Research on early fault detection method for a new distribution system based on automatic arc power

Abstract

The assimilation of copious renewable energy sources into contemporary distribution systems has markedly transmuted fault dynamics, engendering fluctuating operational states and curtailed short-circuit currents. Consequently, incipient arc faults may herald imminent system short-circuits, obviating the complexities associated with the new distribution system's disconnection by facilitating their precocious detection. A quantitative analytical paradigm has been contrived for the nascent fault current and temperature, while theoretical scrutiny elucidates the impediments to dependable detection predicated solely on current or temperature metrics. An innovative detection methodology, amalgamating current and temperature readings and leveraging arc power as a composite indicator, has been advanced. This proposed mechanism synergizes the alacrity of the electrical signal—specifically, the zero-sequence current—with the heightened sensitivity and dependability of the thermal signal—temperature—thereby surpassing the reliability of extant approaches. The efficacy of this method has been corroborated through PSCAD simulations, empirical field data, and controlled laboratory fault experimentation.