Accurate Fault Classifier and Locator for EHV Transmission Lines Based on Artificial Neural Networks

The ability to identify the fault type and to locate the fault in extra high voltage transmission lines is very important for the economic operation of modern power systems. Accurate algorithms for fault classification and location based on artificial neural network are suggested in this paper. Two fault classification algorithms are presented; the first one uses the single ANN approach and the second one uses the modular ANN approach. A comparative study of two classifiers is done in order to choose which ANN fault classifier structure leads to the best performance. Design and implementation of modular ANN-based fault locator are presented. Three fault locators are proposed and a comparative study of the three fault locators is carried out in order to determine which fault locator architecture leads to the accurate fault location. Instantaneous current and/or voltage samples were used as inputs to ANNs. For fault classification, only the pre-fault and post-fault samples of three-phase currents were used. For fault location, pre-fault and post-fault samples of three-phase currents and/or voltages were used. The proposed algorithms were evaluated under different fault scenarios. Studied simulation results which are presented confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.