Fault Analysis

Analysis types
u

power flow - evaluate normal operating conditions

fault analysis - evaluate abnormal operating conditions

Fault types:
u

balanced faults
n

unbalanced faults
n
n

three-phase
single-line to ground and double-line to ground
line-to-line faults

Results used for:

u

specifying ratings for circuit breakers and fuses

protective relay settings
specifying the impedance of transformers and generators

Fault Analysis
l

Magnitude of fault currents depend on:

u

Network impedances are governed by

u

the impedance of the network

the internal impedances of the generators
the resistance of the fault (arc resistance)
transmission line impedances
transformer connections and impedances
grounding connections and resistances

Generator behavior is divided into three periods

u

sub-transient period, lasting for the first few cycles

transient period, covering a relatively longer time
steady state period

Fault Studies
l

Sub-transient period, XG = Xd"

u

determine the interrupting capacity of HV circuit breakers

determine the operation timing of the protective relay system for
high-voltage networks

Transient period, XG = Xd
u

determine the interrupting capacity of MV circuit breakers

determine the operation timing of the protective relay system for
medium-voltage networks
transient stability studies

Fault Representation
l

A fault represents a structural network change

u

equivalent to the addition of an impedance at the place of the

fault
if the fault impedance is zero, the fault is referred to as a bolted
fault or solid fault

First order method

u

the faulted network can be solved conveniently by Thvenins

method
network resistances are neglected
generators are modeled as an emf behind the sub-transient or
transient reactance
shunt capacitances are neglected
system is considered as having no-load

Thvenins Method
l

The fault is simulated by switching a fault impedance at

the faulted bus
The change in the network voltages is equivalent to
adding the prefault bus voltage with all other sources
short curcuited

j0.4

j0.2

2
j 0.4

j0.8

j0.4

Thvenins Method
l

3-phase fault with Zf = j0.16 on bus 3

j0.4

j0.2

2
j 0.4

j0.8

j0.4

j0.4

j0.2

2
j 0.4

j0.4

3
If

Xf = 0.16

j0.8

Vth
-+

Xf = 0.16

Thvenins Method
I 3[ f ]
j0.2

j0.4

V3[ 0]
=
Z 33 + Z f

V1[ 0 ] = V2[ 0] = V3[ 0] = 1.0

( j 0.4)( j 0.8) =
( j1.6)
( j 0.4)( j 0.4) = j 0.1
Z 3s =
( j1.6)

Z 1s = Z 2 s =

j 0.2
j0.2

j0.1

Vth
If

Xf = 0.16

Z 33

(
j 0.4)( j 0.6)
=
+ j 0.1

j 0.4 + j 0.6
Z 33 = j 0.34

j0.24

j 0 .2
j0.1

3
Vth

If

j0.16

Thvenins Method
Z 33 = j 0.34

Z33 = j0.34

Vth
If

j0.16

[f]
3

V3[ 0]
1.0
=
=
= j 2. 0
Z 33 + Z f
j 0.34 + j 0.16

Thvenins Method
l

For more accurate solutions

u

use the pre-fault bus voltages which can be obtained from the
results of a power flow solution
include loads - to preserve linearity, convert loads to constant
impedance model
Thevenins theorem allows the changes in the bus voltages to be
obtained
bus voltages are obtained by superposition of the pre-fault
voltages and the changes in the bus voltages
current in each branch can be solved

Short Circuit Capacity (SCC)

l

Measures the electrical strength of the bus

Stated in MVA
Determines the dimension of bus bars and the
interrupting capacity of circuit breakers
Definition:
[ pre f ] [ f ]

SCC = 3 VL L ,k I k

in per unit:

