Detection and Localization of Faults in a Regional Power Grid

Faults in a Regional Power Grid

Abstract

The structure of power flows in transmission grids is evolving and is likely
to change significantly in the coming years due to the rapid growth of
renewable energy generation that introduces randomness and bidirectional
power flows. Another transformative aspect is the increasing penetration
of various smart-meter technologies. Inexpensive measurement devices
can be placed at practically any component of the grid. Using model
data reflecting smart-meter measurements,
we propose a two-stage procedure for detecting a fault in a regional power
grid. In the first stage, a fault is detected in real time. In the second stage,
the faulted line is identified with a negligible delay. The approach uses only
the voltage modulus measured at buses (nodes of the grid) as the input.
Our method does not require prior knowledge of the
fault type. The method is fully implemented in  R.
Pseudo code and complete mathematical formulas are provided.