Single end feeder arcing fault location using mutual inductance

Impedance-based fault location methods to date are able to locate only permanent and linear faults. Current fault location methods assume that arc resistance is constant to locate the fault. However, because of the variable nature of the arc resistance, arcing faults cannot be considered as a linear fault. Furthermore, the duration of intermittent and transitory faults is not necessarily enough for fundamental frequency-based fault location methods. Therefore, available methods are not applicable for arcing fault location. In this article, a novel method is proposed for arcing fault location using time-based formulation. The advantages of the proposed method over available methods are as follows: (i) fewer samples are necessary for the algorithm to calculate the location, (ii) it is capable of locating variable resistance faults, and (iii) it is independent of arcing fault type. The validity of the devised algorithm is studied within the power system computer aided design-electromagnetic DC (PSCAD-EMTDC) environment. Two different arc models have been simulated, and the produced data have been used for fault location algorithm. The results show a good accuracy for both arcing fault models. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd