A hybrid bacterial foraging-particle swarm optimization technique for solving optimal reactive power dispatch problem

This paper presents a hybrid evolutionary computation algorithm termed as hybrid bacterial foraging-particle swarm optimization (HBFPSO) algorithm, to optimal reactive power dispatch (ORPD) problem. HBFPSO algorithm merges velocity and position updating strategy of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and reproduction and elimination dispersal of bacterial foraging algorithm (BFA). The ORPD is solved for minimization of two objective functions; system real power loss and voltage stability L-index. The objective is minimized by optimally choosing the control variables; generator excitations, tap positions of on-load tap changing transformers and switched var compensators while satisfying their constraints and also the constraints of dependent variabl es; voltages of all load buses and reactive power generation of all generators. The proposed approach has been evaluated on a standard IEEE 30 bus test system and 24 bus EHV southern region equivalent Indian power system. The results offered by the proposed algorithm are compared with those offered by other evolutionary computation algorithms reported in the recent state of the art literature and the superiority of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated.