Emprego de mapas auto-organizáveis para localização de faltas em redes de distribuição

Abstract

The power utilities must be prepared to restore the supply in an agile way constantly respecting the safety criteria and indexes of continuity and quality consistent with the current legislation. The ability to remotely locate defects accelerates this healing process. Despite own microprocessor relays and reclosers provide an indication based on the short circuit impedance, it is not applicable to distribution systems, since the networks present various bifurcations (branch lines) protected by fuse elements and different wire gauges. However, today there are several methods such as surveys show, trying to establish more precisely the data and results here involved, seeking to create an innovation and satisfaction to the electric companies. Thus, the aim of this project is to develop a methodology for distinct fault location in distribution feeders. It will combine network studies with remote monitoring of protective devices (microprocessor relays and reclosers). These input variables: load current (pre-fault current), short circuit current, post-fault current; will be obtained in real time by SCADA when a fault occurs in the network. These measures will be compared and ranked by Self- Organizing Maps (SOM) according to the patterns obtained by simulation studies of the network. With this method, it will be possible to assess the location of the defect occurring in the power grid, identifying the best map that resembles with the measured data. This research was applied in a power utility in the South of Brazil as case study, which achieved satisfactory results obtained from real data.