Transmission line fault location using digital fault recorders

A technique for the location of transmission line faults using voltage and current measurements from one end of the faulted line is presented. The method differs from past approaches in that a time domain rather than a frequency domain representation of voltage and current is used. A phase network model is used, permitting explicit treatment of self and mutual impedance effects for either a single three-phase circuit or two parallel three-phase circuits. The algorithm will be used as one of the analysis functions for a digital fault recorder. Test results are presented to illustrate the performance of the algorithm under various system conditions and configurations. Results compare favorably with those obtained using previously reported fault location methods. Estimated fault locations are within 3 to 4% of the actual fault location. Most cases show errors within 2% of the actual fault location