Fault location in distribution systems is difficult for multiple discontinuities, such as branch and junction points on feeders. This paper proposes a scheme for fault location in distribution systems using network topology information and circuit breaker reclosure-generating travelling waves. Based on the topology information, the circuit breaker closure-generating travelling waves can be got through analysis. When a permanent fault occurs, the circuit breaker reclosure-generating travelling waves contain the information on fault position. In this paper, the difference between the pre-fault travelling waves and post-fault travelling waves induced by the breaker reclosing in a feeder, defined as reclosing superimposed travelling waves, is calculated. For the reclosing superimposed travelling waves, the initial travelling wave reflects the fault distance. Subsequently, wavelet transform is applied to extract the travelling wave reflected from the fault point. Finally, the time difference between the reclosing instant and the arrival instant of the reflected travelling wave is employed to calculate the fault distance. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, several simulations were carried out using ATP-EMTP software. The simulation results indicated that the proposed scheme can be effective in fault location for distributed feeders, regardless of grounding system type.
展开▼
