Transmission Line Protection Using Dynamic State Estimation and Advanced Sensors: Experimental Validation

This paper presents the experimental validation of a protection scheme for a transmission line based on dynamic state estimation along with the practical application of advanced sensors in this protection scheme. The scheme performs dynamic state estimation with high-frequency measurements provided by the sensors, assesses the operating condition (i.e., health) of the transmission line in real-time, and thereby determines the tripping signal whenever a fault is detected. The validation was carried out in two steps, first with simulation studies for a three-phase fault and then with the experimental implementation using a physical scaled-down model of a power system consisting of transmission lines, transformers, and loads. The simulation and validation results have shown that the scheme performs adequately in both normal and fault conditions. In the fault case with the experimental setup, the scheme could correctly detect the fault and send the trip signal to the line’s circuit breakers with a total fault clearing time of approximately 65 milliseconds which is comparable to conventional protection methods. The average processing time for a measurement sample block is 12.5 milliseconds. The results demonstrate that this scheme and the sensors would work for transmission line protection which can avoid relay coordination and settings issues.