A new fault location scheme based on local measurements for transmission lines connected to inverter-based resources

Abstract

This paper aims to reveal conventional impedance-based fault location methods’ shortcomings in the presence of inverter-based resources (IBRs) through an analytical framework established for the analysis of the IBR sequence impedances. Thereafter, a single-ended method is put forward in order to accurately specify the fault location in the lines emanating from the IBRs. The proposed fault location formulation utilizes the negative and zero sequence currents as alternative polarizing currents, therefore it is independent of the pre-fault data, and it can be applied for all kinds of asymmetrical short circuit fault. Furthermore, the established formulation is further amended to make it applicable to long transmission lines. The suggested method also provides acceptable accuracy in various conditions, such as different fault resistances, different host grid codes, and dynamic behavior of the fault resistance. The performance of the proposed scheme is scrutinized using the PSCAD/EMTDC software with an extensive number of simulations. The obtained results reveal the effectiveness and efficacy of the proposed fault location method in the presence of IBRs.