Fault Location Using Traveling Waves

An intelligent electronic device (IED) configured to calculate an estimated fault location in an electric power delivery system based on a traveling wave created by an electrical fault in the electric power delivery system, comprising:

• a data bus;
• a processor in communication with the data bus;
• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium in communication with the data bus, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising:
• a traveling wave fault location estimation module configured to generate a fault location based on:
• a first time associated with a first value of a transient traveling wave detected at a first location and caused by an electrical fault, and
• a second time associated with a second value of the transient traveling wave detected at a second location a known distance from the first location;
• a multi-end fault location estimation module configured to generate the fault location based on:
• a first negative-sequence current measurement made at the first location, and
• a second negative-sequence current measurement made at the second location;
• and
• a single-end location fault location estimation module configured to generate the fault location based on electrical parameters measurable from a single location in the electric power delivery system;
• wherein, the IED is configured to generate an estimated fault location using one of the traveling wave fault location estimation module, the multi-end fault location estimation module, and the single-end location fault location estimation module based upon available data.

A system for calculating a fault location on an electric power delivery system using a detected traveling wave created by an electrical fault in the electric power delivery system, comprising:

• a communication medium between a first intelligent electronic device (IED) and a second IED;
• the first IED comprising:
• a first communications port in communication with the communication medium;
• first control logic in communication with the first communications port and configured to:
• detect a transient traveling wave caused by an electrical fault by using a first plurality of data samples representing measurements of a first parameter of the electric power delivery system;
• detect a first value of the transient traveling wave;
• detect a first time associated with the first value;
• the second IED located a known distance from the first IED, the second IED comprising:
• a second communications port in communication with the communication medium;
• second control logic in communication with the second communications port and configured to:
• detect the transient traveling wave caused by the electrical fault by using a second plurality of data samples representing measurements of a second parameter of the electric power delivery system;
• detect a second value of the transient traveling wave;
• detect a second time associated with the second value;
• transmit the second time associated with the second value to the first IED;
• wherein the control logic of the first IED is further configured to generate an estimated fault location based on the time difference between the first time and the second time.

An intelligent electronic device (IED) for protection of a portion of an electric power delivery system, configured to calculate a fault location in the electric power delivery system based on a traveling wave created by an electrical fault in the electric power delivery system, the IED comprising:

• a data bus;
• a processor in communication with the data bus;
• a non-transitory computer readable storage in communication with the data bus, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising:
• a protection element for determining a protection action for the portion of the electric power delivery system;
• a traveling wave fault location estimation module configured to generate a fault location based on:
• a first time associated with a first value of a transient traveling wave detected at a first location and caused by the electrical fault;
• a second time associated with a second value of a transient traveling wave detected at the first location and caused by the electrical fault;
• and,
• a line propagation velocity;
• wherein the fault location is used by the protection element.