IEEJ TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

IEEJ Trans 2014; 9: 176–182

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI:10.1002/tee.21953

Paper

High-Impedance Fault Location Using Matching Technique and Wavelet

Transform for Underground Cable Distribution Network
Mohd Syukri Alia∗ , Non-member
Ab Halim Abu Bakar∗∗ , Non-member
Hazlie Mokhlis∗,∗∗ , Non-member
Hamzah Arof∗ , Non-member
Hazlee Azil Illias∗,∗∗ , Non-member

Locating the faulty section of a high-impedance fault (HIF) is quite challenging for the underground distribution network of a
power system. The complexity of the distribution network, such as branches, nonhomogenous lines, and HIF, contributes to the
difficulties in locating the faulty section. In this paper, the shortest distance (SD) technique and a database approach have been
proposed to determine the faulty section. A multiresolution analysis based on discrete wavelet transforms is chosen to extract the
unique features from voltage signals during the HIF event. The output coefficients from the decomposition process is stored in
a database and used as the input data for the SD algorithm. The first, second, and third level of detailed coefficients of the post-
disturbance voltage signal were utilized for the identification of the faulty section using the proposed method. A ranking analysis
was created to provide a number of possibilities of faulty section. In this paper, a 38-node underground distribution network
system in a national grid in Malaysia was modeled using the PSCAD software. The proposed method was able to successfully
determine the faulty section. © 2014 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Keywords: high-impedance fault location, underground distribution system, wavelet transform

Received 12 December 2012; Revised 5 March 2013

1. Introduction Therefore, it is crucial to detect and isolate HIFs immediately to

The IEEE Power System Relay Committee working group
of HIF Detection Technology has defined high-impedance faults
(HIFs) as those that do not produce enough fault current to be
detectable by the conventional overcurrent protection relays or
fuses. There are two scenarios for HIF: overhead cable fault and
underground cable fault.
For an overhead cable, HIF occurs when there is an undesirable
electrical contact made between a conductor and a nonconducting
object or surface. It can happen when a conductor physically
breaks and touches a high-impedance surface. HIF can also occur
without a path to ground, such as a tree branch lying across
two phase conductors. For an underground cable, HIF usually
happens as a result of insulation failure or unintentional contact
with any external nonconducting element. HIF can occur because
of a cable cut, breakdown, or flash fault. Also, defect on the outer
protective cable shield and insulation degradation due to moisture
and contamination on an insulator contribute to an HIF event.
Both scenarios of HIF will create arcing and are a significant fire
hazard, which is very dangerous to the public and the environment
unless it is detected and isolated as soon as possible. Besides, it
is important to immediately detect partial failure of an insulator
before a complete failure occurs, which may lead to power outages
that can cause loss of production.
a
Correspondence to: Mohd Syukri Ali. E-mail: mosba86@yahoo.com.my
* Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University
of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
** UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), Level 4,
Wisma R&D, University of Malaya, Jalan Pantai Baharu, 59990 Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia
avoid unnecessary incidents and losses. There are two categories
of HIF detection: mechanical HIF and electrical HIF detections.
Mechanical HIF detection comprises a device that provides a low-
impedance ground path by catching the falling conductor to trigger
the overcurrent protection relay to operate. Unfortunately, this
method involves high installation and maintenance costs. However,
electrical HIF detection only utilizes the voltage and current signals
measured from the current transformer and the voltage transformer,
which is economical. This method consists of a digital-based
technique for extracting the signal signatures.
For these reasons, different electrical HIF detection schemes
have been proposed in the past [1–3]. Most of the detection
schemes focus on identifying special features of the voltage and
current signals associated with HIF. The irregularities in the
voltage and current waveforms give unique characteristics to be
extracted. To extract useful features from these voltage and cur-
rent signals, some signal processing methods have been utilized,
such as the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) [3], Fourier trans-
form [4], Prony analysis [5], S-transform [6], TT-transform [7],
and phase space reconstruction [8]. Sarlak and Shahrtash [9]
employed a multiresolution morphological gradient (MMG) for
feature extraction of the current waveforms. They used the out-
put of the MMG method to detect and distinguish an HIF event
from other phenomena, such as capacitor bank switching, load
switching, and harmonic load.
After an HIF has been successfully detected, the power system
protection engineer faces the challenges of the decision to trip the
feeder or to raise an alarm signal regarding to the event. This
course of action is taken on the basis of the location of the fault.
It is necessary to trip the feeder if the event has taken place
around a school or a residential area. On the other hand, if the
HIF occurred in the vicinity of a hospital or industrial region, a

