Experimental Study of Distance Protection Under High IBR Penetration—Detailed Analysis of Protection Misoperations During Faults

Modern power networks contain an increasing amount of renewable energy resources that are connected to the grid via inverters (Inverter-Based Resources, IBR). As highlighted in the recent IEEE Standard 2800-2022, these resources behave differently compared to conventional power plants, which impact protection systems. For networks with a high proportion of IBR, existing protection systems may no longer be dependable and reliable. This research project investigated the behaviour of commercially available relays for distance protection applied to a power grid with a high proportion of IBR. A detailed numerical model was established for the power grid of the Gaspesian Peninsula in Québec, Canada, where there are numerous wind farms. Five power lines with different characteristics were selected, and 700 fault events were generated in COMTRADE format. These events were then converted into analog signals, applied to commercially available relays, and their tripping actions were analyzed. Several misoperations could be identified and classified. Proposals for improving protection performance were developed and validated with the experimental setup. This project highlights the importance of validating and eventually adapting the protection systems in power grids with a high proportion of IBR, as existing protection systems may be prone to misoperate. Various solutions are proposed to ensure the dependability and reliability of protection systems in modern power grids.