of each
load and security index is constructed by the maximum
failure allowed for each load. If the AACIR of load is
larger than the security index, then one more transmis-
sion line will be added in parallel, or the type of lines will
be changed. The cost of the new lines has to be deter-
mined again, with repeated use of Dijkstra's and Trans-
portation algorithms, until the AACIR of load is less
than the security index.
3. Program and case study
The above algorithms and methods are incorporated
in a microcomputer program, ROUTE.EXE, for the
optimal design of distribution networks. The C + + lan-
guage is employed for the program development. Pro-
gram runs provide the user a preliminary view of
power transmission routing and the distribution of
loads. Using the data of China Light and Power Com-
pany (CLP), a major power company in Hong Kong, a
case study is carried out and the calculated results are
presented.
Fig. 4 shows the main flowchart of the program. Using
the set-up program, the user can construct a map of
JStart /

A A C I R b = (1.878 x 10 -6) x 365 = 6.85 x 10 .4

Set-up Program
Pc = (1.878 x 10 -6) + (0.274 x 10 -3) = 0.2759 x 10 .3

AACIRc = (0.2759 x 10 -3) x 365 = 0.1006

Dijkstra's Algorithm
These calculating results are shown in Table 5.
This method can be easily applied to a relatively com- 1
plicated system. The reliability algorithm is based Transportation Algorithm [ changesthe lines type ]
t with new line cost. )
entirely on the continuity of supply to the respective
load points. Therefore the system is assumed as a com- 1
pletely redundant system. In an actual system the failure Reliability Calculation, i l

Table 4
System parameters
T m e ~ False
1
Line Section Failures/Year

1 0.5 C,o,,,p,,, Ros,It i

2 0.5
3 0.1 Fig. 4. The main flowchartof the ROUTE.EXE.
256 Y.K. Wong et al./Microprocessors and Microsystems 20 (1996) 251--258

Land Type RelativeLine Cost Land lypc Cost

(Altitude)
m 0-100m ,0 m ............w a ~ e r ; ; a .......;iO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " ~ ".or,
II (Altitude)
100-300m 14 Urban Area 80
Each type of icon
assigns different
cost directional
m (Altitude)
300-600m 20 Military Area 100
lines with a node
at c e n t r e
(Altitude)
above 600m 200 Restricted Area 999

Fig. 5. The transportation cost.

*The data is delivered by China hight and Po~er ('on~pan~ •

Fig. 6. A screen of construction result by user.

Fig. 7. Calculated network by the Transportation and Dijkstra's algorithms.

service area with the transportation costs and the failure
probability o f lines. The service area is divided into a grid
o f squares called 'sectors', each characterized by a
specific icon. Based on the information f r o m CLP,
eight types o f area icon are used, each having a different
transportation cost, as shown in Fig. 5. The cost o f land
depends on the type o f transmission link used (overhead
line, u n d e r g r o u n d cable or submarine cable) and the
altitude (the higher the altitude, the higher the cost).
Fig. 6 shows the distribution area o f the power
 Y.K. Wong et al./Microprocessors and Microsysterns 20 (1996) 251 258 257

company. Each sector represents an area of
1.5kin x 1.5km. There are two source nodes (which
correspond the two power stations in Castle Peak and
Tsing Yi) and six sink nodes (which correspond to the
six 400/11 kV substations). In the figure, the circles repre-
sent the source nodes while the dots represent the sink
nodes.
Program run of ROUTE.EXE invokes Dijkstra's
algorithm and the Transportation algorithm subpro-
grams, yielding an optimization of the routing of the
CLP 400 kV network. Subsequently, the reliability calcu-
lation subprogram computes the reliability indices of
loads. If the failure rate is larger than the security
index, then one more transmission line will be added in
parallel, or the type of line will be changed. Since the
network configuration is modified, the computation pro-
cess is repeated. The program run, when successfully
completed, gives the optimal source to load distribution
network configuration subject to reliability constraints.
Fig. 7 shows the computed results. It can be seen that the
Castle Peak power station (Source l) supplies most of the
substations. The Tsing Yi power station is near to some
substations, but it only supplies the Lai Chi Kok station
(Load 3) due to the relatively small power generation.
The output data (given in the Appendix) shows the
optimal routes from sources to each load distribution
and the reliability index Average Annual Customer
Interruption Rate (AACIR). The AACIR indicates the
reliability of individual loading points, i.e. the expected
number of days in a year that the specified outage con-
dition for the load will occur.
The network model used in this paper is assumed to
have a single voltage level and transmission losses are not
an important factor so that they are neglected during
calculation. Also, we have assumed that the costs of
other equipment are not directly proportional to the
length. The costs of other equipment are not included,
e.g. transformers, circuit breakers. Furthermore, the
algorithms only give all individual transmission paths
from the source to the load.

