Allocation of 0.4 kV PTL Sectionalizing Units under Criteria of Sensitivity Limits and Power Supply Reliability

Abstract

Sectionalizing 0.4 kV power transmission lines (PTL) improves power supply reliability and reduces electricity undersupply through the prevention of energy disconnection of consumers in the event of a short circuit in the power line behind the sectionalizing unit (SU). This research examines the impact of sectionalizing on power supply reliability and reviews the literature on sectionalizing unit allocation strategies in electrical networks. This paper describes the experience of the use of sectionalizing units with listing strengths and weaknesses of adopted technical solutions and describes the new structure of sectionalizing units. A new methodology is proposed, whereby there are two criteria for allocating SU in 0.4 kV power transmission lines. The first criterion is the sensitivity limits against single-phase short circuits used for calculating the maximum distance at which SU can be installed. The second criterion is power supply reliability improvement, evaluating the cost-effectiveness of installing sectionalizing equipment by reducing power supply outage time. The established methodology was put to the test on an actual electrical system (Mezenka village, Orel area, Russia), which demonstrated that the installation of a sectionalizing unit paid off.