Fault signal filtering for improving fault section estimation

Fault diagnostic processes obtain data from circuit-breaker relay status and SCADA messages. To speed up fault diagnosis processes, a scheme of fault signal filtering (FSF) is proposed for the rapid estimation of fault regions, prior to further pinpointing of the fault. By considering circuit-breaker relay status, boundary regions are formed by joining up devices that have tripped. A search process is then initiated to locate generators in each region for deciding whether the region is 'alive' or 'dead' with faulted components. As an independent process, the proposed scheme is not meant to replace but to complement, reduce and speed up existing fault diagnosis techniques. Tests performed on a 174-bus network have established the potential of the proposed scheme for online implementation.