Post-Doctoral proposal Possible strategies to improve network asset management within the electricity distribution industry

Résumé du document

This Post-doctoral proposal suggests further work that could be done in the future and offers some personal comments, based on the research done, on possible strategies to improve network asset management within the electricity distribution industry. It is hoped that this granted study will provide some input to electricity industry developments and related research, and that the network owners will focus on decision-making rather than on technical design considerations. As a personal postlude, this study is a pilot investigation to gain insight to our research using different techniques in operational research. According to the Department of Management Science (University of Strathclyde), whatever methods are brought to bear, it is essential that the operational researcher should be able to take a fresh, creative view of situations and to communicate effectively. This topic aims to explain the comprehensive research methodology used in this study and to demonstrate the feasibility of binary linear programming in the construction of the model by implementing and analyzing the results through a Visual Basic Application. The aim of this study is to develop a decision support system that allows the decision-maker to identify the optimal asset management policy.

Extraits

[...] (1998), “Modelling Asset Management Policies within the Electricity”, Ph.D. Thesis, Umist, Manchester. Iwamura, K., Liu, B. (1998), “Chance constrained integer programming models for capital budgeting in fuzzy environments Journal of the Operational Society 854-860. Kobbacy, K.A.H, Proudlove, N.C and Harper, M.A (1995), Towards An Intelligent maintenance Optimisation System”, Journal of the Operational Society 831-853. Lange, O. (1971). “Optimal Decisions: Principle of programming”, Pergamon Press. Larsen, E.R. and Bunn, D.W. (1999), Deregulation in electricity: understanding strategic and regulatory journal of the operational Research Society Law, M and kelton,W.D.(1991), “Simulation modelling & analysis”, McGraw- Lawrence, D. [...]

[...] This section is dedicated to implementing interdependent project selection problems. In determining optimal project release, it is important to take into account the possible interrelationship between pairs of projects. As stated in Smidt (1993), project A is economically independent of project B if two conditions can be satisfied. First, it must be technically possible to undertake project whether or not project B is accepted. The second condition is that the profit expected from the project A is not affected by the acceptance or rejection of project B. [...]

[...] (2000), A two stochastic programming with recourse model for determining robust planting plans in horticulture Journal of the Operational Research Society 83-89. Edge, C., Riley, F., Sharman, F., Rigler., D. (2000), Optimising resources under normal and adverse weather conditions”, EA Technology report. Esogbue, a.O, Heranes II , W.E. (1998), “Maintenance and replacement under a fuzzy frame Fuzzy sets in decision analysis operations research and statistics. Fonseca ,E. T., Vellasco, M. B. R., Pacheco, Marco. A. C Pedro C. G. and de Sebastião A. L Neural Network System for Patch Load Prediction Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems , 31(1/3) , p.185-200. [...]

[...] The proposed solution to the problems addressed in the thesis relied heavily upon the development of a considerable number of ideas. In that sense, the solution is by no means complete. Other issues are set out as future pieces of work. A multiple objective formulation of the capital rationing model provides a more realistic modelling approach and allows the network owner to make intelligent trade-off decisions about the different objectives. Some multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods have been applied in this thesis to a numerical example, in order to provide an insight into what is involved in multiple objective network asset management models. [...]

[...] If the second project will decrease the profit expected from the first (or increase the cost without changing the profit), the second is a substitute for the first. Another situation could occur when the profit expected from the first project will disappear if the second investment is accepted, or it is technically impossible to release the first when the second has been accepted, in which case the two projects are said to be mutually exclusive. These definitions are illustrated in Figure 1 Figure 1 Possible interrelationships between different projects Also, two projects may be economically dependent. [...]