2008 International Conference on Condition Monitoring and Diagnosis, Beijing, China, April 21-24, 2008

Early Detecting and Protecting of Fault Arcs Based

on Chaos
YANG Jian-hong1*, HUANG Yi-jian1, ZHANG Ren-cheng1, FANG Huai-ying1
( College of Mechanical Engineering and Automation Huaqiao University, Quanzhou City, Fujan Province 362021, China)
*
E-mail: yjhong@hqu.edu.cn

When the max lyapunov exponents is positive, there are no arc

Abstract--In switch tank, fault arcs fault is constant and sounds. As soon as there are arc sounds, the arc protection
disastrous trouble. At the present time, the protect project of fault system sends out early warning signals, whereby occurrence of
arcs function after generating aflame arcing, which does not avoid major fault arcs is avoided. The simulated test proves that the
of generating arcing. Switch tank and electric facilities must be
destructed by aflame arcing. In the paper, simulation scheme is right and valid.
experimentations indicate that the method of arc sounds detecting
based on lyapunov exponents can extract arc sounds inundated II. THE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AND ANALYSIS OF ARC SOUNDS
background of complicate noise. With arc sounds generated
before aflame arcing, the system of fault arcs early warning is A. The establishment of experimental platform
established, which avoids endangerment brought about by aflame
arcing and establishes good foundation to fault arcs protection In
switch tank. The process of fault arcs protection is separated two
stage. There are arc sounds before generating aflame arcing, The
system send out early warning by detecting arc sounds, which can
avoid of generating fault arcs.

Index Terms-- fault arc, lyapunov exponents, arc sounds,

chaos, threshold value, critical chaotic, duffing oscillator,
threshold value Fig1 the device of generating arcs

I. INTRODUCTION
F AULT Arcs may occur in power system equipment because
of insulation failure. These faults can cause disastrous
damage if they are not detected and isolated promptly. Some
fault arcs are associated with large amounts of current flowing
in them whereas other faults have low levels of current in them.
The techniques presently used in power systems are based on
detecting faults by examining the voltages and currents of
generating line [1]. The changes in voltages and currents
usually do not occur soon after the establishment of an fault
arcs. The consequence of the damage at the faults is usually
very serious. The damage can be reduced if low-level fault arcs
are detected before they develop into major faults. The testing
indicates, Fault arcs can be divided into the two stages. The first
stage have arc sounds without major faults, the second have
major fault arcs. Therefore, arc sounds can be early warning
signals for major fault arcs.
This paper describes a technique that can detect the presence
of fault arcs by acquiring and analyzing acoustic wave
associated with the fault arcs. Arc sounds are sunk by noise.
This paper establishes chaos detecting system by sensibility to
initial condition of chaos. But the existence of arcing sounds is
judge d by artificial observation. In order to facilitate to be
calculated and identified by computer, phase spaces of time
series of arc sounds were reconstructed and lyapunov
exponents of this were calculated subsequently. When the max
lyapunov exponents is negative, [2]-[4] there are arc sounds.
The device of generating arcs was used for simulating fault
arcs. Fig.1 shows the block diagram of the device, The distance
between the electrodes of the arc generator can be changed by
hand handle, taking into account the practical electrode of fault
arcs, electrode selects rod gap, spherical gap and needle gap,
the transformer is used for increase of voltage, control device
can modulate inputting voltage, which ensures that voltage of
electrode is continuous and adjustable from 0v to 5kV.
Fault arcs are accompanied with radiation in the form of light,
sound, heat and radio waves. Sounds are very important
characterizing signals, because there is very strong
electromagnetic field interference around electric pole,
Condenser sensitive microphones can not detect arc sounds
because of strong electromagnetic field interference. Fiber
optic microphones can meet requirement of detecting arcing
sounds. This paper adopts fiber optic
microphone(FOM-010BT). The sensors and the signals
conditioning units were connected to the data acquisition
system. The received signals are processed using appropriate
signals conditioning units. Because these signals are usually
weak, they are amplified and then applied to the data
acquisition system via isolation modules that provide the
required surge protection.
B. Acquisition and Processing of Arc Sound Signals
The data acquisition system is consisted of data acquisition
card (PCI-6023E) and computer. The data acquisition program
is compiled in LabVIEW7.1. A sampling frequency of 30 kHz

