"March 2003." / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 183-193). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

Esta pesquisa apresenta o desenvolvimento e a implementação, em uma rotina computacional, de um algoritmo para a localização de faltas em redes primárias de distribuição. Este algoritmo de localização faz parte de um sistema automatizado de localização de faltas, em redes primárias radiais de distribuição, que foi desenvolvido para uma concessionária paulista. O método descrito é capaz de identificar de forma rápida os prováveis pontos de ocorrência do defeito, baseado em medições de tensões e correntes feitas somente na subestação, nos parâmetros elétricos do alimentador de distribuição e na sua topologia. / This research presents the development and implementation in a computational routine of an algorithm for fault location in primary distribution feeders. This algorithm is part of a complete automated fault location system developed to a Brazilian electricity utility. The described method is capable of identifying the most probable fault locations upon its occurrence, based on local measurements of currents and voltages only at the substation, on the electrical parameters of the distribution feeder and its topology.

Neste trabalho foi desenvolvido um método de localização de faltas em linhas de transmissão constituídas de circuitos simples ou duplos, admitindo trechos não transpostos e com derivações, além de terminais com medições dessincronizadas. O método utiliza os fasores de tensão e corrente, pré-falta e pós-falta, medidos nos terminais, local e remoto, para determinar as informações da falta, as quais são: trecho de ocorrência, distância, resistência e tipo. O método de localização de faltas proposto neste trabalho é composto pelo: processo de obtenção dos fasores, onde os sinais de tensão e corrente são filtrados; algoritmo de montagem da matriz de admitâncias da rede; algoritmo de estimativa de cargas e algoritmo de localização de faltas. O método desenvolvido tem como principal característica a localização de faltas em linhas de transmissão constituídas por circuito duplo com derivações utilizando dados de somente dois terminais, não descartando a possibilidade da utilização de dados de outros terminais caso disponíveis, e a pesquisa por trechos da rede através da minimização de funções objetivo. Para avaliar a eficiência do método de localização de faltas desenvolvido, diversas simulações foram realizadas no programa ATP (Alternative Transient Program), tais como: variação da distância de falta, da resistência de falta e do tipo de falta, bem como simulações de erros no módulo e no ângulo dos fasores, erros nos parâmetros da linha de transmissão e erros nos equivalentes. / In this work was developed a fault location method on transmission lines constituted of single or double circuits, allowing non-transposed lines sections, with derivations. The method uses the pre-fault and post-fault voltage and current phasors measured at local and remote terminals to determine the fault information, which are: section of occurrence, distance, resistance and, type. The fault location method proposed in this work is composed by: phasor obtaining process, where the voltage and current phasors are filtered; the network\'s admitance matrix building process; the load estimation algorithm and; the fault location algorithm. The developed method has as main features the fault location on double circuit transmission lines with derivations using data of two terminals only, without discarding the possibility of using another terminals data, case available, and the search for the fault location on transmission line\'s sections by objective functions minimization. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the developed fault location method, a lot of simulations were conducted in ATP (Alternative Transient Program), such as: fault distance, resistance and, type variations as well as errors on phasors\' module and angle, transmission line parameters and, terminals\' equivalent.

Esta pesquisa apresenta o desenvolvimento e a implementação, em uma rotina computacional, de um algoritmo para a localização de faltas em redes primárias de distribuição. Este algoritmo de localização faz parte de um sistema automatizado de localização de faltas, em redes primárias radiais de distribuição, que foi desenvolvido para uma concessionária paulista. O método descrito é capaz de identificar de forma rápida os prováveis pontos de ocorrência do defeito, baseado em medições de tensões e correntes feitas somente na subestação, nos parâmetros elétricos do alimentador de distribuição e na sua topologia. / This research presents the development and implementation in a computational routine of an algorithm for fault location in primary distribution feeders. This algorithm is part of a complete automated fault location system developed to a Brazilian electricity utility. The described method is capable of identifying the most probable fault locations upon its occurrence, based on local measurements of currents and voltages only at the substation, on the electrical parameters of the distribution feeder and its topology.

The primary objective of the research reported in this thesis was the improvement of safety in helicopters by identifying and, where necessary, developing vibration analysis techniques for the detection and diagnosis of safety critical faults in helicopter transmission systems. A review and, where necessary, expansion of past research is made into (a) the mechanisms involved in the production of vibrations in mechanical systems, (b) the failure modes experienced in geared transmission systems, (c) which failure modes are critical to the safety of helicopters, (d) how the safety critical failure modes affect the vibration signature, and e) the vibration analysis techniques currently used to detect safety critical failures. The effectiveness of the currently available vibration analysis techniques is investigated using in-flight vibration data from Royal Australian Navy helicopters and seeded fault data from a purpose built spur gear test rig. Detailed analysis of techniques for synchronous signal averaging of gear vibration data is undertaken, which includes the development of new methods of modelling and quantifying the effects of synchronous averaging on non-synchronous vibration. A study of digital resampling techniques is also made, including the development of two new methods which provide greater accuracy and/or efficiency (in computation) over previous methods. A new approach to fault diagnosis is proposed based on time-frequency signal analysis techniques. It is shown that these methods can provide significant improvement in diagnostic capabilities over existing vibration analysis techniques. Some limitations of general time-frequency analysis techniques are identified and a new technique is developed which overcomes these limitations. It is shown that the new technique provides a significant improvement in the concentration of energy about the instantaneous frequency of the individual components in the vibration signal, which allows the tracking of small short term amplitude and frequency modulations with a high degree of accuracy. The new technique has the capability of 'zooming' in on features which may span only a small frequency range, providing an enhanced visual representation of the underlying structure of the signal.

The Power System Automation Lab at Texas A&M University developed a fault location scheme that can be used for radial distribution systems. When a fault occurs, the scheme executes three stages. In the first stage, all data measurements and system information is gathered and processed into suitable formats. In the second stage, three fault location methods are used to assign possibility values to each line section of a feeder. In the last stage, a fuzzy resolver is used to aggregate the outputs of the three fault location methods and assign a final possibility value to each line section of a feeder. By aggregating the outputs of the three fault location methods, the fuzzy resolver aims to obtain a smaller subset of line sections as potential faulted sections than the individual fault location methods. Fuzzy aggregation operators are used to implement fuzzy resolvers. This dissertation reports on a methodology that was developed utilizing fuzzy aggregation operators in the fuzzy resolver. Three fuzzy aggregation operators, the min, OWA, and uninorm, and two objective functions were used to design the fuzzy resolver. The methodologies to design fuzzy resolvers with respect to a single objective function and with respect to two objective functions were presented. A detailed illustration of the design process was presented. Performance studies of designed fuzzy resolvers were also performed. In order to design and validate the fuzzy resolver methodology, data were needed. Due to the lack of real field data, simulating a distribution feeder was a feasible alternative to generate data. The IEEE 34 node test feeder was modeled. Time current characteristics (TCC) based protective devices were added to this feeder. Faults were simulated on this feeder to generate data. Based on the performance studies of designed fuzzy resolvers, the fuzzy resolver designed using the uninorm operator without weights is the first choice. For this fuzzy resolver, no optimal weights are needed. In addition, fuzzy resolvers using the min operator and OWA operator can be used to design fuzzy resolvers. For these two operators, the methodology for designing fuzzy resolvers with respect to two objective functions was the appropriate choice.

Basic goal of power system is to continuously provide electrical energy to the users. Like with any other system, failures in power system can occur. In those situations it is critical that correct remedial actions are applied as soon as possible after the accurate fault condition and location are detected. This thesis has been focusing on automated fault location procedure. Different fault location algorithms, classified according to the spatial placement of physical measurements on single ended, multiple ended and sparse system-wide, are investigated. As outcome of this review, methods are listed as function of different parameters that influence their accuracy. This comparison is than used for generating procedure for optimal fault location algorithm selection. According to available data, and position of the fault with respect to the data, proposed procedure decides between different algorithms and selects an optimal one. A new approach is developed by utilizing different data structures such as binary tree and serialization in order to efficiently implement algorithm decision engine. After accuracy of algorithms is strongly influenced by available input data, different data sources are recommended in proposed architecture such as the digital fault recorders, circuit breaker monitoring, SCADA, power system model and etc. Algorithm for determining faulted section is proposed based on the data from circuit breaker monitoring devices. This algorithm works in real time by recognizing to which sequence of events newly obtained recording belongs. Software prototype of the proposed automated fault location analysis is developed using Java programming language. Fault location analysis is automatically triggered by appearance of new event files in a specific folder. The tests were carried out using the real life transmission system as an example.

