A new unsynchronized fault location approach based on sequence voltage profiles and a multiconductor line detailed model: Application to symmetrical transmission lines

Abstract

This paper presents a new, improved approach to fault location in long and very long transmission lines, which uses measurements at both terminals of the line that do not need to be synchronized, using the satellite time-reference. The new method employs symmetrical component sequence voltage profiles that are computed using an innovative approach in which the detailed three-phase model of a multiconductor transmission line is represented as the series connection of several chain matrices. This allows the new method achieve the best performance, when compared to other 4 similar fault location approaches, requiring measurements at both terminals of a symmetrical line, considering all types of faults, under realistic variations in variables and parameters of the test system, including the effect of saturation of current transformers, and arc faults. The main advantage of this proposed technique is that it can be applied with no major changes in symmetrical and unsymmetrical transmission lines keeping its good performance. In addition, division of the line in chain matrices allows the new proposed approach to be applied in non-homogeneous lines. In this paper, for space reasons, the new approach is initially applied to symmetrical (ideally transposed) transmission lines only, with very successful and encouraging results.