© 2014 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
 HIGH IMPEDANCE FAULT LOCATION USING WAVELET TRANSFORM
better decision is to trigger the alarm. HIF can be successfully
detected by utilizing the previous methods. However, locating the
fault is still the most challenging because HIF in an underground
cable cannot be seen and located easily. Also, the complexity of
the distribution network, such as branches, nonhomogenous lines,
and the HIF itself, results in a variation of the fault location.
Although there are various methods to locate the fault for low-
impedance faults [10–12], there has been less work on locating
the HIF in an underground distribution network. For underground
cables, locating the HIF is quite difficult. Pinpointing the exact
location of the fault is necessary before digging up the cable and a
visual confirmation of the problem is made before repair. In order
to pinpoint the location, a surge generator is turned on to thump the
cable. However, if all cables at each section is thumped, especially
for a long cable, it could take days to locate a fault. Besides that,
a healthy but aged cable will be exposed to potential damage due
to the high-voltage thumping.
Analyzing the faulty section and estimating the possible faulty
section is necessary to overcome these problems. There are
several researches conducted to identify fault location. Nagy et al .
have used the DWT to extract the voltage and current residuals
to identify the faulty feeder. The faulty feeder is determined
on the basis of the power polarity [13]. Nagy et al . have also
used the ratio of the residual current amplitude method to
determine the faulty section. The measured highest ratio of residual
current amplitude determines the faulty section [14]. Dwivedi
et al . [15] determined the faulty section by comparing the sharp
variation value of the third-level detail coefficient at each section.
A topology method has been proposed to identify the faulty
section [16]. The faulty section is identified on the basis of the
last two nodes of a common “active sensor” path.
In this paper, classification of the faulty section in a radial
distribution network was done by utilizing a DWT-based multires-
olution analysis (MRA) and a database approach. The proposed
technique utilizes detailed coefficients of the first-, second-, and
third-level resolutions obtained from the wavelet multiresolution
decomposition of a three-phase voltage signal. The proposed fault
location method was tested on a typical 38-node distribution net-
work system in Malaysia. The simulation results were compared
with the actual fault location to validate the proposed method.
2. High-Impedance Fault Detection and Localization
HIF is a disturbance event that produces arcing. It may lead to
potential hazard for both humans and the environment. If this event
is not treated immediately, it will cause an unnecessary incident
to happen and the interruption of power system equipment and
operations. Therefore, it is crucial to detect the occurrence of HIF
as soon as possible. HIF detection can be categorized into two
types: mechanical HIF detection and electrical HIF detection. Both
techniques are utilized to identify the occurrence of HIF in the
distribution network system.
The procedures for electrical HIF detection comprise two basic
steps: feature extraction and pattern recognition. In the feature
extraction process, significant information from voltage and current
signals is extracted using various feature extractors or digital signal
processing; whereas in the pattern recognition process, the feature
extracted will be fed to the classifier to be trained to define and
determine the characteristics of the distorted voltage and current
signal caused by the HIF. The classifier also will be trained to
discriminate HIF from other similar fault phenomena, such as
inrush current, load switching, line switching, insulator leakage
current, and harmonic load.
Although the occurrence of an HIF has been successfully
detected, identifying the fault location in a power system network
during disturbance is a major challenge especially for a distribution
177
network. This is due to the complexity of the distribution network,
such as nonhomogenous line, branches, and an HIF that results
in a variation of fault location. In engineering practice, there are
two scenarios that can be taken after the HIF is detected: trip the
feeder or give an alarm. First, trip the feeder right after the HIF is
detected. The purpose of this action is to de-energize the feeder to
avoid the arcing and fire hazard. However, if this action is chosen,
locating the HIF will become difficult.
If the feeder is not tripped, the HIF can be located easily via
sound, radio frequency interference (RFI), sight, or loss of power
in an area. However, the alarm signal has to be taken seriously and
immediately because the energized conductor can produce arcing
and is a fire hazard, which is very dangerous especially if the region
is around a school or residential area. Therefore, the decision to
de-energize or not as a course of action must be based on the
relative consequences of each action.
3. Proposed Method for High-Impedance Fault
Location
In this paper, the localization of the high impedance fault
algorithm is constructed using the matching technique based
on the SD adopting the output of DWT-based MRA. The SD
approach is described in three-dimensional space by means of three
coordinates. The process to determine the faulty section is depicted
in Fig. 1. It involves two major steps, namely HIF detection and
HIF location.
3.1. Feature extraction for fault localization For
HIF classification of fault location, two cycles of post disturbance
of the three-phase voltage signal are analyzed and important
features extracted using the DWT-based MRA. The voltage signal
is split into one full cycle consisting of 128 samples, of which each
full cycle is analysed separately using the DWT of Daubechies
fourth order (Daub4). Then, the features extracted from the three-
phase voltage are utilized to identify the fault location. The features
extracted can also be used to identify the occurrence of an HIF.
The occurrence of HIF can be observed by the large fluctuation
in the first level of the detailed coefficient, d1 . The surge signal
Three-phase
voltage signal
HIF detection
Feature
extraction
Fault type
identification
No Yes
Detection
? HIF location
HIF location
algorithm
Ranking
procedure
Possible faulty
section
Fig. 1. Flowchart for HIF detection and location
IEEJ Trans 9: 176–182 (2014)
 M. S. ALI ET AL.

