Methodology for detection and location of high impedance faults in power distribution systems with distributed generation

Abstract

The protection of Distribution Systems (DSs) against High Impedance Faults (HIFs) is an arduous task that attracts the interest of companies and researchers worldwide. The random behavior, the possibility of ambiguity concerning other DS events, and the small magnitude of the HIF current waveforms prevent the quick and effective protection of traditional methods. With the increasing insertion of Distributed Generation (DG) in DSs, a greater level of difficulty is added to the accomplishment of this type of protection. It should also be noted that the possible damage to the equipment of the medium voltage network, as well as risks to people and animals, are associated with the occurrence of HIFs and induce the search for new techniques and protection devices. However, there is no fully efficient solution for protection against this type of fault. Therefore, this project proposes the development of a protection algorithm against HIFs, which contains the detection and location of the fault. This study will also include the analysis of the system behavior with different levels of DG penetration. Additionally, the robustness of all steps of the algorithm about other common events and to topological and loading changes in DSs will be analyzed. Finally, as a result, it is intended to obtain a complete algorithm for protection against HIFs. (AU)