Microprocessor-based relays improve distribution system reliability of a high profile customer

With increasingly stringent requirements for reliability of service and with the availability of more advanced microprocessor-based protective relays, some novel protection schemes have been developed that provide high-speed service restoration. White River Electric Cooperative has taken advantage of these advancements and implemented them in an effort to increase the reliability of their distribution systems. Located in Missouri\´s Ozark Mountains, the city of Branson is considered "The Live Music Show Capitol of the World". In addition to the numerous theaters and live shows, Branson offers a wealth of other entertainment. One of the most popular is the themed amusement park, Silver Dollar City. Long duration power outages within the park have resulted in lost revenue and customer dissatisfaction. White River Valley Electric Cooperative considered several options to improve reliability at the park and this paper discusses the design and operation of the automated power distribution system that has since been implemented at Silver Dollar City. One of the project requirements was to restore service to the park within 60 seconds. This requirement was met with an open looped radial distribution system configuration utilizing fault interrupter switchgear, current sensors for fault indication, switch controls, a fiber optic communication system, and a central computer for control logic.