Faulted circuit indicators and system reliability

Abstract

Faulted circuit indicators (FCIs) can be a useful tool for improving power system reliability. While FCIs alone may not prevent outages or other problems with system reliability, FCI application can help identify problem areas of the electric distribution system, as well as reduce crew patrol time in locating faulted cables, thus reducing outage duration. The use of FCIs can be linked to outage statistics such as the system average interruption duration index (SAIDI) and customer average interruption duration index (CAIDI), to track reduction in outage duration. By spending less time identifying and locating faulted cables, crew productivity can also be improved through the use of FCIs, allowing more time to be spent on productive system operation and improvement. In addition to real cost savings and increased productivity for utilities, reduced outage duration through FCI use can lead to increased customer satisfaction. For commercial and industrial customers, who can incur significant costs in lost production due to power interruptions, minimizing outage duration can lead to a reduction in customer costs resulting from outages. As innovations in rate design lead to more performance based ratemaking, FCIs can help utilities avoid paying penalties by keeping certain service quality measurements within acceptable levels. Technology advancements in recent years have led to more reliable fault indicators, along with new and unique features that help ensure the most efficient application of faulted circuit indicators for improving system reliability.