978-1-4244-1622-6/08/$25.00 ©2007 IEEE


Fig.3 FFT of arc sounds of in Different gap of pole
Fig.4 FFT of arc sounds in Different shape of pole
Fig.2 FFT of arc sounds in different
l
was used to acquire the data. The fiber optic microphones
were placed around the arc generator. Several tests were
performed with different distances between the electrodes and
distance of the sensors from the arc generator. Different
electrodes, such as spheres, needles, rods, etc., were used
during the tests. A large number of tests were conducted. In all
tests, three typical recordings are presented here. Arc sounds
are drowned by very strong background noise. Therefore,
characteristics of arcing sounds can not be found from time
domain analysis. In this paper, arc sounds are analyzed by
Fourier transformation, Fig.2 shows frequency spectrum of arc
sounds in different voltage, the voltage of poles is 0kV, 30kV,
40kV separately, when the voltage of pole is 0kV, frequency
spectrum concentrates on 0-2kHz, which resulted from noise;
when the voltage of pole is 30kV, excepting for noise, in
frequency spectrum of 6kHz-10kHz, there is arcing sounds
signals, when the voltage of pole is 40KV, the frequency
spectrum of 6kHz-10kHz exists. Fig.3 shows there is wave
spectrum in the frequency spectrum of 2 kHz - 7 kHz when gap
of gap is different. Fig.4 shows there is wave spectrum in the
frequency spectrum of 4 kHz - 7 kHz when pole is different
shape.
From the above analysis, there is steady-state wave
spectrum of arcing sounds in the frequency spectrum of
4kHz-7kHz.
III. THE CHAOTIC DETECTING SYSTEM OF ARCING SOUNDS
BASED ON LYAPUNOV EXPONENTS
From the above analysis, arc sounds can be detected by
analysis of frequency spectrum, but whether arc sounds exist or
not are predicated by artificial observing only. This method can
not be used for automatic identifying by computer. Duffing
oscillator is very sensitive to initial condition, whereas Duffing
oscillator is immune to strong noise. Duffing oscillator can
extract arcing sounds from strong noise.
A. Chaotic Detecting Principle of Arc Sounds [3],[4]
In the course of detecting arc sounds, fault arcs signals (arc
sounds) are prone to be buried in the noise, thus resulting in
misjudgment or misdiagnosis. To realize the early-stage
diagnosis of fault arcs, it is necessary to weak signals detection
in the background of strong noises. Because a tiny perturbation
of a parameter might cause an essential change of the state in a
non-linear system, a large number of researchers have put
forward methods to detect weak periodic signals by using the
sensitivity of the non-linear system to its parameters. Of them,
the chaotic oscillator has been extensively studied over the past
few years [4]–[6]. Its central principle is to identify the
existence of weak periodic signals by detecting whether or not
the chaotic oscillator has been changed from the critical chaotic
state to the large-scale periodic state when the weak signals are
applied to the chaotic oscillator.
In this paper, the Holmes Duffing equation is chosen for
model. Its performance has also been studied extensively
[7–11]. The Holmes Duffing equation is
&x& + cx& − x + x 3 = F0 × cos(ωt ) （1）
where x + x is the non-linear recovery force, F0 is
3
amplitude of internal signals When ω = 1rad/s, the
corresponding state equation is
⎧ x& = y
⎨
⎩ y& = − cy + x − x + F 0 × cos t
3
(2)
After making a time scale conversion of Eq. (2), we obtain the
equation suitable for arbitrary frequency ω 0 as follows:
⎧ x& = ω 0 y
⎨
⎩ y& = ω 0 (−cy + x − x + F0 × cos(ω 0 t ))
3
(3)
If we fix c, let F0 increase gradually from 0 to more than a
certain threshold Frc ，then the law of the state change of the
Duffing oscillator in the phase space will be: when F0 is equal
to Frc , Duffing oscillator is at critical chaotic state, The To the duffing oscillator model, threshold value of internal
signals need be set before detecting signals is introduced into
corresponding phase trajectories are shown in Fig.5(a). As F0 duffing oscillator system. In this paper, threshold value of
is more great than Frc . Duffing oscillator is at large-scale internal signals is set by lyapunov exponents, let z=t, eq(3)
changes into third order self-governing system,
periodic state. The corresponding phase trajectories are shown
in Fig. 5(b). ⎧ x& = ω 0 y
⎪
When external to-be-detected weak arc sound signals and
⎨ y& = −ω 0 cy + ω 0 ( x + x ) + ω 0 F0 cos(ω 0 t )
2 3 5
(5)
noise are introduced into the oscillator, Eq. (3) changes to
⎪ z& = 1
⎧ x& = ω 0 y ⎩
⎪
⎨ y& = ω 0 ( − cy + x − x + F 0 × cos( ω 0 t )
3 (4) ω0 is frequency of internal signals, According to frequency
⎪ + F × cos( ω t + ϕ ) + N ( t )
⎩ 1 1 spectrum of arc sounds, let ω 0 =37860rad/s, eq(5) is changed
Here, ( F1 × cos(ω1t + ϕ ) + N (t ) ) is called externally into form of matrix, as show in eq(6).
F& = J × F (6)
1.5
⎡ 0 1 ⎤ 0
1
⎢ ⎥
v/(m/s)

