Estimation Method of Short-Circuit Current Contribution of Inverter-Based Resources for Symmetrical Faults

Murillo Cobe Vargas (), Oureste Elias Batista and Yongheng Yang
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Murillo Cobe Vargas: Federal Institute of Espirito Santo, Al. Francisco Vieira Simões, 720, Guarapari 29216-795, Brazil
Oureste Elias Batista: Electrical Engineering Department, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari 514, Vitoria 29075-910, Brazil
Yongheng Yang: College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Zheda Rd. 38, Xihu, Hangzhou 310027, China

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-27

Abstract: This paper proposes a practical approach to estimate the symmetrical short-circuit current (SCC) levels in overcurrent protection devices (OCPDs) installed on radial feeders for any penetration level of inverter-based distributed energy resources (DERs). The proposed method restores the lost phase protection coordination by estimating SCC values and changing the TMS of OCPDs accordingly. The method is validated by comparing the results with simulations on the IEEE 34-Node Test Feeder using MATLAB/Simulink, which shows an average error of 1.5% and a maximum error of 3.0%. For a 100% penetration level, the SCC variation through OCPDs installed on the main fault trunk (MFT) exceeds ± 10%, leading to compromised phase protection coordination. The SCC flowing reversely through OCPDs on lateral branches and the fault on the MFT could cause improper tripping. Higher SCC levels are estimated and measured for fault impedances equal to zero. The phase protection is restored by changing the TMS of OCPDs using the estimated values. The study proposes two phase protection schemes to accommodate inverter-based DERs injecting 1.2 pu and 2.0 pu of SCC for a 100% penetration level. This study contributes to improving the protection coordination of distribution networks with high penetration levels of DERs. The findings have practical implications for distribution system operators and planners to maintain safe and reliable operation of distribution feeders.

Keywords: distributed energy resources; inverter-based distributed generation; overcurrent protection coordination; short-circuit current contribution (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: 2023
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