An Improved Arc Fault Location Method of DC Distribution System Based on EMD-SVD Decomposition

Abstract

The influence of the control strategy of the power electronic converter obscures the fault characteristics of DC distribution networks. The existence of arc faults over an extended period of time poses a grave threat to the security of power grids and may result in electric shock, fire, and other catastrophes. In recent years, the method of fault localization based on the traveling wave method has been a popular topic of research in the field of DC distribution system protection. In this paper, the fault localization principle of the traveling wave method is described in depth, and the propagation characteristics of the traveling wave of fault current in the online mode network are deduced. We present a method for wave head calibration that combines empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and singular value decomposition (VMD). After the fault-traveling current signal has been subjected to EMD, the first eigenmode function is extracted and subjected to singular value decomposition (SVD). After SVD, the detail component can reflect the singularity of the signal. The point of the maximum value of the detail component signal corresponds to the moment when the faulty traveling wave head reaches the monitoring point. Finally, the DC distribution system is modeled based on the PSCAD/EMTDC simulation environment, and the fault location method is verified. The simulation results show that the method can effectively realize fault localization.