Maintenance optimization for unavailability enhancement of representative interconnected infrastructure based on...

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Operations Research
• Reliability Engineering

Background:

• Smart grid systems integrate power grids and communication networks, making them vulnerable to component failures.
• System unavailability is a critical metric influenced by component maintenance schedules.
• Optimizing preventive maintenance (PM) is essential for ensuring smart grid reliability and cost-effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an optimal preventive maintenance (PM) policy for interconnected smart grid systems.
• To minimize system operation costs and reduce time-dependent unavailability.
• To explore the feasibility of solving maintenance optimization problems in complex smart grid environments.

Main Methods:

• Remade unavailability quantification incorporating stochastic models for components in various maintenance modes.
• Developed a cost model to estimate expenses for different maintenance configurations.
• Applied methodological tools to determine an optimal PM policy for a smart grid.

Main Results:

• The developed PM policy reduced grid unavailability by approximately 20%.
• Operational costs were lowered by about 8.5% compared to systems without optimized maintenance.
• The study demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed methods for complex system maintenance.

Conclusions:

• An optimal PM policy can significantly enhance smart grid performance by reducing unavailability and costs.
• The proposed stochastic modeling and cost analysis provide a robust framework for complex system maintenance optimization.
• This research offers practical solutions for system operators to improve smart grid reliability and economic efficiency.