Fault Location on Multi-Branch Network Using Traveling Wave and Graph Theory

A method used to locate the fault in multi-branch network combining graph theory and traveling waves is proposed. According to the transmission path matrix generated by the Dijkstra algorithm, two appropriate estimation criteria are used to determine the faulty line or the faulty lateral branch, and the optimal traveling wave detectors are selected to locate the fault accurately. The single-end traveling wave method is used to calculate the fault distance of the lateral branches, while the double-end traveling wave method is used to calculate the fault distance when the fault occurs on the main lines. The simulation studies are carried out using PSCAD, and the experimental results verified the effectiveness of the proposed method, which can locate the fault accurately.