Abstract
The weather conditions in Saudi Arabia are harsh and the inland areas are very hot, dry and sandy. Thousands of kilometers of medium voltage overhead lines (13.8 kV) are located in deep desert areas feeding loads that are located in remote desert areas. Such medium and low voltage distribution networks face difficulties regarding fault detection and localization. High Impedance Fault (HIF) resulting from a broken conductor in MV overhead lines represent the most challenging problem in such environments. Such condition may cause damage, fire or electric shock hazards resulting in life threatening situations. This study reports on a study of electrical characteristics of inland desert sand and typical characteristics of HIF fault when a MV line conductor breaks and touches such sand. It is shown that the arid desert sand has extremely high resistivity and it is difficult to detect the fault by using conventional protective devices. The study presents results of measurements and simulations and suggests that innovative approaches have to be employed to achieve the desired protection in such environments.
Highlights
Power transmission and distribution systems constitute vital links that provide the continuity of service from the generating stations to the end users
The aim of this study is to investigate the electrical characteristics of inland loose desert sand in order to examine its implications for the MV distribution system protection
Experimental results: In order to confirm the simulated results and to study the actual electrical characteristics of the sample of the loose drifting sand was collected from the inland arid desert near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and investigated
Summary
Power transmission and distribution systems constitute vital links that provide the continuity of service from the generating stations to the end users. Power system protection devices basically aim to detect the occurrence of a fault in order to initiate the correct tripping action to isolate the minimized faulted area as rapidly as possible (Craig, 2001; Callhoun et al, 1982). This is done in order to avoid the equipment and property damage and to ensure the service continuity and personnel safety. With emergence of Smart Grid, focus is shifting towards more advanced protection techniques employing technologies such as modern signal processing, communications facilities and intelligent elements Such tools are increasingly being used for the generation of relaying and protection systems. Other supplementary schemes such as fault localization are becoming increasingly important (Russel, 1988a, b; Sultan and Swift, 1994; IEEE PSRC Working Group D15, 2000; Aucoin, 1982, 1987; Girgis et al, 1990; David et al, 1998; Lai et al, 2005; Samantaray et al, 2008; Salam, 2012a, b; Salam and Noh, 2012; Salam and Morsidi, 2010)
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