Locating High Impedance Faults in DC Microgrid by Forward Error Compensation

This paper addresses the accurate fault detection and localization in DC microgrids, specifically addressing the high impedance faults (HIFs). These faults, characterized by their low current magnitudes, pose difficulties in distinguishing fault conditions from normal operations, especially in the presence of sensor errors. This paper employs two methodologies for fault detection and localization. Firstly, it utilizes the Forward Error Compensation to identify high impedance series and shunt faults. To locate the high impedance shunt faults it harnesses system transient occurrences. Notably, the method stands out for its capability to locate HIFs without the need of injection devices or extensive data analysis. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, real-time implementation is carried out on the LabVIEW platform. Testing encompasses various fault types at different locations, considering diverse topologies of the DC microgrid.