Single Phase Fault Location Research Articles

Fast single-phase fault location method based on community graph depth-first traversal for distribution network

With the increasing complexity of distribution network structure originated from high penetration of renewable energy and responsive loads, fast and accurate fault location technology of distribution network is a prerequisite for rapid isolation of faults and restoration of power supply. In this paper, a fault location method based on community graph depth-first traversal is proposed for fast location of single-phase ground faults in distribution network. First, this paper defines the fault graph weight of the vertices in the distribution network graph model, which are used to reflect the topology of the vertices and fault points as well as the fluctuation of the vertices' currents. Then, the vertices on the graph model are clustered by using an improved parallel louvain method (IPLM). Finally, the community formed by IPLM is used as the smallest unit for depth-first traversal to achieve fast and accurate location of the fault section. The paper builds the distribution network graph model of IEEE 33-bus system on the graph database for testing. And three other methods were selected for comparison with IPLMDF. The test results show that IPLMDF can achieve fast and accurate fault location when half of the nodes in the distribution network are equipped with D-PMUs. When some of the D-PMUs lose time synchronization, it is still possible to locate the fault section, and at the same time, the locating results can be avoided to fall into local optimal solutions.

An intelligent and cost-effective method for single-phase fault location in conventional distribution systems

Fault location in medium voltage (MV) electricity distribution networks has always been a challenge, in particular, for the last few years. The existence of information only at the beginning of the feeder and the complexity of the widespread and scattered distribution networks make fault location of MV distribution networks a difficult task. The performance of most of the existing methods for fault location is compromised when dealing with today’s MV distribution grid. In this paper, a new fault location method is introduced for MV distribution networks, using transient frequency analysis. The transient caused by fault in the network is analyzed. The main idea of fault location algorithm is to determine and measure the Analysis Index. The location of fault is identified through the relationship between the proposed Analysis Index and different sections in the distribution feeder. In order to evaluate and analyze the proposed method, at first a standard IEEE 11-node network is simulated and tested in MATLAB software, then the same procedure is repeated for a real 69-node network. The results confirm a good performance.

Single phase fault location in electrical distribution feeder using hybrid method

Restoration of electrical energy after each distribution feeder's outage can improve the reliability indices and its efficiency. Accurate fault locating can cause the Power distribution (PD) systems to restore rapidly. PD networks include many branches, laterals, sub-laterals and load taps. Thus, accurate fault locating is very complicated and important. In the present paper, a new combined method is proposed for locating the single-phase fault to earth in PD networks. An impedance-based fault-location algorithm is also used to find the possible fault locations. Then, the new method is proposed for determining the faulty section using voltage sag matching algorithm. In this method, after single-phase fault to ground, the possible locations of fault are determined by using the impedance-based fault-location algorithm. The same fault is simulated in possible locations, separately. The voltage, then, at the beginning of feeder is saved and amplitude and angle of the voltage differences are determined and online databank is generated. This databank is compared with the obtained and recorded amplitude and angle of the voltage differences for actual fault. The real location of fault is specified by the matching value of each possible fault location.

Single Phase Fault Location in Distribution Networks Based on Charge Transients

In this paper the one possibility of single phase fault location in unearthed MV distribution network is presented. This method is based on transients which appear in the case of charge redistribution in the instance of fault occurrence. The issues of fault location in distribution networks was emphasized through influence of inhomogeneity, distributed loads, considerable fault resistance and numerous branches on distribution feeders. On the extracted transients of currents and voltages of faulty phase, method based on solving differential equations is applied. The low frequency charge transients, with minimum sample frequency of several kHz is used. This method was examined by computer simulations on the modeled network as well as on the real network and fault. In the case of real fault, it was used data registered by power quality analyzer.