Hardware design for distributed MAS-based fault location in power distribution systems

This paper describes the design and implementation of a Multi-Agent System (MAS) that provides a distributed algorithm for fault location and isolation in power distribution systems. The designed MAS locates and isolates the fault based on locally available information. Agents are implemented using power quality meters and rugged processors which communicate with MAS through serial and TCP/IP communication links. The system is intended for studying the fault location and isolation algorithm and analyzing the communication media performance.