Detection of faulted phases in a medium-voltage main feeder using the cyber grid guard system with distributed ledger technology

Abstract

Modern electrical grids have intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) such as protective relays that use internal logic to detect the types of electrical faults. The increasing integration of distributed energy sources and the resulting complexity of electrical grid communication architectures necessitates enhanced robustness of IEDs’ monitoring while maintaining security against potential cyber threats. In this study, a backup electrical faulted phase detection method with a distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform was implemented. Cyber Grid Guard software was developed to collect phase currents and voltages transmitted through IEC 61850 GOOSE messages, detect faulted phases from the IEDs using the GOOSE data, and validate the data by hashing them and storing them in the distributed ledger. In this way, the hashed data were run into an electrical faulted phase algorithm based on using a current threshold for detecting the faulted phases in the medium-voltage main feeder of an electrical substation. The detection of the electrical faulted phases was assessed in a real-time simulator with protective relays, meters, the software framework, and DLT in the loop. The proposed method provides secure and reliable backup detection external to the IEDs, and DLT validation enhances system security and trust.