Decomposition at level 3 : s = a3 + d3 + d2 + d1. ij

5 i (x1, y1, z1) j (x2, y2, z2)
s 0
−5 dk
fj
5
a3 0
−5 f (x3, y3, z3)
0.05

d3 0 Fig. 3. Three-coordinate diagram for each node

−0.05
0.1
0.05
d2 0
−0.05
−0.1
−0.15
0.02
d1
0.01
0
−0.01
−0.02
50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Fig. 2. DWT-based MRA decomposition
provides an easy identification of an abnormality in the voltage
signal during the HIF event as shown in Fig. 2.
After detecting an HIF, it is necessary to classify its type; only
the sum of first-level approximation coefficients from the second
cycle is needed. This sum is divided by the sum of first-level
approximation coefficients obtained from the normal cycle given
by (1).

a(HIF)
Approximation Ratio, AR =  (1)
a(normal)
Based on the value of this ratio, the HIF is classified into one
of four fault types and thus the database to use as follows:
1. Single line to-ground fault (SLGF)—the faulted phase will
have AR magnitude lower than 1.0 and the other two higher
than 1.0;
2. Three-phase fault (LLLF)—All three phases have AR magni-
tudes that are almost identical in value;
3. Double line-to-ground fault (LLGF)—Faulted phases will have
AR magnitude lower than 1.0 and the other phase higher than
1.0;
4. Line-to-line fault (LLF)—The healthy phase will have an AR
magnitude the same as before the fault (AR = 1), whereas the
faulted phase change (one of the phases has AR magnitude
lower than 1.0, and vice versa).
3.2. Extracted data for database development To
generate a set of databases, predefined high-impedance faults
(60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 ) are applied at each node. Then,
two cycles of post-disturbance voltage signal acquired from the
measurement point are extracted using the DWT-based MRA.
The high-frequency components (detail coefficients) are extracted
from the voltage signal during the decomposition process. Three
levels of detailed coefficients are obtained, and sum of detailed
coefficients is calculated. Experimentally, it has been found that
a different fault impedance value applied at the different nodes
generates a unique pattern of detailed coefficients. Therefore, each
database will have six parts, which consists of the first, second,
and third level of detailed coefficients for the first and second cycle
of post-disturbance voltage signal.
After the HIFs applied to all nodes have been simulated, a
combination of two adjacent nodes that form a line section is
created. For example, a line section i–j was created between
nodesi and j as shown in Fig. 3.
3.3. Proposed matching technique based on the SD
The main objective of this work is to locate the faulty section
in an underground distribution network. In this approach, the SD
dk from a point f to a line i–j is calculated where point f is a
measured data and line i–j is a simulated data for node i and j
stored in the database. As shown in Fig. 3, the points i and j form
a straight line, and the SD dk from a point f perpendicular to line
450 500 550 i–j is calculated.
−
→ − →
| fj x ij |
Shortest Distance, dk = −
→ (2)
| ij |
Points i , j , and f are described in three-dimensional space
by means of three coordinates. The summation of the detailed
coefficients of phases A, B, and C voltage signal is represented
by the x -, y-, and z -axes, respectively. In this proposed method,
