Integrated Use of Time-Frequency Wavelet Decompositions for Fault Location in Distribution Networks: Theory and Experimental Validation

The paper presents a procedure for fault location in distribution networks, based on the use of the integrated time-frequency wavelet decompositions of the voltage transients associated with the fault-originated travelling waves. The proposed analysis of time-frequency wavelet decompositions has been found to improve the identification accuracy of the frequencies associated to the characteristic patterns of a fault location with respect to a sole frequency-domain wavelet analysis. Several laboratory fault tests, carried out by means of a reduced-scale model of a distribution feeder, are used to illustrate the characteristics and assess the performances of the proposed improved procedure. The paper also illustrates the application of the proposed procedure to a transient, originated by a permanent phase-to-phase fault, measured in a real distribution network in which a post-test analysis has identified the faulted branch.