Unique waveform characteristics of current limiting fuse operations

Abstract

This paper identifies and quantifies the unique characteristics of current-limiting fuse operation as seen in the current and voltage waveforms recorded at a monitoring station located upstream from the fault. Characteristics that can be used to identify current-limiting fuse operations by visual inspection are described. More characteristics are extracted using signal processing methods. These characteristics include but not limited to the duration of the event, point on the waveform where the event starts and ends, the rate of rise of the voltage and current at the start of the event, and the thermal energy in the fuse during the event. These methods are applied to data collected by a number of utilities and the results tabulated. In the future, the results can be used to automatically classify events that are recorded by power quality monitors.