A Precise Stator Ground Fault Location Method for Large Generators Based on Potential Analysis of Slot Conductors

The stator ground fault location of large generators can guide rapid maintenance. In this paper, a location criterion without fault transition resistance is constructed by using the fundamental potential and the third harmonic potential of the faulty winding simultaneously. The above potentials of the faulty winding are corresponding to the fault position. To precisely locate the grounding fault, it is necessary to clarify the analytical relationship between the faulty winding potential and the fault position. However, the existing methods often take the coil potential as the unit to analyze the winding potential, which has theoretical errors for the generators with short-pitch winding. Aiming at this problem, a more precise analysis method for winding potential is established by taking the slot conductor potential as the unit. To solve the location criterion, the optimization model for each slot conductor of the faulty phase is constructed. The slot conductor with the smallest optimal objective function value is judged as the faulty slot conductor, and the corresponding decision variable is judged as the fault position. Simulation and experiments verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, which can still meet the needs of engineering applications under multiple adverse conditions.