Increased Distributed Generation (DG) presence on radial distribution feeders isbecoming a common trend. The existing Overcurrent Protection (OCP) scheme on such feedersconsists mainly of overcurrent protection devices (OCPDs) such as fuses and reclosers. WhenDG is placed on the remote end of a 3-phase lateral, the radial configuration of the feeder is lost.As a result, OCP issues may arise which lead to permanent outages even when the fault istemporary. This thesis presents a new approach that revises the existing OCP scheme of a radialfeeder to address the presence of DG. The fuses on the laterals with DGs are removed and multifunctionrecloser/relays (MFRs) are added to address three specific OCP issues; fuse fatigue,nuisance fuse blowing, and fuse misoperation.The new approach requires no communication medium, provides backup protection forthe DG unit, and allows the remaining laterals to retain their existing protective devices. Theresults are reported using the IEEE 34 node radial test feeder to validate the new approach andthe IEEE 123 node radial test feeder to generalize the approach. The new approach completelymitigated the fuse misoperation and nuisance fuse blowing issues and most of the fuse fatigueissues that were present on the radial test feeders. Specifically, the approach demonstrates thatcoordination between the existing protection devices on radial distribution feeders is maintainedin the presence of DG.
展开▼
