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Voltage Based Detection Method for High Impedance Fault in a Distribution System

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Abstract

High-impedance faults (HIFs) on distribution feeders cannot be detected by conventional protection schemes, as HIFs are characterized by their low fault current level and waveform distortion due to the nonlinearity of the ground return path. This paper proposes a method to identify the HIFs in distribution system and isolate the faulty section, to reduce downtime. This method is based on voltage measurements along the distribution feeder and utilizes the sequence components of the voltages. Three models of high impedance faults have been considered and source side and load side breaking of the conductor have been studied in this work to capture a wide range of scenarios. The effect of neutral grounding of the source side transformer is also accounted in this study. The results show that the algorithm detects the HIFs accurately and rapidly. Thus, the faulty section can be isolated and service can be restored to the rest of the consumers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    Mini Shaji Thomas & Namrata Bhaskar

  2. Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering, Bangalore, India

    Anupama Prakash

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  1. Mini Shaji Thomas
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  2. Namrata Bhaskar
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  3. Anupama Prakash
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Correspondence to Namrata Bhaskar.

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Thomas, M.S., Bhaskar, N. & Prakash, A. Voltage Based Detection Method for High Impedance Fault in a Distribution System. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. B 97, 413–423 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40031-015-0203-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40031-015-0203-7

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