A Novel Fault-Locator System; Algorithm, Principle and Practical Implementation

This paper presents a novel fault-locator system for radial distribution feeders based on the feeder architecture and voltage and current measurements at a subtransmission substation (63/20 kV). The proposed algorithm determines the fault location precisely by considering the variable characteristic of the load, unbalanced condition, and unsymmetrical nature of distribution feeders. Load variations affect the accuracy of fault-locator systems significantly. Real-time load estimation is implemented to reduce the differences between the calculated fault location and the actual fault location. In addition, self-supervisory characteristics are added to the system to increase the accuracy of the collected data. Actual test results demonstrate the effectiveness of the system in practical applications.