Using the Time Coordination of Definite-Time Overcurrent Protection for the Classification of Grid Topologies in Adaptive Protection Systems

This paper introduces an adaptive protection strategy designed to address the challenges posed by varying grid topologies. The strategy is composed of two main stages: an offline stage, where Setting Groups for different grid configurations are predetermined, and an online stage, where protection settings are dynamically adjusted according to the current grid topology. A key contribution of this work is the development of a novel classification method for grid topologies that explicitly incorporates time coordination requirements for the offline stage. This classification is achieved through an optimization model inspired by the bin-packing problem, which organizes grid topologies into distinct classes, allowing for optimized protection settings within each class to ensure time coordination. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through simulations on a medium-voltage grid. The results show that the proposed strategy allows for the determination of protection settings for different grid topologies.