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In times past electricity was largely transmitted by overhead cables but now there is the advent of underground cables which are advantageous over underground cables as they are not affected by adverse weather conditions such as storms, snow and heavy rainfall. This has seen the installation of underground transmission lines which are stable and cost effective as they require minimum maintenance as compared to overhead cables.
The world is advancing towards digitization so this project is intended to provide a digital way of determining the location were a fault has occurred in the underground cable.
Unlike in overhead cables were the fault is clear and can be seen by the naked eye, detecting a fault in an underground fault is a trivial and strenuous task and can be expensive and time consuming if the exact location of the fault is unknown. There is a need therefore to have a system that can detect the exact location were the fault has occurred and this project serves that purpose.
A fault in a cable is represented by any inconsistency, defect, weakness or non-homogeneous behavior exhibited by the cable, current diversion from intended path etc.
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and is caused by the breaking of a conductor or the failing of an insulation. Faults can be classified into three categories namely: open circuit (which is the breaking of the conducting path), short circuit (which is when the conducting wires are in contact and also if the phase angle between conductors becomes less or more than 120◦) and ground fault (in which a conductor gets in contact with the ground and its potential is brought to zero).
There are two methods used for fault location, online method (one in which voltage and current samples are taken at various points) and offline method (one in which a special instrument is used to locate the fault).
This project uses online method of detection, as it processes voltage to give a location of the fault. The microcontroller is connected to an uln 2003 integrated circuit which contains 7 Darlington transistors for current amplification which they operates relays connected to the transmission cables. A series of resistors are connected to the relays which are a simulation of the actual cable. When a fault occurs, it is simulated by a switch which completes a circuit and sends an ADC value to the microcontroller which has an algorithm to calculate the distance of the fault, thus distance location.
The following is a review of other projects that were done in the same field of study that is underground cable fault location.Yu Xuang et al developed a Bayesian approach for fault location in middle voltage power grids, which is a system that uses a statistical approach for section based fault location. This system has a database that will enable it to detect any errors by a variation in the statistics.
The project uses the Bayesian inference which uses the Bayes’ theorem. The result is then calculated using the Monte Carlo integration. This system has a limitation in that it is not accurate as the uncertainties used are statically obtained hence they contain a degree of error in them. N.H.Shamsudin et al made his system (three phase fault algorithm) which used an algorithm, database and impedance to locate faults and optimize switching. This system is largely software and the distance calculation is done using MATLAB. The system calculates the fault location using information put in by humans in the database which decreases reliability. This system has a limitation in that it gives only an approximation of the actual fault location. Another system that was developed in this area was the cable fault location in a DC microgrid using current injection by Rabindra Mohanty et al
This system uses the damping frequency of an injected current to locate the distance of the fault. An algorithm is then used to calculate the distance of the fault. Thou the system is accurate, it has a limitation in that it is expensive as it requires a current injector. Mitauharu Komoda et al developed a current detection cable fault locator. This is an offline system which needs to be carried around to the field. This system uses a travelling wave current detection. It employs the use of the Murray loop which has resistors and a galvanometer, so basically it is the balancing of resistance and the calculating the distance from the bridge formed. This system is bulky and heavy hence needs more man power to chauffer it around thus a disadvantage.
Richard A. Guine made a novel pseudonoise tester for transmission line fault location and identification using pseudorandom binary system. This system uses an echo response with an input test perturbation. This echo is then processed and an approximate distance is obtained. This is only a novel concept implying it is only theoretical hence until implementation it will not solve the current problem. Abby Sharma et al made an underground cable fault distance locator which used electromagnetic induction and capacitance to detect the fault location. The system uses a microcontroller to process the information obtained by calculating the properties of the inductors and capacitors and an approximation of the distance is made. The system has a disadvantage that it can be greatly affected by interference and it greatly needs magnetic shielding making it expensive.
Tamer A. Kawady et al developed a system that uses apparent impedance calculation for fault location. The system has an algorithm that calculates the impedance and converts it to distance. The algorithm used is large and heavy for small microcontrollers hence need microcontrollers with big specifications, hence overally the system is expensive.V Letloff et al made a system that uses impedances to calculate the underground cable fault. This system only works for 3 phase system, as he used an algorithm that uses comparison. This system has a disadvantage in that it cannot be used for single phases, and if all phases fail it becomes a hard task to find the location.
Richard A. Guinee made another novel system which again uses the Pseudorandom Binary sequence, which is an alternative to time domain reflectometry for transmission and fault location. This system works with coaxial transmission line models and it works with analyzing the circuit behavior, as an echo test is used. The system is also still a novel concept hence one cannot depend on it until it is implemented
System & Methods to Detect Fault Location. (2024, Feb 28). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/system-methods-to-detect-fault-location-essay
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