line i–j is assumed to be a line section between nodes i and j
while point f is assumed to be an unknown signal. The unknown
signal is measured by the application of a certain fault at a certain
location.
In this method, the value of the SD is used to predict the
probability that the measured signal belongs to a particular line
section. Therefore, the SD is calculated between the measured
signal and all line sections. Then, the line section that yields the
smallest value of the SD has a higher priority to be assumed as
the location of HIF occurrence.
3.4. Ranking analysis Even though the fault location
can be predicted on the basis of the smallest value of the SD,
there is a possibility that the fault does not belong to that line
section. In these cases, the second SD value is considered as the
faulty section. The process is iterated until the actual fault location
is identified. Thus, it is necessary to rank the SD value for all line
sections. They are arranged from the smallest to the highest values
of the SD, with the smallest value is ranked as the first.
However after estimating the faulty section, in engineering
practice, it is compulsory to pinpoint the exact location of the
HIF in a buried cable. In order to pinpoint the exact location
of the fault, a surge generator is turned on to start thumping
the cable. The surge generator is a portable device that injects
a high-voltage dc pulse, typically up to 30 kV, at the surface
termination of the cable to be tested. A high acoustic signal that is
locally audible on the ground surface using the ground microphone,
receiver, and headphone determines the flashover noise where an
HIF occurred. The highest amplitude of flashover noise pinpoints
the exact location of the fault. Therefore, the proposed algorithm
narrows down the possible faulty section and thus expedites the
process of pinpointing the exact location of the fault. Also, it
protects an unwanted aged cable from being exposed to high-
voltage thumping.
4. Simulation and Results
Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a typical 11-kV distri-
bution network system in Malaysia. It consists of 38 nodes that
represent 34 line sections. The test system frequency is 50 Hz
and the sampling frequency is 6.4 kHz, which produces 128 sam-
ples per cycle. The measurement point is at a feeder bus of the
132/11 kV radial distribution network.

178 IEEJ Trans 9: 176–182 (2014)

 HIGH IMPEDANCE FAULT LOCATION USING WAVELET TRANSFORM

DWT is a transform function that splits the signal into high-

frequency (detail coefficients) and low-frequency components
(approximation coefficients). Since HIF is characterized by the
presence of high-frequency components, detailed coefficients of
DWT are good candidates to be considered to determine the faulty

132/11kV

132/11kV
Y

Y
#1 #1
section. In previous traditional methods for fault detection such as
#2 #2
the impedance-based method, a small fluctuation on the voltage
signal during HIF event cannot be detected since it acts as a

Measured
normal signal. However, the anomaly in the voltage signal can be

node
Bus

illustrated using the DWT, where sharp fluctuation on the detailed

breaker
Circuit
breaker 20
Circuit
coefficients shows the abnormality of the signal and the time when
38

37

36

35

34

the fault occurred.

