Line-to-Ground Arc Flash Fault Detection Using Distance Protection Scheme for Wildfire

The outbreak of wildfires due to undetected arc-flash faults poses serious safety hazards to the New Zealand power system and community, resulting in fatalities and infrastructure damage. The consequences of arc-flash faults are particularly significant in low-voltage (LV) distribution systems due to the relatively short overhead line lengths, high fault resistance, and low line-to-ground fault current. This paper explores a distance protection scheme using IEDs with a quadrilateral characteristic on an IEEE LV test feeder to leverage its separately settable resistance and reactance reach for superior arc-fault compensation. The proposed method is validated through analysis and simulations in the software environments of DIGSI 5, OMICRON Test Universe, and OpenDSS. Simulation outcomes indicate that the proposed scheme is feasible for the detection and prevention of wildfires.