Review on Methods of Wide Area Backup

Abstract—Thanks to wide area measurement system, the introduction of the whole electrical power system information into wide area backup protection methods has made up the severe deficiency that some incorrect judgments made by traditional backup protective devices when the transmission line overload occurs are only based on local measuring data, which may cause incorrect operation of protective relays. The deficiency of traditional backup protection has deteriorated the operating condition of the power system and has accelerated process of cascading trips. The current methods of wide area backup protection can be possibly designed for optimal strategies from the point of the whole system. In this paper, according to the different designing principles, methods of wide area backup protection are classified into five categories and are listed in detail based on the present research progress. Advantages and disadvantages of these methods in practical application are summarized. At last, the existing problems and possible studying directions of wide area backup protection methods are pointed out. Keywords-power system; wide area backup protection; wide area measurement system; overload; cascading trips I