Assessing the Branch Current Based State Estimator under Fault Conditions

The integrated solutions for the monitoring and control of electrical systems provide the conditions for the development of state estimation and its applications for distribution systems. The Branch Current Based State Estimator (BCBSE) is an interesting alternative for distribution systems, as it can present a constant Gain matrix, which significantly reduces the computational burden of the state estimation process. This paper assesses the BCBSE under fault conditions in order to verify its accuracy and robustness as the main core of an approach dedicated to fault location in distributions systems. The studies performed on the IEEE 13–bus test feeder include single– and three-phase faults for different sets of measurements and fault resistances. Results indicate that the BCBSE is accurate and robust enough even for systems under fault conditions.