A fault location method based on single-ended traveling wave using discrete wavelet transform

Abstract

Fault location is one of the most efficient methods to improve reliability and reduce downtime of a power system. This paper develops a new fault location method based on the traveling wave using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The fault current measurement data at the two line ends is converted to the αβ0 frame via the Clarke transform, the alpha current component is then decomposed by the DWT to extract the detail coefficients containing the high frequency levels. Thus, the traveling wave propagation will appear on the transmission line after a fault occurs at any location along the line. The single-ended technique is considered in this paper for a test system based on a single-circuit power transmission line model. The choice of the most suitable sampling frequency for locating faults in transmission lines was also investigated to achieve a high fault location accuracy. The research results are simulated and verified in MATLAB/Simulink software.