Integrated detection and location estimation method for open conductor faults in distribution systems

The We propose an integrated method for detecting open conductor faults (OCFs) at the feeder remote terminal unit (FRTU) level and the final determination and location estimation in a distribution management system (DMS). At the FRTU level, multivariate detection factors were utilized to detect the OCFs. To address the issues of false positive (FP) and false negat ive detections in the FRTU, which are known to confuse operators, DMS involves comprehensive OCF identification and fault section estimation. Thus, we propose an OCF detection and location-estimation method that utilizes both empirical rules from operators and a fuzzy algorithm. Fuzzy sets and rules are appropriately defined for each method, and the final results are obtained by calculating an OCF certainty factor. Furthermore, through various case studies using MATLAB/Simulink on test systems, we confirmed an improvement in the OCF-detection accuracy for FRTUs compared to existing research along with a reduction in FPs and high location-estimation accuracy in the DMS. The proposed methods could be used to improve operational reliability as well as reduce the complexity of operators’ judgment through efficient management of OCFs.