Automatic event analysis for power systems: a practical approach

The automatic analysis of power system events on the basis of digital disturbance recordings has been an area of growing interest in the last few years. However, direct application of the concept in the 'real world' suffers from many restrictions. Ideally, an automatic diagnostic system would require fast and reliable communication links, accurate time tagging of the records, numerous analog and binary channels and, last but not least, a correct description of the power system and of the available recording channels. This paper describes a new diagnostic system for EHV, HV and MV networks. The program has been designed to provide the best possible diagnosis as a function of the available information. It features an advanced configuration interface and adapts to the available information by activating different algorithms. The paper focuses on the requirements for a reliable and detailed analysis of the events, with an emphasis on the accurate location of line faults, and shows how the process adapts to different levels of detail of the system description and to the available records related to the event.