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Reliability analysis of electric distribution system

Conference Paper · May 2011

DOI: 10.1109/EEEIC.2011.5874842

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 Reliability analysis of electric distribution system

Radomir Gono, Stanislav Rusek, Michal Kratky Zbigniew Leonowicz

Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty of Electrical Engineering
VSB - Technical University of Ostrava Wroclaw University of Technology
Ostrava, Czech Republic Wroclaw, Poland
[email protected] [email protected]

Abstract— The paper deals with the evaluation of distribution Failure rates of overhead distribution equipment are, in
system reliability parameters. Knowledge of the component general, very system specific due to their dependence on
reliability parameters in power networks is necessary for the geography, weather, animals and other factors [7]. Typical
reliability analyses and also for maintenance optimization reliability values for pieces of distribution equipment have
systems. Component reliability parameters are possible to been introduced in [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13].
retrieve only with accurate databases of distribution system
operators. Such a database includes records of outages and Outage monitoring in the former Czechoslovakia started in
interruptions in electrical systems. Quite a big problem for a 1975 according to regulations 2/74 [14]. These regulations
querying of these databases is that databases of various operators unified interruptions, outages and damaged equipment
differ from one another. It is impossible to get reliability monitoring options for all distribution companies in
parameters from this data without preprocessing. This paper Czechoslovakia.
describes a framework which enables the retrieval of parameters
from various databases. There are also actual results. Unfortunately, database building has ceased since 1990
because of political and social changes. The expert group,
Keywords-component reliability; distribution network; failure CIRED Czech, has introduced a discussion on reliability issues.
database The first calls for integration of particular outage databases
were already claimed at the first meeting of this group in 1997.
I. INTRODUCTION In 1999, distributors opted for unified monitoring of global
reliability indices and the reliability of selected pieces of
This paper deals with the reliability of distribution network equipment [15]. Data for the reliability computation is centrally
components. It is necessary to observe outages and processed and analyzed at the Technical University of Ostrava.
interruptions in the transmission and distribution of electrical This data has been handled and processed since the year 2000.
energy for retrieving the component reliability [1].
Furthermore, electrical energy unsupplied to consumers is
possible to compute. A statistical significance of an outage III. RELIABILITY ANALYSES
database depends on the number of records in the database. A A majority of reliability computations is performed in the
larger database would describe the real condition of network following way. The reliability computation of the whole
equipment more accurately. Therefore, it is necessary to merge system is executed on the basis of components reliability that is
databases of various distributors and distribution areas. The included in the system. That is the reason why the reliability is
main problem of the merging is the heterogeneity feature: computed in two phases. The first phase represents the
databases of various distributors differ from one another, retrieving of component reliability parameters and the second
because they have different database systems and also different phase is the reliability computation itself. Other phases may
approaches for evaluation of outages and interruptions in their include the evaluation of computed results and an improvement
networks. of the supply quality.
In [2] there is introduced a framework that makes it In virtue of experience, it is necessary to state that in most
possible to retrieve parameters from these various databases. cases, the retrieving reliability parameter is far more
This idea is developed and new results are shown here. complicated than the reliability computation itself.

II. HISTORY OF OUTAGE MONITORING A. Input Data for Computations

Component failure rates tend to vary with a component There are various methods for input data retrieval which are
work life. A bathtub curve is commonly applied to represent based on the type of an examined object, available data of an
the time-dependent failure rate changes of a component. Many examined object, etc. Reliability is divided into two basic
parameters in the field of reliability vary for a specific groups in compliance with the method of input data retrieval:
component and the condition in which a component works. • Empirical reliability – input data for the reliability
These random variables are represented by probability computation is retrieved from data on equipment, or similar
distribution functions [3], [4], [5], [6]. equipment operating under similar conditions

This work was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (No. GA ČR

102/09/1842).

