Evaluating Single-Phase Reclosing on Distribution Grid Voltage

This paper presents a distribution feeder voltage analysis when single-phase tripping (SPT) is implemented in reclosers. In order to do so, it was evaluated the fuse-recloser coordination for two line-to-ground faults. For the first case the fault was eliminated by the recloser lockout, while, in the second case, it was eliminated by the fuse operation. In this two cases it was analyzed the short and long duration root-mean-square variations, according to IEEE Recommended Practice for Monitoring Electric Power Quality - IEEE Std 1159. Aiming on a practical application, it was modeled a real overhead distribution feeder with a radial configuration in Alternative Transients Program (ATP). Intuitively, one may expect that SPT could reduce outage numbers by two-thirds for line-to-ground faults. However, this does not occur when the secondary grid voltage is analyzed, since the distribution transformer introduce an angular displacement between the primary and secondary voltages. In summary, it is perceived a severe under-voltage in two phases of the secondary distribution system.