An enhanced method for fault location in distribution systems based on optimal power flow

•An optimal power flow for fault location in distribution systems is proposed.•The method is based on rms-synchronized measurements.•The method is capable con locate low and medium voltage faults.•Measurement errors and variations in loads and DGs are considered.•Tested in the IEEE34, IEEE 123, and IEEE8500 Node Test Feeders. This paper proposes a method based on synchronized RMS measurements and an optimal power flow for fault location in Distribution Systems (DS). A modified interior point method is adopted to improve the accuracy of the fault location process. Simulations were carried out on the IEEE13, IEEE34, IEEE123, and IEEE8500 node test feeders, and the results showed that it presents a great performance in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency. The proposed method is also robust to deal with variations in the DS and can accurately locate faults under different operating conditions. This method significantly affects managing distribution systems, improving system reliability.