[f ]
k

Vk[ pref ]
=
X kk

SCC =

SB
X kk

Short Circuit Capacity (SCC)

l

Find the SCC for bus #3

j0.4

j0.2

2
j 0.4

Z 33 = j 0.34
S base = 100 MVA
S base 100 MVA
SCC3 =
=
= 294 MVA
0.34
Z 33

j0.8

j0.4

Fault Analysis Using Impedance Matrix

l

Network reduction by Thvenins method is not efficient

u

difficult to apply to large networks

Matrix algebra formation

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seek a matrix where the diagonal elements represent the source

impedance for the buses
consider the following system
n

operating under
balanced conditions
each generator
represented by a
constant emf behind
a proper reactance
(Xd, Xd, or Xd )
lines represented by
their equivalent model

G
Si

Sk

Zf

Fault Analysis Using Impedance Matrix

l

Place the prefault voltages into a vector

[pre f]
Vbus

Replace the loads by a

constant impedance
model using the prefault
bus voltages

Z i load =

The change in the network

voltage caused by the fault
is equivalent to placing a
fault voltage at the faulted
bus with all the other
sources short-circuited

Vi

[pre f] 2

Si*load
j

V1[pre f]

[pre

f]

= Vk

M
V [pre f]
n

-Vk
Zi

Zk

I k[ f ]
Zf

Fault Analysis Using Impedance Matrix

l

Using superpositioning, the fault voltages

are calculated from the prefault voltages
by adding the change in bus voltages
due to the fault
[f ]
[ pre f ]
Vbus
= Vbus
+ Vbus

The change in bus voltages

can be calculated from the
network matrix

Vbus

I bus = Ybus Vbus

= Ybus Vbus
I[Fault]
bus
0
M

[Fault]
[Fault]
I bus = I k

M
0

V1

M
= Vk

M
V
n

Fault Analysis Using Impedance Matrix

I[Fault]
= Ybus Vbus
bus
0 y11
M M

[f]
I k = yk 1

M M
0 yn1

y1k

O M
L ykk

O
L

O M
L ynk

O
L

1 [Fault]
Vbus = Ybus
I bus
1
Z bus = Ybus

Vbus = Z bus I[Fault]

bus

y1n
M
ykn

M
ynn

V1

M
Vk

M
V
n

Fault Analysis Using Impedance Matrix

V1

M
Vk

M
V
n

z11 L z1k L z1n

M
O
M
O
M

= z k1 L z kk L z kn

M
O
M
O
M

z n1 L z nk L z nn

[f ]
[ pre f ]
Vbus
= Vbus
+ Vbus
[f ]
[ pre f ]
f]
Vbus
= Vbus
+ Z bus I[bus

Vk[ f ] = Vk[ pref ] + Z kk I k[ f ]

I k[ f ]

Vk[ pref ]
=
Z kk + Z f

0
M

[f]
I k

& Vk[ f ] = Z f I k[ f ]

Example
l

3-phase fault with Zf = j0.16 on

u

bus 3

j0.4

j0.2

2
j 0.4

j0.4

j0.2

j0.8

2
j 0.4

j0.8

j0.4

j0.4

3
If
Xf = 0.16

Vth
Xf = 0.16

Example
j8.75
Ybus = j1.25
j 2.50
j 0.16
Z bus = j 0.08
j 0.12
I

[f]
3

j 2.50
j 6.25 j 2.50
j 2.50 j 5.00
j1.25

j 0.08
j 0.24
j 0.16

j 0.12
j 0.16
j 0.34

V3[ pre f ]
1.0 pu
=
=
= j 2.0 pu
Z 33 + Z f
j 0.34 + j 0.16

Example
V1[ f ] = V1[ pre f ] Z13 I 3[ f ] = 1.0 pu ( j 0.12 )( j 2.0 ) = 0.76 pu

V2[ f ] = V2[ pre f ] Z 23 I 3[ f ] = 1.0 pu ( j 0.16 )( j 2.0 ) = 0.68 pu

V3[ f ] = V3[ pre f ] Z 33 I 3[ f ] = 1.0 pu ( j 0.34 )( j 2.0 ) = 0.32 pu