Optimal PMU placement for fault observability in distributed power system by using simultaneous voltage and current measurements

This paper proposes a new strategy to achieve fault observability of power systems while aiming minimum required number of Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) in the network. The proposed method exploits the nodal voltage and mesh current analyses where the impedance and admittance matrices of the network and its dual circuit are developed and utilized for fault location. The criterion of determining the number and the places of PMUs is to be able to obtain the fault location and impedance in a unique manner (i.e., without multi estimation.) In addition, the method considers faults along the lines as opposed to the faults only on system buses available in the literature. The proposed approach provides an economical solution to decrease measurement costs for large power networks, distributed generation networks, and micro grids. Simulation results for IEEE 7-bus, 14-bus, and 30-bus systems verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.