An expert system for the analysis of faults in an electricity supply network: problems and achievements

FAUST 3 is an Expert System for diagnosing faults occurring in an electricity supply network. Its task is to diagnose, in real-time, faults which happen on a large and highly interconnected network comprising items of equipment of several types. A complex representation of the network as a collection of 'objects' is the means by which diagnosis is made possible. The system performs its diagnosis by means of a 'constrained generate and test' approach. Hypotheses are formed, and then examined to find the one most likely to account for the available evidence. The system uses causal reasoning, heuristic knowledge and techniques such as the use of blackboards for communication amongst system modules. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.