Integral Protection of Electrical Systems a Power Quality Approach

This article proposes a new integral protection method of electrical systems for fault conditions independent of the magnitude or affected parameter, which includes conventional and high impedance faults. Additionally, the proposed method implements a simpler logic process than traditional protection methods. The method operates in a differential mode to overcome the drawbacks of legacy protection functions related to the maximum incident energy within the protected zone. This article presents the assessment of the proposed method to overcome hidden failures due to high impedance faults and to mitigate the arc-flash hazard in lines and transformers. The results of the proposed method on a steel manufacturer user are shown for different fault impedance conditions, linear and nonlinear characteristics. The results show the enhancement of clearing times and logic simplification due to the selective response of the proposed protection method in comparisson to traditional protection functions. This research presents a comparison against legacy protection functions showing how traditional protections would fail to operate in high impedance scenarios leading to unsafe working conditions.