3
S 21 S 20 S 19 S 18 S 17 Therefore, to determine the faulty section and to investigate the
S1
S 22

14

17

18

19
effectiveness of the proposed method, a certain fault impedance
21

S2 S3 S4 S5
S 23

value is applied at a certain location. In this paper, three different

S8

S6
15

fault impedance values (75, 85, and 95 ) are tested in the

5
22
S 24 S 25 S 27 S 28

S9

S7

middle of the line section. Two cycles of post-disturbance of the

23

16
6

three-phase voltage signal measured after the fault is applied are

S 10

12

13
25

analyzed using the DWT-based MRA. From the analysis, three

24

S 26 S 11 S 12
levels of the detailed coefficients obtained are summed up for each
S 13

level. The first level consists of 64 detailed coefficients sampled

26

8
S 14

Feeder 1 in the 1.6–3.2 kHz frequency range. The second and third levels
29

28

27

S 30 S 29 consist of 32 and 16 detailed coefficients sampled at 0.8–1.6 and

S 15
S 31 S 32 S 33 S 34

0.4–0.8 kHz frequency ranges, respectively. Then, the sum of

10
30

detailed coefficients for each level is used as input data for the
S 16

Feeder 2
proposed algorithm.
31

11

In the proposed algorithm, the SD between the measured signal

and line section is calculated for each line section. There are three
32

different values of SD, which represent levels 1, 2, and 3. The

33

final value of the SD is the average value of the three different

values of the measured SD. After the final value of the SD is
obtained for all line sections, the line section is arranged on the
Fig. 4. Schematic diagram of a 132/11 kV distribution network basis of the value of the SD. The line section with the smallest
value of the SD will be ranked as first until all the line sections are
ranked. The purpose of this ranking is to list out the possibility of
A typical 38-node of the 132/11 kV distribution network system the faulty section candidate if the first rank line section is not the
was simulated using the PSCAD software. From the simulation actual faulty section. It gives a guide to the engineer to determine
performed, simultaneous three-phase voltage signal measured at the next line section to be checked until the actual faulty section
a measurement point is analyzed using the DWT-based MRA is identified.
technique which was programmed in MATLAB. One full cycle
consists of 128 sample voltage signals analyzed separately for
two cycles of post-disturbance voltage signal. The summation 4.2. Analysis of the test result Four different locations
of detailed coefficients obtained from the DWT analysis is were selected to represent the fault at feeder 1, feeder 2, and
calculated for the disturbed voltage signal. The classification of branches. Three different fault impedance values, namely 75,
fault localization using the sum of detailed coefficients is utilized 85, and 95 , were chosen to observe the effectiveness of the
in the proposed method. In this case, two different types of faults proposed method. Table I summarizes the tested location and fault
(SLGF and LLLF) are tested to observe the effectiveness of the impedance values.
proposed method. These types of fault are considered since they The test results for SLGF and LLLF are shown in Table II.
are the most frequent types of fault occurring in the network. As illustrated in the table, columns 3 and 4 show the number of
The successful fault location in a distribution network depends iterations until the actual faulty section is traced. From Table II,
upon the HIF value. However, there is no specific range of the
HIF value. In (Uriarte & Centeno, 2005), the value of HIF is Table I. Test system for the analysis
recommended based on the type of surface where the conductor is
contacted such as dry sand and concrete. Another value for HIF is Test section Fault impedance value ()
set to 140 k in a case when distribution network suffered from a
fault due to leaning tree (Elkalashy et al ., 2008). In (Bretas et al ., Section 9 (Main at feeder 1) 75
2006) and (Jung et al ., 2007), the maximum HIF value is set to 100 85
95
and 200 , respectively. In this paper, HIF values are considered
Section 34 (Main at feeder 2) 75
between 75 and 100 , as this range of HIF values a commonly 85
occurs in underground distribution network. 95
Section 2 (Branch at feeder 1) 75
4.1. DWT-based MRA and fault localization analysis 85
DWT is used to extract important features from a three-phase 95
Section 29 (Branch at feeder 2) 75
voltage signal during the HIF event. DWT is chosen because of
85
its capability to identify a small fluctuation that can hardly be
95
seen by a sharp fluctuation of the detailed coefficients. Generally,

