Abstract
Many fault-location algorithms rely on a simulation model incorporating network parameters which closely represent the real network. Estimations of the line parameters are usually based on limited geometrical information which do not reflect the complexity of a real network. In practice, obtaining an accurate model of the network is difficult without comprehensive field measurements of each constituent part of the network in question. Layer-peeling algorithms offer a solution to this problem by providing a fast “mapping” of the network based only on the response of a probing impulse. Starting with the classical “Schur” layer-peeling algorithm, this paper develops a new approach to map the reflection coefficients of an electrical network, then use this information post-fault to determine accurately and robustly the location of either permanent or incipient faults on overhead networks. The robustness of the method is derived from the similarity between the post-fault energy reaching the observation point and the predicted energy, which is based on real network observations rather than a simulation model. The method is shown to perform well for different noise levels and fault inception angles on the IEEE 13-bus network, indicating that the method is well suited to radial distribution networks.
Highlights
Throughout this work, aerial mode 2 is used. This is extracted from the simulation environment during runtime using a Fortran model which performs the phase to mode conversion based on the transformation matrix calculated in the Line and Cables Constants (LCC) routine of the EMTP
Line 3.2 is used, with the results shown in Figure 7 for three arbitrarily chosen fault locations in the form of heat maps, where the darker shades represent higher values of normalized m2
Many fault-location algorithms rely on a precise simulation model of the real network, but this is difficult to achieve in practice
Summary
Most customer interruptions originate on the Medium Voltage (MV) network [1]. In terms of fault location, such networks can have several challenging characteristics, including tapped loads, radial topologies, and mixed overhead/cable lines. In rural and semi-urban networks, the relativity low concentration of customers means that any new investment in fault-location improvement usually needs to be low cost to be economically justifiable. This work proposes a new traveling wave fault-location method which requires only a single observation point yet can locate faults on highly branched networks with tapped transformer loads at arbitrary positions
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