A platform for real-time monitoring and detection of conductor integrity related health hazards in distribution networks

With the growth of distribution systems and the stress it entails on network components, there has recently been an increasing concern with their integrity. In particular, Distribution System Operators (DSOs) show special concern regarding faults that could potentially prove hazardous towards citizens. In particular, High Voltage (HV) Line Down faults occur when an overhead line on the HV network falls to the ground, losing supply from the HV side but remaining live from the Low Voltage (LV) side. These faults are extremely hazardous and life-threatening to both people and wildlife. Moreover, this kind of event destabilises the voltages on the LV side, which fall to levels far below their rating and that may be too low to ensure quality of supply to customers. This paper presents the Eneida DeepGrid® HV Line Down fault detection method and its performance under various scenarios. Results show that this method is able to correctly detect and pinpoint faults, as well as identify the faulty phase.