Traveling Waves For

Fault Location and Protection

Venkat Mynam

Copyright © SEL 2016

Source-Free Wave Equation…Free
Space
B H
xE    0
t t

D E
xH   0
t t

2
E
xxE  0 0 2
t

1 E2 1
2
 E 2 2 0 c
c t 0 0
 On a Lossless Line

2V 1 2V
2
 2 2 0
x c t
Solutions are any function of the form:
 Propagation Along a Line

• Forward (Left) and backward (right) traveling

waves maintain their shape if there are no
losses, until they “hit” something
• Losses cause traveling waves to attenuate
and usually distort…
R G
…unless 
L C
 Propagation Along a Line

• Skin effect vs frequency

increases R, decreases L
• Corona can far exceed I2R losses
• Ground mode is more resistive
Discontinuities: Faults, Buses, …

At the discontinuity,
v vI  v R
  ZD
i iI  iR

 ZD  ZC  1 short
vR    vI 
 ZD  ZC  1 open
ρV, Reflection Coefficient

 ZC  ZD  1 short
iR    iI 
 ZC  ZD  1 open
 Out on the Power Line
(The birth of a traveling wave)
408 kV
Voltage Collapse

Zot!!

Insulator
Sportsman

GROUND
At the Instant of Voltage Collapse

• A traveling 408 kV wave front emanates in

both directions on the faulted conductor
• Current waves are con”currently*” produced
vF vF
iF iF
 As the voltage/current Wave Front
Travels
• Rise time increases
• Amplitude decreases

High frequencies attenuated due to conductor

skin effect losses
Faults Launch Traveling Waves
 No Detectable High-Frequency
Transient at Line Terminal When Fault
Inception Angle Is Zero
TW Fault Location Principle
Single End and Double End
Amperes
BPA and BC Hydro Successfully
Used This Technology to Locate
Faults
 Accurately Locate Faults With
Traveling Waves

For a fault at 38.16 miles

Method Distance (miles) Difference (miles)

Impedance 34.03 4.13

Traveling wave (TW) 37.98 0.18

CT Bandwidth Is Adequate to Capture
TWs

R. C. Dugan, M. F. McGranaghan, and H. W. Beaty, Electrical Power Systems Quality. McGraw Hill, New York, NY, 1995.
CVTs Have Limited
Bandwidth

M. Kezunovic, L. Kojovic, V. Skendzic, C. W. Fromen, D. R. Sevcik, and

S. L. Nilsson, “Digital Models of Coupling Capacitor Voltage Transformers for
Protective Relay Transient Studies,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery,
Vol. 7, Issue 4, October 1992, pp. 1927–1935.
 Practical Considerations
• Forming vI, vR uses all the information (v and
i) helps sort out reflected, transmitted waves
• CTs are pretty “hi-fi” for transients: over 100
kHz
• CCVTs are not, except at the capacitive
voltage divider tap, but that means new
cabling
• Use currents and two-end method
• Perfect in current differential relays
• Reuse same communications channel
 Advantages of TWFL in Relays

• Availability of TWFL for all lines

• No need for new wires or sensors
• Built-in relay-to-relay communication
• Built-in time synchronization
• Protection elements to aid fault location
• Z-based fault locator that complements TWFL
 TW Fault Locator Design

• Filter and sample phase currents

• Isolate desired aerial mode
• Accurately measure time of arrival
• Exchange arrival time with other end, over
same 87L channel
• Calculate location using two-ended TWFL
equation
Differentiator-Smoother Works Great
Borrowed Idea From “Leading-Edge
Tracking”
Current Arrival
i(t) is(t) dis/dt Time
ta

s Interpolate to
50 ns Accuracy
s

a
Relative Accuracy ~ 50 ns

Mean Error = 17 ns or 8′

Standard Deviation = 32 ns or 16′

First Application Helps Locate Faults
on Challenging 161 kV Line

SEL-411L SEL-411L
SEL-411L Reported Ground Fault
at 59.04 Miles
“We Know Where Your Faults Are”

Nature of Fault Line Patrol (miles) TW (miles)

Flashover 67.91 68.19
Lead projectile 38.16 37.98
Lightning 66.86 67.25
Flashover 61.50 61.42
Flashover 50.18 50.56
Flashover 59.04 59.04

