Wide area disturbances: overall issues and solution and impact of protection systems

This paper deals overall issues, solution and impact of protection systems in wide area disturbances. It is important to properly design and test protection systems and applications to minimize impact on blackout events. This helps avoid hidden relay failures and increase the security of protection design in the areas vulnerable to blackouts. Some issues for protection are given in this paper: Zone 3 distance relays trip on overload, tripping by Zone 1 elements during out-of-step conditions, etc. The key to a successful solution for wide area disturbances is fast detection, fast and powerful control devices, high-speed reliable communication infrastructures, and smart algorithms.