Review of fault location algorithms in transmission lines

Abstract

Transmission systems are exposed to faults due to a variety of phenomena such as lightning, electrical component faults, aging equipment, and human error. Despite this, the electrical systems must have the ability to remain reliably and safely during all possible operating conditions. This fact requires advanced protection systems that must open circuit breakers in the case of a fault, in addition to having a quick repair strategy. In a such sense, many methods have been developed to locate and detect faults in transmission and distribution systems. The methods can be divided into several categories, techniques that use impedance, methods that make use of transient signals, techniques based on artificial intelligence, among other approaches. This work reviews most of the techniques that have been developed and that are commonly used to locate and detect faults in transmission systems. Therefore, from this review, opportunities in the area of investigation of fault location in the power transmission and distribution system can be further explored.