Fault Detecting and Isolating Schemes in a Low-Voltage DC Microgrid Network from a Remote Village

Pascal Hategekimana, Adria Junyent Ferre, Joan Marc Rodriguez Bernuz and Etienne Ntagwirumugara
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Pascal Hategekimana: African Center of Excellence Energy for Sustainable Development, University of Rwanda, Kigali P.O. Box 3900, Rwanda
Adria Junyent Ferre: Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BX, UK
Joan Marc Rodriguez Bernuz: Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BX, UK
Etienne Ntagwirumugara: African Center of Excellence Energy for Sustainable Development, University of Rwanda, Kigali P.O. Box 3900, Rwanda

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: Fault detection and isolation are important tasks to improve the protection system of low voltage direct current (LVDC) networks. Nowadays, there are challenges related to the protection strategies in the LVDC systems. In this paper, two proposed methods for fault detection and isolation of the faulty segment through the line and bus voltage measurement were discussed. The impacts of grid fault current and the characteristics of protective devices under pre-fault normal, under-fault, and post-fault conditions were also discussed. It was found that within a short time after fault occurrence in the network, this fault was quickly detected and the faulty line segment was efficiently isolated from the grid, where this grid was restored to its normal operating conditions. For analysing the fault occurrence and its isolation, two algorithms with their corresponding MATLAB/SIMULINK platforms were developed. The findings of this paper showed that the proposed methods would be used for microgrid protection by successfully resolving the fault detection and grid restoration problems in the LVDC microgrids, especially in rural villages.

Keywords: DC microgrid; fault detection; fault isolation; short circuit; circuit breakers; ring-main system; protection system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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