978-1-4244-8782-0/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE

 • Predetermined reliability – the probability of outage-free schemes. Moreover, each scheme includes different attributes
operation is expressed on the basis of knowledge about expressing the same feature of an entity type.
component status.
A common way of addressing the problem is to develop a
Obviously, incorrect input data leads to poor results, even common relation scheme and different data transform into the
when a correct computation method is applied. Moreover, in relation. It enables querying and analysis. We have selected 32
many cases of reliability computations in electrical power attributes [16]. For the component reliability only few
engineering, we face the problem of insufficient data size for a attributes are necessary:
component, e.g. an insufficient number of historical records.
• Distribution Company - anonymous code of distributor
B. Reliability Computation • Outage Identification - unique code of event
In the case of empirical reliability, we need data on • Outage Type - accidental, planned or forced
operations and outages of components occurring in the
reliability diagram, or data on components of the same type • Equipment Voltage - 0.4 kV, 22 kV...
operating under similar operating conditions. The more
extensive the database, the more reliable the results are. In the • Outage Cause - foreign influences, causes before
case of power system components, data must be available for starting operation...
outages of breakers, disconnectors, transformers, lines, etc. for • Equipment Type - overhead line, underground line...
a set type and voltage level. Moreover, there is another type of
data necessary for the reliability computation. We need to have • Failed Equipment - specific device - conductor, switch,
knowledge of the power network itself. For example, we must pole, fuse...
know the number of pieces of equipment for a set type, the
• Failed Equipment Type - further specification -
total length of a line type, voltage level and so on.
wooden pole, steely pole...
Consequently, retrieval of the failure rate for a power
• Amount of Failed Equipments
system is the basis of the empirical reliability computation.
This method is mostly employed in retrieving reliability • Producer - Siemens, ABB...
parameters for the reliability computation because the
application of predetermined methods requires different • Production Year - age of the component
approaches to each power system component. • Beginning of outage
On the other hand, empirical methods require accurate
• End of outage - time of restoration of supply to all
records of outages. Consequently, for statistically significant
consumers
results of reliability computations, data on outages dating back
to many years in the past is required. It is possible to compute • End of equipment failure - time of repair of the device
basic reliability parameters of particular components from this
database - annual failure rate and time to repair. • Failure Type - with or without equipment damage.

The number of outages per period is retrieved from the Some other attributes are included for continuity of supply
database. The period is usually defined depending on analyses and some for future expansion purposes.
requirements concerning the reliability computation. An
additional value necessary for the failure rate computation is IV. RESULTS
the number of components for a set type and area. This value is The basic reliability data of particular elements may be
possible to retrieve from the equipment owner (usually system computed from the database of outages and interruptions stored
operator). As the numbers of components change in the real at the VSB – Technical University of Ostrava. The results
power network during a period, we update it annually. Other include the rates and mean durations of equipment outages.
important information is possible to retrieve in more detailed
databases, e.g. the most frequent cause of outages, areas of the
greatest amounts of undelivered energy, etc. A. Database Range
The actual data collection includes outage data from
Regulations 2/74 include reliability parameters for basic distributors from the Czech Republic and one from the Slovak
equipment. These parameters were set in 1980 and are very Republic. We have retrieved data from eight distribution areas.
outdated. It is necessary to update these parameters using an
analysis of outage databases. Distributors have delivered their data in xls files twice a
year. Today database contains more than 400 thousand records
C. Heterogeneous Outage Data (from 2000 to 2010) on voltage levels 110 kV, MV and
partially LV.
In the case of electrical power networks, each distributor
produces incompatible outage data. Although a data model of
this data may be the same (e.g. relational data model), such B. Framework Results
data is not necessarily compatible. For example, sets of The graphic representation of all distribution regions
relations for two distributors belong to different relation reliability indices from the above-mentioned data for the 22 kV
cable is given in Fig. 1. From the significant differences in
particular years it is possible to observe the contribution of our
analyses. The divergence of reliability indices is eliminated
during long-term observation.

