Apparatus and method for detecting a fault in a distributed line network

A monitored distributed power network distributing power to a plurality of powered equipment, comprising:

• a non-residential loadcenter;
• a multi-phase power line distributing power to the powered equipment;
• a circuit interrupter coupled to the power line and being actuated to interrupt flow of current in the power line;
• a line monitoring device disposed to sense a power-related waveform of the power line at a position adjacent to the power line between the loadcenter and the power equipment and communicatively coupled to the circuit interrupter, the line monitoring device automatically actuating the circuit interrupter in response to detection of a specialized signal in any one phase of the power line indicative of a ground fault so as to isolate a section of the system having the ground fault;
• a specialized signal generator activated in response to detection of the ground fault in the power line to produce the specialized signal along one of the lines of the multi-phase power line, the specialized signal being unique with respect to power-related waveforms sensed by the line monitoring device;
• and
• a control station communicatively coupled to the line monitoring device to evaluate the sensed power-related waveform.

A method of monitoring and automatically interrupting a circuit in response to detection of a ground fault in a multi-phase, ungrounded or high-impedance grounded distribution system having power distributed in a power line via a power-related waveform from a non-residential load center to each of a plurality of powered equipment, comprising the steps of:

• monitoring the power-related waveform at a plurality of sections of the system, each section being on the power line at a respective location between the load center and one of the plurality of the powered equipment;
• providing power-related waveform information about each of the sections of the system to a centralized control station;
• analyzing the power-related waveform information in the centralized control station;
• detecting a ground fault in a faulty section of the system;
• producing a specialized signal that is unique with respect to the power-related waveform along one of the lines of the multi-phase system in the faulty section of the system in response to the detection of the ground fault;
• detecting the specialized signal in the faulty section of the system;
• and
• automatically interrupting the flow of current in the faulty section of the system so as to isolate the faulty section of the system in response the detection of the specialized signal.