A Fully Decentralized Multi-Agent Fault Location and Isolation for Distribution Networks With DGs

Abstract

The modern distribution automation suggests to enable decentralized self-healing of distribution networks using advance metering and controlling infrastructure. Decentralized fault location and isolation, as an essential and vital component of self-healing, has attracted considerable attention over the years. In this paper, an integrated fault location and isolation strategy based on fully decentralized multiagents system (FDMAS) is presented for distribution system with distributed generators (DGs) by combining the primary protection with device failure protection (i.e., backup protection). The proposed FDMAS strategy can locate and isolate electrical fault rapidly even under device failures with minimum fault clearance time and range by using expert logical rules, meanwhile can detect and identify device failure adaptively. Furthermore, a unified programming framework is developed for generalization and application of the proposed strategy. The simulation studies are carried out on 22-bus distribution system by using dynamic model test platform. The test results show that the proposed strategy has an excellent performance on fault clearance time, fault isolation range and device failure detection. INDEX TERMS Multi-agents, device failure protection, device failure detection, distribution networks.

Integrated Multistage Self-Healing in Smart Distribution Grids Using Decentralized Multiagent

“…However, the volatility and uncertainty of DGs bring a new dilemma for these methods, and of these, artificial intelligence requires huge training data and retraining for every new configuration [1]. To overcome the above disadvantages, several automatic algorithms [10][11] based on multiagent system (MAS) have been implemented to localize and isolate a fault in distribution systems. Intelligent MASs have come to the light as a liable protection technology in distribution system, with large growth of information technology, intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) and smart metering [12].…”

“…4) Based on Kirchhoff's current differential principle and expert logical rules, an integrated primary and backup protection algorithm is developed in this paper, different from the binary logic rule-based method in [10], where the proposed backup sub-algorithm provides a fault tolerance measure for device failures.…”

“…If all of communication links of an agent fail, the communication failure of the agent (or agent failure) can be determined by itself. Moreover, the communication failure of the agent can be also diagnosed by its neighbors if they detect that the failed agent cannot communicate with all of its neighbors [10].…”

“…A primary protection zone (PPZ) is a minimal protection unit including minimal branch or bus protection zone, and a backup protection zone (BPZ) is defined as a minimal extension of PPZ [10]. It is noted that the protection zone is divided at NOS.…”

“…As a consequence, the agents on the boundary of PPZ and BPZ covering the fault point can locate the fault by using (5). Note that the proposed primary and backup fault location algorithm is based on KCL current differential protection, which is different from the binary logic rule-based method in [10].…”