Smart fault selection: new operational criteria and challenges for the large-scale deployment in e-distribuzione's network

Abstract

Continuity of supply determines the investment strategy forDSOs in terms of structure and technology. All interventions are oriented to improve the reference indicators. In Italy, the performances of network are evaluated by means: SAID and SAIF Indexes. From 2016 Italian Authority ended the awards and penalties regulation for Average Duration of Outages per LV customers, defining spent the period of "improving" for this indicator; from now is foreseen just "conservative" regulation oriented to preserve the reached levels. In the next years, the very challenge is set for the Average Number of Outages, for which the Regulator determined to reach the target levels for 2023. Referring to this objective e-distribuzione has started to develop an innovative selection system of network failures, based on logic coordination between protection systems, in order to optimize the time equivalent of an electrical fault extinction and consequently reduce the equivalent customer moment [1]. The full development of such a system will be done through an appropriated integration and evolution of network protection and control systems, until now experimented from e-distribuzione in various financed projects [1], [2], [3] and [4]. This proposed solution will not modify the typical scheme of operation of MV distribution feeders.

On the Use of LoRa Technology for Logic Selectivity in MV Distribution Networks

“…Logic selectivity (or zone selectivity) is based on the interconnection and the direct exchange of messages between the protections placed along a transmission line in order to identify and isolate only the segment affected by the fault [10][11][12]. In particular, a defined number of circuit breakers (CBs) are mounted on the MV network; each CB is controlled by a protection relay (PR) which communicates with the other PRs.…”

Co-Simulation of Smart Distribution Network Fault Management and Reconfiguration with LTE Communication

“…Under the proposed protection scheme, each SSS was equipped with two measurement units and IEDs able to detect the direction of the fault currents and communicate with DMS besides the adjacent IEDs. This scheme configured a DMS with decentralized architecture able to provide more flexibility and rapidity of intervention [36,37].…”