179 IEEJ Trans 9: 176–182 (2014)

 M. S. ALI ET AL.

Table II. Result for SLGF and LLLF 18

16
Fault impedance 14
Test section value () SLGF LLLF 12
Section 9 (Main at feeder 1) 75 2 1 10 SLGF
85 3 1 8
6 LLLF
95 3 1
Section 34 (Main at feeder 2) 75 3 3 4
85 3 3 2
95 2 3 0
Section 2 (Branch at feeder 1) 75 1 1 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
85 1 1
95 1 2 Fig. 5. 75- fault impedance for SLGF and LLLF
Section 29 (Branch at feeder 2) 75 3 3
85 2 3 20
95 1 3 18
16
14
Table III. Result of faulty section 9 with 75  fault impedance 12
10 SLGF
SD value Faulty section candidate Ranking number 8
LLLF
6
0.000308 10 1 4
0.000409 9 2 2
0.000446 8 3 0
0.000537 13 4 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
0.000555 2 5
Fig. 6. 85- fault impedance for SLGF and LLLF

it is found that the faulty section has been successfully located 16

on the first rank in section 2 (SLGF) and section 9 (LLLF) for
all three fault impedance values, and section 29 (SLGF) with fault
impedance of 95  and section 2 (LLLF) with fault impedances of
75  and 85 . The other test sections have successfully located
the actual faulty section on the second or third rank.
For example, in Table III, the fault impedance of 75  is applied
in the middle line section 9 for SLGF. It can be observed that the
lowest value of the SD belongs to section 10 instead of section 9.
Since the real faulty section does not occur in section 10, the next
line section with the second lowest value of the SD is checked,
and it is found that it belongs to section 9, where the actual fault
is located.
In engineering practice, if the fault does not occur in the first
rank section, then the next line section will be checked. In order
to make a confirmation of the faulty section, an engineer has to do
visual and physical inspection by visiting the suspected location.
Therefore, the proposed method for locating the faulty section
helps to guide an engineer in determining the line section to be
checked first and determine the next line section to be checked
in sequence. Otherwise, it will be difficult for an engineer (even
for an experienced one) to determine the exact faulty section.
Traditionally, each line section will be checked until the actual
faulty section is traced. This consumes a lot of time and energy in
tracing the fault.
4.3. Overall performance In order to further evaluate
the effectiveness of the proposed methods, a fault applied at the
middle line of each section is tested. Then, the capability of the
proposed methods to locate the fault for each section is analyzed.
The effectiveness of the proposed method can be evaluated based
on the ranking when the actual faulty section is found. Figures 5–7
show the number of line section that has successfully located
depending on the rank number. From the figures, it can be seen
that most of the faulty sections are located in the first rank. In
SLGF analysis, 14 faulty sections are located in the first iteration
for a fault impedance of 75 , while 13 faulty sections are located
in the first iteration for fault impedance of 85 and 95 . In LLLF
14
12
10
8 SLGF
6 LLLF
4
2
0
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Fig. 7. 95- fault impedance for SLGF and LLLF
analysis, 16, 18, and 15 faulty sections have successfully located at
the first rank for fault impedances of 75, 85, and 95 , respectively.
In Figs. 5–7, it can also be seen that there is a small number
of faulty sections that are located after four or five iterations.
From the theoretical point of view, it is acceptable to correctly
identify the actual faulty section after four or five iterations. This
is because locating the faulty section of the radial distribution
network for HIF is quite difficult especially due to the complexity
of the network, such as branches and nonhomogenous lines, which
result in variation of the faulty section. Besides, the tested HIF
values of 75, 85, and 95  do not match with the database values.
In a database, only 70, 80, 90, and 100  values are available.
Thus, the number of iterations required to locate the fault may
increase.
5. Conclusion
In this paper, we proposed an SD approach locate the faulty
section in a typical 132/11 kV distribution network system. DWT-
based MRA was used to extract the important features from a
three-phase sinusoidal voltage. The first-, second-, and third-level
resolution of detailed coefficients of voltage signals obtained from
the analysis were used as input data for the proposed method.
Ranking analysis was made based on the SD value to give a
number of possibilities of the faulty section. This was because

