Transmission network expansion static planning considering security constraints via African Buffalo Algorithm

Abstract

In this paper, the African Buffalo Optimization (ABO) is adapted to solve the transmission network expansion static planning problem considering security restrictions (TNESPS). The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem. The ABO is based on the collective intelligence of the African buffaloes searching for food in the savannahs. The proposed algorithm uses the direct current model to represent the network, the transport model to generate the initial population, and two candidate solution improvement procedures, one being cost reduction and the other feasibility of infeasible solutions. The analysis of the specialized literature shows that the proposed algorithm has never been used to solve the static or dynamic TNESP problem, with or without security restrictions. Thus, this paper contributes to a new methodological approach to solving TNESPS problems. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, three systems that are often used in evaluations of new methodologies were used: Garver 6-bus system, IEEE 24-bus system and the South Brazilian 46-bus system.