Impact of the fault location methods on SAIDI of a resonant-earthed distribution system

Abstract

Reliability indices of a distribution system can be improved by reducing failure rate and restoration time. A resonant-earthed distribution system has a low failure rate because numerous transient faults become self-extinguishing. However, in such networks, it can be difficult and time-consuming to locate nontransient faults resulting in aggravating the restoration time. This paper analyzes how different fault location methods affect the restoration time and SAIDI. Two major fault location methods are modeled for the calculation of the reliability indices and then applied to a radial feeder of a medium-voltage distribution system. The results show that SAIDI varies depending on the applied fault location method and its accuracy. The influence of fault location methods on labour costs is also discussed.