A review of techniques to detect downed conductors in overhead distribution systems

The automatic detection of downed conductors represents a major safety concern for those responsible for electricity supply systems. Providing techniques that will detect this condition remains one of the most persistent and difficult challenges facing protection engineers. With the advances in digital technology and powerful signal processing, new opportunities exist for the detection of a high percentage of these faults. This paper reviews some of the methods for detecting high impedance faults and the developments which led to them