180 IEEJ Trans 9: 176–182 (2014)

 HIGH IMPEDANCE FAULT LOCATION USING WAVELET TRANSFORM
a certain fault was incorrectly located in the first iteration. Thus,
the next line section was checked and the step was repeated until
the actual fault was traced.
A better performance of the proposed method in locating the
faulty section at the first rank can be established by increasing
the number of databases. However, the proposed method has
successfully determined the faulty section based on the voltage
signals. Since only two cycles of post-fault voltage signals are
required, this method is capable of identifying the faulty section
quickly. This method has also been found effective in locating the
faulty section and can be easily adopted in cable fault location.
6. Acknowledgement
This work was supported by the University of Malaya, Kuala
Lumpur, (UMRG grant: RG077/09AET) and under postgraduate
research fund (PPP) (Grant code: PS009-2012A).
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Mohd Syukri Ali (Non-member) was born in Malacca, Malaysia,
in 1986. He received the B.E. degree in telecom-
munication engineering in 2009 from the Uni-
versity of Malaya, Malaysia.
Ab Halim Abu Bakar (Non-member) received the B.Sc. degree in
electrical engineering in 1976 from Southamp-
ton University, UK, and M.E. and Ph.D. degrees
from the University of Technology Malaysia in
1996 and 2003, respectively. He has 30 years
of utility experience in Malaysia before join-
ing academia. Currently, he is a Lecturer in
UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre
(UMPEDAC), University of Malaya, Malaysia. His research inter-
ests include power system protection and power system transients.
Dr Halim is a member of the IEEE, CIGRE, IET. He is also a
Chartered Engineer.
Hazlie Mokhlis (Non-member) received the B.E. degree in elec-
trical engineering in 1999 and M.E. degree in
2002 from University of Malaya, Malaysia, and
the Ph.D. degree from the University of Manch-
ester, UK, in 2009. Currently he is a Lecturer
with the Department of Electrical Engineering,
University of Malaya. His main research inter-
ests include distribution automation and power
system protection.
Hamzah Arof (Non-member) obtained the B.E. degree from the
University of Michigan, USA, and the Ph.D.
degree 1997 from the University of Wales,
UK, both in electrical engineering. Currently,
he is a Lecturer in the Department of Electrical
Engineering, University of Malaya. His current
research interests include signal processing, pat-
tern recognition, and electrical power generation.
IEEJ Trans 9: 176–182 (2014)
 M. S. ALI ET AL.

Hazlee Azil Illias (Non-member) was born in Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia, in 1983. He received the B.E. degree
in electrical engineering from the University of
Malaya, Malaysia, in 2006, and the Ph.D. degree
from the University of Southampton, UK, in
2011. Currently, he is a Lecturer in the Depart-
ment of Electrical Engineering, University of
Malaya. His main research interests include par-
tial discharge modeling and measurements in solid dielectrics.

182 IEEJ Trans 9: 176–182 (2014)