A composite fault location method for distribution line

A method for accurate fault location on a distribution line with branches using the C-type of traveling wave signal and PNN is presented. The aim is to combine different location methods to improve the accuracy of fault location. In this method, the first step is determining the fault distance by C-type of traveling wave location method, then because branches which have the same distance to the busbar may be more than one, so using PNN neural network's pattern recognition feature to further determine the fault branch, which can achieve precise fault location. Both theoretical analyses and simulation show that this composite location method can be used to determine the single-phase-to-earth fault location accurately in the distribution network.