TRANSMISSION LINE PROTECTION USING GPS

G.DHIVYA M.HARIHARAN MUTHAMIZH RAJA B.NAGARATHINAM

OVERVIEW
Fault and its causes GPS Technique Fault Location Methods Concept of travelling waves Functional block diagram Advantages and disadvantages Summary

WHAT IS A FAULT IN A TRANSMISSION LINE?

POSSIBLE CAUSES OF FAULT

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit. GPS are space-based radio positioning systems that provide time and three-dimensional position and velocity information to suitably equipped users anywhere on or near the surface of the earth. GPS was originally intended for military applications, but later allocated for civilian use. GPS links a master station with substations.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF GPS FAULT LOCATION

Substations sends the time measured to the GPS satellite using a GPS transmitter. Satellite then sends the two time signal to a master station. Master station calculates the fault location and transmits the information back to substations.

GPS SIGNAL
GPS satellites transmit two low power radio signals. Civilian GPS uses frequency of 1575.42 MHz in the UHF band. The signals travel by line of sight.

A GPS signal contains three different bits of information. - a pseudorandom code, -ephemeris data, - almanac data.

TRANSMISSION LINE PROTECTION

PROTECTION USING GPS

This is a new technique for the protection of transmission systems by using the GPS and fault generated transients. Relays installed at bus bars of a transmission network detects the generated high frequency voltage transient signals and record the time instant corresponding to when the initial traveling wave generated by the fault arrives at the bus bar. Tripping decision is made by the complex hardware. At each substation relay determine the location of the fault by comparing the GPS time stay measured locally with those received from the adjacent substations.

METHODS OF FAULT LOCATION

FAULT LOCATION

TRAVELLING WAVE

IMPEDANCE MEASUREMENT

TRAVELLING WAVES
Faults on the transmission system cause transients that propagate along the transmission line as waves.

GENERATION OF TRAVELLING WAVE

PROPERTIES OF TRAVELLING WAVE

Each wave is a composite of frequencies. RANGE - few kilohertz to several megahertz. Having a fast rising front and a slower decaying tail. These waves have a propagation velocity and characteristic impedance and travel near the speed of light. They travel away from the fault location toward line ends.

TRAVELING WAVE FAULT LOCATION THEORY

When a line fault occurs, the abrupt change in voltage at the point of the fault generates a high frequency electromagnetic impulse called the traveling wave . The location of faults is accomplished by precisely timetagging wave fronts as they cross a known point typically in substations at line ends. Fault location can then be obtained by multiplying the wave velocity by the time difference in line ends. The traveling wave fault locator is unaffected by load conditions, high ground resistance and most notably, series capacitor banks. Propagation velocity - 300 meters per microsecond.

The voltage and current at any point x obey the partial differential Equations

Where L and C are the inductance and capacitance of the line per unit length.

TRAVELLING WAVE FAULT LOCATORS

Early fault locators used pulsed radar. This technique uses reflected radar energy to determine the fault location. Impedance-based fault locators are a popular means of transmission line fault locating. They provide algorithm advances that correct for fault resistance and load current inaccuracies.

Hewlett-Packard has developed a GPS-based sub microsecond timing system that has proven reliable in several utility traveling wave projects.

OPERATION
Traveling wave fault locators make use of the transient signals generated by the fault. The fault location is determined by accurately time-tagging the arrival of the traveling wave at each end of the line and comparing the time difference to the total propagation time of the line. Precisely synchronized clocks are the key element in the implementation of this fault location technique. The required level of clock accuracy has only recently been available at reasonable cost with the introduction of the Global Positioning System.

BLOCK DIAGRAM OF FAULT DETECTOR UNIT

FUNCTIONAL LAYOUT

DETECTION UNIT

A/D CONVERTER

SIGNAL PROCESSING UNIT

DETECTION UNIT
The detection system(Analog) consists of

1 2 3

ADDER

SIGNAL CONDITIONER ANALOG FILTER

SIGNAL PROCESSING UNIT

The signal processing unit (digital) consists of
Sequence

Band pass filter

recording

Amplitude comparison

counters

Decision logic

RELAY DESIGN
Three CVTs connect the transient detector unit to the line and detect the voltage signal level. The communication unit also uses CVTs and a hybrid unit to connect the two circuits i.e., Transmitter and Receiver circuits. The transient detector is used to detect the fault generated signals and to record the time tag obtained from the GPS receiver. All the relays connected to the system receive this time tag information from the transmitter circuit.

ADVANTAGES
Fast response time.

High speed
Accurate fault location within 300 meters range. Fault detection is possible in worst climatic conditions also

Accuracy of GPS
Protects several lines connected to the bus bar where it is installed.

ACCURACY OF GPS
12 parallel channel receivers are quick to lock onto satellites when first turned on and they maintain strong locks, even in dense foliage or urban settings with tall buildings. Users can also get better accuracy with Differential GPS (DGPS), which corrects GPS signals to within an average of three to five meters. In order to get the corrected signal, users must have a differential beacon receiver and beacon antenna in addition to their GPS.

DISADVANTAGE : SOURCES OF GPS SIGNAL ERRORS

Ionosphere and troposphere delays.
Signal multipath. Receiver clock errors. Number of satellites visible.

Satellite geometry/shading.
Intentional degradation of the satellite signal

CONCLUSION
Thus the use of GPS in protection of transmission systems is beneficial in the respects like -Value regarding programmatic goals -Technical merit -Overall performance

FUTURE SCOPE
Future scope of the system rely mostly on the advanced GPS satellites such as WAAS(WIDE AREA AUGMENTTION SYSTEM) which gives fault location accuracy within three meter range.