The Power System Automation Lab at Texas A&M University developed a fault location scheme that can be used for radial distribution systems. When a fault occurs, the scheme executes three stages. In the first stage, all data measurements and system information is gathered and processed into suitable formats. In the second stage, three fault location methods are used to assign possibility values to each line section of a feeder. In the last stage, a fuzzy resolver is used to aggregate the outputs of the three fault location methods and assign a final possibility value to each line section of a feeder. By aggregating the outputs of the three fault location methods, the fuzzy resolver aims to obtain a smaller subset of line sections as potential faulted sections than the individual fault location methods. Fuzzy aggregation operators are used to implement fuzzy resolvers. This dissertation reports on a methodology that was developed utilizing fuzzy aggregation operators in the fuzzy resolver. Three fuzzy aggregation operators, the min, OWA, and uninorm, and two objective functions were used to design the fuzzy resolver. The methodologies to design fuzzy resolvers with respect to a single objective function and with respect to two objective functions were presented. A detailed illustration of the design process was presented. Performance studies of designed fuzzy resolvers were also performed. In order to design and validate the fuzzy resolver methodology, data were needed. Due to the lack of real field data, simulating a distribution feeder was a feasible alternative to generate data. The IEEE 34 node test feeder was modeled. Time current characteristics (TCC) based protective devices were added to this feeder. Faults were simulated on this feeder to generate data. Based on the performance studies of designed fuzzy resolvers, the fuzzy resolver designed using the uninorm operator without weights is the first choice. For this fuzzy resolver, no optimal weights are needed. In addition, fuzzy resolvers using the min operator and OWA operator can be used to design fuzzy resolvers. For these two operators, the methodology for designing fuzzy resolvers with respect to two objective functions was the appropriate choice.

Basic goal of power system is to continuously provide electrical energy to the users. Like with any other system, failures in power system can occur. In those situations it is critical that correct remedial actions are applied as soon as possible after the accurate fault condition and location are detected. This thesis has been focusing on automated fault location procedure. Different fault location algorithms, classified according to the spatial placement of physical measurements on single ended, multiple ended and sparse system-wide, are investigated. As outcome of this review, methods are listed as function of different parameters that influence their accuracy. This comparison is than used for generating procedure for optimal fault location algorithm selection. According to available data, and position of the fault with respect to the data, proposed procedure decides between different algorithms and selects an optimal one. A new approach is developed by utilizing different data structures such as binary tree and serialization in order to efficiently implement algorithm decision engine. After accuracy of algorithms is strongly influenced by available input data, different data sources are recommended in proposed architecture such as the digital fault recorders, circuit breaker monitoring, SCADA, power system model and etc. Algorithm for determining faulted section is proposed based on the data from circuit breaker monitoring devices. This algorithm works in real time by recognizing to which sequence of events newly obtained recording belongs. Software prototype of the proposed automated fault location analysis is developed using Java programming language. Fault location analysis is automatically triggered by appearance of new event files in a specific folder. The tests were carried out using the real life transmission system as an example.

This dissertation addresses three different problems in power systems. The first problem is related to the fault location in complex topologies such as three terminal circuits with series compensation and mutually coupled line sections and distribution networks with distributed generation. Novel methods are presented by using traveling wave approach and wavelet transformation technique to overcome the difficulties introduced by the discontinuities and integrated components such as Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) protected series capacitors and distributed generation in complex topologies. Simulation results show good correlation between the actual and estimated fault locations for all the studied cases. The second problem concerns the calculation techniques of voltage profiles along transmission lines. A simple yet effective approach to accurately and rapidly obtain the voltage profile along a transmission line during fault transients is presented. The objective of the presented method is to eliminate the need to use wave equations and line parameters provided that an electromagnetic Transients Program (EMTP) type transients simulator is available for generating bus voltage transients for a given fault. This is accomplished by developing a time series model to estimate the voltage at an intermediate point along the transmission line. The model is formed for each intermediate point separately. Once the model is obtained it can be used to predict the transient voltage at that point along the line during any fault in the system. The approach can potentially be useful as a post processor to a transient simulator and can be used by developers of transient animations and movies for illustrating fault-initiated propagation of traveling waves in power systems. The third problem is the lack of powerful visualization and animation methods, which can help understanding the complex behavior of power systems during transients. The goal of this part of the dissertation is to develop new animation and visualization methods for power system electromagnetic transients for both educational and research purposes. Proposed approaches are implemented in different environments such as MATLAB and Microsoft Visual Studio to show the effectiveness of two and three-dimensional visualization of power system transients. The implementations of the proposed methods provide better understanding of the power systems during transient phenomena due to the faults or switchings.