Fast fault section estimation in distribution substations using matrix-based cause-effect networks

A new method for estimating fault sections in power substations is proposed. In this paper, the knowledge representation and inference procedures based on the cause–effect networks (CE-Nets) and rule matrix transformation techniques are presented. The matrix based inference procedures are proposed to estimate the possible fault sections through simple matrix operations by transforming the established CE-Nets into matrix forms. The method is superior to existing production systems in the inference speed and the process of implementation. By testing on a typical Taiwan Power Company’s (Taipower) secondary substation, the experimental results show that the effectiveness of the proposed method even for the fault domains involving multiple faults and failure operations of protective devices. Moreover, it is easy to implement and transplant into different substations.