IEC 61850-Based Centralized Protection against Single Line-To-Ground Faults in Ungrounded Distribution Systems

Abstract

We developed an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850-based centralized protection scheme to prevent single line-to-ground (SLG) faults in the feeders and busbars of ungrounded distribution systems. Each feeder intelligent electronic device (IED) measures its zero-sequence current and voltage signals and periodically transmits zero-sequence phasors to a central IED via a Generic Oriented Object Substation Event message. Using the zero-sequence phasors, the central IED detects SLG faults in feeders and busbars. To achieve centralized protection, angle differences between the zero-sequence currents and voltage phasors are exploited, and their calculation compensates for data desynchronization. The feeder IEDs were implemented using the MMS-EASE Lite library, while the transmitted zero-sequence phasors were calculated based on fault signals simulated by Power System Computer Aided Design / Electro-Magnetic Transient Design and Control (PSCAD/EMTDC). The central IED determined if the SLG fault was in a feeder or busbar by aggregating and analyzing the zero-sequence phasors received from the feeder IEDs. The results confirmed the validity and efficiency of our centralized protection scheme.