Accuracy within one to two tower spans

SEL-411L TW Works on Tapped Lines
115 kV, 112.85-Mile Line
Line Energization From Brasada
Identifies Tap Locations
Amperes
 Line Patrol – It Was Like
“Chasing Ghosts on This Line”

Nature of Fault Line Patrol (miles) TW (miles)

Flashover 36.65 36.33
Flashover 36.65 36.76
Flashover 6.92 6.92*
Flashover 91.62 91.76
Flashover 4.94 4.94*
Bird waste 47.1 47.35

Accuracy within one to two tower spans

*Single-ended fault location
 Single-Ended TWFL
Challenging to Identify Correct Reflections

First Wave

Reflection 1
Reflection 2
Impedance-Based Fault Location
Sorts Reflections
Calculates FL at 6.95 Miles
Brasada Terminal Open

Ideal Condition for Impedance FL

Impedance Points Way, TW Finds Fault
Calculated at 6.92 Miles

First Wave

Reflection From Fault

TW Fault Location Is Perfect for
Series-Compensated Lines
Estimate Propagation Velocity and
Fault Location

Reflection From Remote Terminal

Reflection From Fault

2 • LL
Velocity = = 0.98069
First Wave (∆t fault + ∆tremote ) • c
CFE Reported 55.67 Miles for This Fault

SEL-411L TW (miles) Standalone TW (miles)

55.66 55.43
SEL-411L Relays With TW Function
In Service on 345 kV Underground Cables
 Waves Propagate Slower in
Underground Cables

Event captured during cable energization

Wave Velocity = 0.48 Times Speed of Light

Locate Temporary and Permanent
Faults Using Traveling Waves
TW Technology for Protection of
Transmission Lines
 The Need for Speed
Moving Energy at the Speed of Light
Safer • Less Damage • Improved Dynamics
15 MW more per millisecond saved
R. B. Eastvedt, BPA, 1976 WPRC
 Why Today?
The Need for Speed

Faster communications
Powerful processors
Better simulations
May be simpler
Practical Traveling Wave Relaying
Build on TWFL Experience

Single-ended: sort out reflections; easier with

voltages
Two-ended:
Directional
comparison
Current
differential
Speed of Light Limits Relay Time
S 100-mile line ≈ 600 µs R
X
300 μs 300 μs

600 μs by line or 1,000 μs by fiber

900 μs or 1,300 μs

The fastest communications path is the line

 TW Directional Element Principle
iF
vTW i
TW vF

vF

vTW iTW
vTW
+ –
Forward
iTW – +
+ +
Reverse
– –
TW32F Asserts – Forward Fault

TW32F Operate
 TW32R Asserts – Reverse Fault
100 5

0 0

-100 -5
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Time (µs)
50 2

0 0

-50 -2
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Time (µs)
0
TW32R Operate
-500

-1000
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Time (µs)
TW32F Asserts if vTW and iTW Are
Opposite in Polarity
New TW Differential Principle
Current Only
• Internal fault surges: same polarity
• External fault surges:
 Generally of opposite polarity
 Spaced one travel time T apart

Σ of aligned surges = OPERATE

∆ of surges T apart = RESTRAIN
 Internal Mid-Line Fault
Σ = Is(300) + Ir(300) = BIG
∆ = Is(300) − Ir(300 +/− 600) = small
S R

IF(0)
Internal Fault Closer to S
Σ = Is(200) + Ir(400) = BIG
∆ = Is(200) − Ir(200 +/− 600) = small
S R

IF(0)
TW87 Principle – Internal Fault

Line propagation time

m87 < 1 pu
External Fault Travels the Entire Line
Σ = Is(50) + Ir(650) = small
∆ = Is(50) − Ir(50 +/− 600) = BIG
S R

IF(0)
 TW87 Principle – External Fault

Remote Current (A)

Local Current (A)

Line propagation time

m87 = 1 pu
TW87 Element Operates When
IOP Exceeds IRST

OP

RST

87
 TW87 Performance: 161 kV,117 km Line
BG Fault, 117 km, Fault is at 18%
Phase A
TW (A)

IL = 0.68 A
IR = 0.35 A
Phase B
TW (A)

IOP = 1.03 A
TT=396 s IRST = 0.13 A
m87 = 0.81 pu
Phase C
TW (A)
TW87 Operating Time on a 117 km Line
Time (µs)
F F
75

321

972

Trip in 1.2 ms
 Traveling Waves Provide Accurate Fault
Location and High Speed Line Protection