Distribution system reliability assessment: momentary interruptions and storms

Abstract

The goal of distribution system reliability assessment is to predict the availability of power at each customer's service entrance. Existing methods predict the interruption frequency and duration each customer can expect, but omit two major contributing factors: momentary interruptions and storms. This paper presents methods to determine the impact of each phenomena. These methods are then used to assess the reliability of an existing utility distribution system and to explore the reliability impact of distribution automation.