  Superconducting fault current limiters (SFCLs) are new high-precision and
fast-response devices which help to reduce the fault current within the
breaking capacity of the protective relays. Nevertheless, the reconfigurable
structure of the distribution network can affect their performance negatively
by changing the supplying path of the electrical loads and thus keeping SFCL in
a useless point which cannot limit the high fault currents. This paper proposes
an aggregated approach to solve the optimal placement of SFCLs considering the
reconfiguration of feeders through the pre-located tie and sectionalizing
switches. While SFCL placement problem aims to minimize the number of SFCLs and
limit the high short circuit currents in the first seconds of the fault, the
reconfiguration strategy is used to minimize the total grid costs incorporating
the cost of power losses and customer interruptions. According to the high
non-linearity and complexity of the proposed problem, social spider algorithm
(SSA) with a two-phase modification method is developed to solve the proposed
problem. The feasibility and performance of the proposed method are examined on
an IEEE test system.
