Optimal Switch and Tie Line Planning in Distribution Networks: Benchmarking a Practical MILP Model With a Fast Heuristic Approach

Optimal placement of switches and tie lines is an integral task in distribution system planning. Owing to the problem complexity and the presence of binary decision variables, using heuristic methods for obtaining a close to optimal switch and tie line plan is a common practice in industry. Efforts to employ mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) to guarantee the solution optimality also tend to sacrifice the modeling accuracy through oversimplifying assumptions to make the problem tractable. Aiming to tackle these challenges, we present an efficient, yet accurate, MILP model for optimal switch and tie line planning. The proposed model avoids common simplifying assumptions in the state-of-the-art MILP models while preserving the solving efficiency. In order to demonstrate the applicability and scalability of the proposed MILP approach, it is applied to multiple test networks, and the results are compared with those of a fast heuristic model. The outcomes not only represent the high efficiency and accuracy of the MILP model but also validate the close to optimality of the heuristic approach developed for practical applications as a module in a commercial distribution system planning toolbox.