Dealing with uncertainties in non-homogeneous transmission line electrical parameters during traveling wave-based fault location procedures

This paper presents a methodology to deal with uncertainties in electrical parameters of multi-section non-homogeneous lines (NHLs) during traveling wave (TW)-based fault location procedures. Required functions to detect fault-induced TWs, to identify the faulted section and to estimate fault search fields are firstly described and then, their step-by-step are demonstrated by means of Alternative Transients Program (ATP) simulations of faults on a four-section 380 kV/50 Hz NHL. A closed-form fault location solution is used to analyse the test system, taking into account settings computed by means of line parameters that present some level of uncertainty. Fault features and applied settings are varied in order to demonstrate the procedures of interest, highlighting the influence of NHL uncertainties on TW-based fault location procedures. The obtained results reveal the presented methodology is reliable and able to properly estimate the faulted section, as well as to calculate reliable fault search fields, even when realistic inaccuracies in line parameters are considered.