High-voltage Circuit Breakers Maintenance Decision Based on Opportunistic Maintenance Theory

High-voltage circuit breakers are extensively employed in power systems, playing a pivotal role in the control and protection of the electrical grid. However, a mature theoretical framework for assessing the actual internal state and evaluating the residual lifespan of circuit breakers after prolonged operation has not yet been established. Presently, routine maintenance and replacement are conducted according to the product's operational cycle. However, this periodic approach falls short in achieving precise equipment diagnostics, resulting in potential safety hazards and the inefficient utilization of assets. This study employs the Monte Carlo simulation method to calculate the maintenance costs of the circuit breaker within a predetermined operational cycle and compares them with the costs of post-failure maintenance. It is evident that opportunistic maintenance can indeed reduce the frequency of failures and decrease maintenance costs. Through numerical analysis, constraints on the opportunistic maintenance reliability threshold for circuit breaker components are imposed, and the Whale Optimization Algorithm is utilized for optimization within the constrained range. This approach identifies the optimal opportunistic maintenance reliability threshold. The effectiveness of the threshold optimization is validated through Monte Carlo simulation.