Novel wide‐area fault location and predictive maintenance technique for distribution system

Abstract

Locating faults in a power network has been a common chore for utility personnel. However, with the increasing demand in consumer expectations nowadays, fault location time needs to be shortened so that supply can be restored as soon as possible. Considerable amount of time can be saved if an automated mechanism is available to direct the repair crew to the region of fault. Transmission system has already adopted the automated fault location algorithm in their relay. However, implementing such an approach in wide‐area distribution network would require huge capital expenditure and resources. This paper presents a reliable, automated fault location algorithm within a wide‐area distribution network using a limited number of monitoring devices. In addition, the proposed algorithm is also capable of offering a means of predictive maintenance strategy for the utilities. The algorithm is able to identify the faulted branches in a radial distribution system with high accuracy. In most cases, the calculated fault location is very close to the actual one. This algorithm has also overcome the drawbacks of existing techniques for automated fault location in wide‐area distribution network. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Enhancement of dynamic phasor estimation‐based fault location algorithms for AC transmission lines

“…This method is quite simple because the resistance is neglected to estimate the fault position. The fault distance estimation is carried out using line currents, as [27]…”

Novel fault‐location method for overhead electrical distribution systems

“…Using this criterion for examining the validity of all fault distance estimates, a list of possible fault locations may be obtained. In practice, other techniques and devices, such as fault indicators [19], monitoring devices [20], and information from protection devices [3], may be used to determine the correct fault section. The proposed algorithm for this paper is described in detail as follows: …”

“…">Determine the correct fault location using a proper existing algorithm, such as in Refs. [3,19,20].…”

Fault-Location Scheme for Power Distribution System with Distributed Generation

“…The most effective way to improve these indices is by employing efficient fault location (FL) techniques that can minimize the inspection and service restoration times, and thus, reduce outage time and improve the service continuity. Moreover, locating temporary fault can also help in preventing future permanent fault that could bring more damage to equipment [2]. Accordingly, many FL techniques have been developed and deployed in distribution systems [3].…”