Fault location on a transmission line using high frequency travelling waves measured at a single line end

The paper describes how travelling waves measured at one end of a transmission line can be used for fault location. The algorithm indicates which phases are involved in the fault and uses auto-correlation on the recorded faulted phase to give an initial estimate of the fault position. A fault at this position and involving the indicated phases is then applied to an EMTP simulator that models the power network in the region around the fault locator. The transient components in the current signals generated by the simulator, and measured at the same location as the fault locator, is then cross-correlated against the signals captured on the actual power network. A high level of correlation, as indicated by a high positive value for the cross-correlation function, indicates that the simulated fault position is the actual fault position. Results obtained using data recorded on the Scottish Power 275 and 400 kV network are shown to be very similar to those obtained using a double-ended GPS synchronised travelling wave fault locator.