Single-phase-to-ground fault protection based on zero-sequence current ratio coefficient for low-resistance grounding distribution network

Abstract

Definite-time zero-sequence over-current protection is presently used in systems whose neutral point is grounded by a low resistance (low-resistance grounding systems). These systems frequently malfunction owing to their high settings of the action value when a high-impedance grounding fault occurs. In this study, the relationship between the zero-sequence currents of each feeder and the neutral branch was analyzed. Then, a grounding protection method was proposed on the basis of the zero-sequence current ratio coefficient. It is defined as the ratio of the zero-sequence current of the feeder to that of the neutral branch. Nonetheless, both zero-sequence voltage and zero-sequence current are affected by the transition resistance, The influence of transition resistance can be eliminated by calculating this coefficient. Therefore, a method based on the zero-sequence current ratio coefficient was proposed considering the significant difference between the faulty feeder and healthy feeder. Furthermore, unbalanced current can be prevented by setting the starting current. PSCAD simulation results reveal that the proposed method shows high reliability and sensitivity when a high-resistance grounding fault occurs.