A Communication-Assisted Distance Protection for AC Microgrids considering the Fault-Ride-Through Requirements of Distributed Generators

Abstract

The conventional overcurrent protection is ineffective in isolating faults in microgrids due to the low fault current levels contributed by inverter-interfaced distributed generations (IIDGs). To extend the microgrid protection methods, the distance protection is considered as a common alternative to detect faults. However, the fault-ride-through (FRT) requirements and the high impedance fault (HIF) detection challenge the application of the conventional distance protection. To solve the two problems, a new inverse-time distance (ITD) protection for medium-voltage AC microgrids was proposed in this paper. The primary ITD protection was designed to meet the FRT requirements, and the backup protection was coordinated to isolate faults. The fault resistance and distributed generation infeed effect on the measured impedance were mitigated by a communication-assisted method proposed in this paper. Owing to the shorter communication channel time in distribution feeders and lower communication investments without a synchronous clock, the proposed method can be used to improve the ITD protection performance. An 11 kV AC microgrid was simulated with different fault types in the islanded mode and grid-connected mode. Time domain simulation verified the effectiveness of the proposed ITD protection.