Accurate NHIF Locator Utilizing Two-End Unsynchronized Measurements

In this paper, an accurate fault locator is proposed for nonlinear high impedance faults (NHIFs) based on unsynchronized data gathered from both ends of the transmission line. This method is independent of the fault type, impedance, configuration, and two-end Thevenin's equivalent impedances of the external networks. The distributed parameter line model in the time domain is considered in the new algorithm which accurately models the transmission line. The location of fault and synchronization time are calculated by solving an optimization problem. The performance of the algorithm is tested for different synchronization times and various fault conditions. The performed evaluation shows the validity of the developed fault locator and its accuracy while NHIFs occur.