-1
Cable 22 kV τ (h) λ (year )

7 0.12
Mean time to repair (h)

6 0.1

Failure rate (year -1)

5 Causes before starting operation Operation and maintenance causes
0.08
Foreign influences Forced outage
4 Cause not explained Other causes
0.06
3
0.04
2 Figure 2. Structuring outages according to their causes
1 0.02

0 0
2000 - 2010
l
09

10
06

07

08
03

04

05
00

01

02

ta
To
20
20

20

20
20

20

20
20

20

20

20

20

18

Figure 1. The value tendency of reliability indices of the 22 kV cable 16

These parameters could update reliability indices from old 14

Regulations 2/74 [14]. There is a comparison of both 12

databases, 1975 - 1990 and 2000 - 2010, in Table 1.

τ (h)
10

TABLE I. COMPARISON OF RESULTS 6

ČEZ
Equipment 2000 - 2010 2

22/80
0

22 kV cable λ (year-1) 14.5 5.457 REAS REAS3 REAS4 REAS5 REAS7 REAS8 REAS10 REAS11

τ (h) 215 3.843

Figure 3. Comparison of distribution regions
22 kV overhead line λ (year-1) 14 2.968
τ (h) 3 4.121 Fig. 4 shows distribution of outages according to their
110 kV overhead line λ (year )
-1
5.2 0.333 duration. The most of out-ages are longer than 1 hour and
τ (h) 3.5 4.233
shorter than 1 month.
-1
MV/LV transformer λ (year ) 0.03 0.006 200000

τ (h) 2500 4.572 180000

160000
-1
110 kV/MV transformer λ (year ) 0.04 0.059 140000
Number of failures

τ (h) 1300 0.480 120000

-1 100000
22 kV circuit breaker λ (year ) 0.015 0.007 80000
τ (h) 30 16.491 60000

-1
110 kV circuit breaker λ (year ) 0.01 0.063 40000

τ (h)
20000
100 50.371 0
0 - 1 min 2 - 3 min 4 - 10 min 11 - 60 min 61 min - 1 month

Failure duration

In Table 1, we can observe that the current reliability

indices are rather more superior. Figure 4. Number of outages distributed according to their duration

One of the results of analyses is structuring failures We can also obtain other information important for
according to their causes (Fig. 2). The most common cause of operators, such as the faulty equipment series from a specific
outages is “Operation and maintenance causes”. producer, areas of the greatest amounts of unsupplied energy,
It is possible to provide also comparison of distribution etc.
regions - REAS (Fig. 3). The Energy Regulatory Office could
find these results useful for justifying of renewal costs among V. CONCLUSION
distribution system operators. A statistical significance of an outage database depends on
the number of records in the database. A larger database would
describe the real condition of the network equipment more
accurately. Therefore, it is necessary to merge databases of [7] 7. R.E. Brown & J.R. Ochoa, Distribution system reliability: default data
various distributors. This paper contains results of analyzed and model validation, IEEE Transaction on Power Systems, 13(2), 1998,
704-709
failure data from 2000 to the end of 2010. The main problem of
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the fusion is the heterogeneity feature: databases of various feeder reliability studies, IEEE Transaction on Power Delivery, 4(1),
distributors differ from one another. 1989, 446-452
The framework result may include the rates and mean [9] 9. R. Brown, S. Gupta, S. Venkata, R. Christie, & R. Fletcher,
Distribution system reliability assessment using hierarchical Markov
durations of equipment outages. We can also obtain other modeling, IEEE Transaction on Power Delivery, 11(4), 1996, 929-1934
significant information for operators. The result proves the [10] 10. R. Brown, S. Gupta, S. Venkata, R. Christie, & R. Fletcher,
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compared the new results to the original results in this paper. storms, IEEE Transaction on Power Delivery, 12(4), 1997, 1569-1575
[11] 11. H.L. Willis, Power Distribution Planning Reference Book (Boca
Raton, USA: CRC Press, 1997)
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