Integrated fuzzy filter for distribution outage information

In many distribution management systems, customer trouble calls have been used as the main data source for low-level outage handling. Increased distribution supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and recent developments in automated meter reading (AMR) systems are providing more metering information about the distribution system below the feeder breaker. However, the distribution system is so complex that no single data source can provide consistently errorless outage information for fast and accurate outage location determination. In this paper, an outage data processing algorithm is introduced, which provides more accurate outage information for the distribution outage management system by combining data from trouble call, AMR and distribution SCADA. Fuzzy logic is used in this algorithm to model the uncertainty of the outage information and to reconcile conflicting data. The filtered outage data include a reduced amount of accurate information for use in the outage location and system restoration algorithm. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.