Table 6
Output table

Load 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Demand 518 800 411 557 419 250 -

Source 1 3785 518 800 355 557 419 250 -

Source 2 56 56 - -

Source Load Line Loading AACI R

1 1 1 518 4.84039%-02
1 2 2 1318 4.039891e-04
l 3 2 335 4.039891e-04
1 4 2 557 2.272438e-04
1 5 2 419 1.783233e-04
1 6 3 669 1.009973e-04
2 3 1 56 4.800000e-02

Source Load Cost Sector(Route)

(Node) (Node)

1 (222) 1 (338) 956 222 223 224 205 186 187 188 189
190 191 192 213 214 235 256 2'77
298 318 338
I (222) 2 (298) 636 222 223 224 205 186 187 188 1'89
190 191 192 213 214 235 256 2'77
298
1 (222) 3 (295) 610 222 223 224 205 186 187 188 189
190 191 192 213 214 235 255 276
295
1 (222) 4 (234) 442 222 223 224 205 186 187 188 189
190 191 212 233 234
1 (222) 5 (137) 503 222 223 224 205 186 187 188 169
150 151 132 113 134 135 136 137
1 (222) 6 (150) 237 222 223 224 205 186 187 188 169
t50

2 (293) 3 (295) 448 293 274 295

258 Y.K. Wong et al./Microprocessors and Microsystems 20 (1996) 251-258

4. Conclusion
The Dijkstra's and Transportation algorithms are
found to be effective in the design of power distribution
networks. These algorithms yield the most economic net-
work routing, while the Average Interruption Rate
Method ensures that the design meets the reliability spe-
cifications. The effect of new loads can be reviewed
quickly and more thoroughly than before, and the loca-
tion of new substations can be determined easily. Very
encouraging results have been obtained from program
runs with particular reference to a local power system.
Appendix
This optimization result (refer to Section 3) is a part of
distribution network in Hong Kong.
[10] S.I. Gass, Linear Programming: Methods and Applications,
OUTPUT DATA:
[2] D.M. Crawford and S.B. Holt, A mathematical optimization tech-
nique for locating and sizing distribution substations, and deriving
their optimal service areas, IEEE Trans. Power Appar. Syst. Pas-
94 (March/April 1975) 230-235.
[3] R. Billinton, Power System Reliability Evaluation, Gordon and
Breach, Reading, 1970, pp. 163 203.
[4] B.D. Sivazlian and L.E. Stanfel, Optimization Techniques in
Operations Research, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1975,
pp. 249-297.
[5] S.E. Dreryfus, An appraisal of some shortest-path algorithms, in
Perspectives on Optimization: A Collection of Expository Articles,
Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1972.
[6] D.T. Phillips and G.D. Alberto, Fundamentals of Network
Analysis, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N J, 1981, pp. 39-68,
pp. 88-89, pp. 111 129.
[7] F.E. Montmeat and A.D. Patton, Power System Reliability II
Applications and a computer program, IEEE Trans. Power
Appar. Syst. (July 1965) 636-643.
[8] M.S. Bazaraa and J.J. Jarvis, Linear Programming and Network
Flows, John Wiley, New York, 1990, pp. 353-383, pp. 481-492.
[9] B. Kolman and R.E. Beck, Elementary Linear Programming With
Applications, Academic Press, New York, 1980, pp. 271 300.
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1975, pp. 245 269.

Number of Source: 2 power stations
Source 1: Sector 222, Supply 3785 MW
Source 2: Sector 293, Supply 56 MW
Number of Load: 6 substations
Load 1: Sector 338, Demand 518
Load 2: Sector 298, Demand 800
Load 3: Sector 295, Demand 411
Load 4: Sector 234, Demand 557
Load 5: Sector 137, Demand 419
Load 6: Sector 150, Demand 250
Power Distribution
Total Cost Product: 1 761 847
Y.K. Wong received the BSc and MSc degrees
from the University of London and the MPhil
degree .from the Chinese University of Hong
Kong. He joined the Hong Kong Polytechnic"
in 1980. His current research interests include
optimization theory', distribution network, con-
trol and identification theory, cognition science
MW and artificial intelligence.
MW
MW
MW K.L. Shi received the BSc degree from the
MW Chengdu University of Science and Technology
MW and the MSc degree from The Harbin Institute
Technology. He is now a PhD student at Hong
Kong Polytechnic University. His current
research interests include induction motor con-
trol, network theory, pattern theory and cogni-
tion science.

Output tables are shown in Table 6.

T.F. Chan received BSc and MPhil degrees
from the University of Hong Kong. He joined
the Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1978. His cur-
References rent research interests include artificial intelli-
gence application, electrical machines analysis,
design and control.
[1] T.C. Hu, Integer Programming and Network Flows, Addison-
Wesley, Reading, MA, 1969, pp. 151 161.