Design Optimization and Prototyping of a Travelling Waves-Based Transmission Line Fault Locator

Modern power systems are expected to provide an uninterrupted supply of power to its consumers. Faults occurring in transmission lines can lead to extended outages if they are not quickly repaired. When a transmission line is hundreds of kilometers long and passes through difficult to access terrain, locating the faulted point is very important to reduce the repair time. The first step of this is to send the repair crews to the right location. Fault location by manual inspection is time consuming, costly and inefficient. These concerns make fast and accurate identification of the location of faults on transmission lines highly important. This project intends to optimize the design of the fault locating device that determines the fault location by measuring the arrival times of voltage and current waves created when a fault happens. This unit is to be integrated with the fault recorders manufactured by ERLPhase Power Technologies Ltd. Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The project will train a Master’s student with multiple technical skills sought after in the industry.

Faculty Supervisor:

Athula Rajapakse

Student:

Partner:

ERLPhase Power Technologies

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Manitoba

Program: