A Harmonic-based Fault detection algorithm for Microgrids

TL;DR

This paper introduces a harmonic-based fault detection algorithm for microgrids that utilizes total harmonic distortion and voltage estimates to quickly identify faults, enhancing reliability in distributed generation systems.

Contribution

It presents a novel fault detection method using THD, voltage amplitude, and zero-sequence components specifically designed for microgrids with distributed generators.

Findings

Effective detection of various fault types demonstrated in simulations

Fast fault detection capability validated

Algorithm suitable for real-time microgrid monitoring

Abstract

The trend toward Microgrids (MGs) is significantly increasing by employing Distributed Generators (DGs) which leads to new challenges, especially in the fault detection. This paper proposes an algorithm based on the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of the grid voltages to detect the events of faults in MGs. The algorithm uses the THD together with the estimate amplitude voltages and the zero-sequence component for the detection and identification of the faults. The performance is evaluated by using MATLAB/Simulink simulations to validate the capability for detecting different fault types in the least possible time.