0.5 J = ⎢ω 02 (3 x 2 + 5 x 4 )− ω 0 c ω F0 cos(ω 0 t )⎥ ,
2
0
⎢ 0 0 0 ⎥
0
⎣ ⎦
-0.5
In eq(6), matrix F is decomposed into Q × R , i.e. F = QR ,
-1
Q is orthotropic matrix, R is upper triangle matrix. Eq(6)
-1.5
-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 changes to
（a） Q& R + QR& = JQR (7)
x/m
Eq(7) changes to
( R& R −1 ) n = (Q T JQ) n (8)
v/(m/s)

According to definition of lyapunov exponents, lyapunov

exponents is calculated by eq(9), pi is column vector of initial
condition matrix.
λi = lim log F (t ) P (9)
t →∞ i
（b） x/m
Fig.5 phase trajectories of the Duffing oscillator in
different F0

input signals(arc sounds). When phase trajectories of the

duffing oscillator is at critical chaotic state by F0 . From above
frequency spectrum of arcing sounds, arc sounds has a
frequency component f 0 = 6 kHz, setting ω 0 for
2πf 0 =37680rad/s, when externally input signals is introduced
into duffing oscillator system. If signals has arc sounds. Phase
trajectories of the duffing oscillator transform from critical
chaotic state to large-scale periodic state. Whereby, whether Fig6 Relation of amplitude of internal signal and lyapunov exponents
arcing sounds exists or not can be judged accurately. In the
course of detecting arcing sounds using for this ways, Therefore, calculation of internal signals threshold value is the
transform for phase trajectories of the duffing oscillator following. Setting original value of F0 and simulating step
transform requires for very long time, which is
disadvantageous to control major fault arcs. In critical chaotic length of F0 , calculating maximal lyapunov exponents
state, the value of threshold Fr is very important. according to eq(9), if maximal lyapunov exponents is greater
than zero, program calculates lyapunov exponents repeatedly;
B. Calculation of Internal Signals Threshold Value based on if maximal lyapunov exponents is less than zero, program stops
Lyapunov Exponents [5]-[7] calculating, returning for F0 , let F0 = Fr , Fr is threshold of
critical chaotic state for Duffing oscillator system, Fig.6 shows
relation between maximal lyapunov exponents and amplitude
of internal signals. When λ max =0, F0 =0.786653. At this time,
Duffing oscillator system is critical chaotic state.
C. arcing sounds detecting based lyapunov exponents[7],[8]
Calculate threshold value of
internal signals
Arcing sounds
Duffing
oscillator
signal
syestem
state space
reconstruction
Calculating of maximal
lyapunov exponents
YES NO
Existing Maximal
arcing sounds lyapunov
Fig.7 Flow diagram of arcing sounds detecting
The state of Duffing oscillator system will be changed as
frequency of external signals introduced approximately equal
internal signals. Arcing sounds signals detected is filtered, it is
introduced into Duffing oscillator system, as show in eq(4). Let
simulating step dt=0.01S, four order Runge-Kutta is adopted in
calculating Duffing equation, one hundred lyapunov exponents
is calculated according eq(4). Duffing oscillator system is
critical chaotic state before arcing sounds signals introduced,
angular frequency of internal signals( ω 0 ) is 37680rad/s. Fig(7)
shows: When maximal lyapunov exponents is zero
( λ max = 0 ),Duffing oscillator system is critical chaotic state,
there is no arcing sounds signals in signals introduced; Fig(8)
shows: When maximal lyapunov exponents is negative
( λ max < 0 ), Duffing oscillator system is large-scale periodic
state, there is arcing sounds signals in signals introduced. Fig(9)
shows program flow diagram of detecting arcing sounds.
Fig8 allocation of lyapunov exponents in inputting noise
Fig9 allocation of lyapunov exponents in inputting arcing sounds
IV. APPENDIX
Fault arcs is recurrent fault in switch tank. At present,
protecting device of fault arcs can not avoid to generate flare
arcing, scheme of protecting bus-bar is adopted after
generatingmajor fault arcs, which results in misjudgment and
miss judgment. [9] Test shows arcing sounds is early
characteristic signals of fault arcs, arcing sounds signals can
generate early warning, but arcing sounds signals is inundated
by very strong noise. In this paper, because chaotic system is
sensibility to initial condition, phase state of Duffing oscillator
can be detected by lyapunov exponents, which can detects
arcing sounds signals accurately. The method can be
programmed easily in ARM and DSP, which can promote
industrial application of fault arcs protecting system.
V. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The project is supported by Fujian Province science and
technology plan key project（2005H036）
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