MultiAgent Systems in Power System Protection: Review, Classification and Perspectives

Unlike traditional software paradigms, which usually are specified with a rigid software structure, the Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) prioritize the specification of the tasks of computational routines, and the interaction between them. This less rigid software structure results in a set of benefits from a computational point of view. Exploring this perspective, several studies of its application to solve electric power systems problems have been published in the last two decades. This paper reviews the applications of MAS to the area of power system protection, and analyses issues related to the coordination between the operations of protection devices - which is a key feature to ensure the integrity of system. Most of these studies, however, are dispersed and do not clearly indicate the benefits of using the MAS. In order to collaborate in solving this issue, this paper presents a broad review of relevant published research, proposes a delimitation of its main subclasses and points out the potential benefits of SMA in each group.