Design and implementation of an overhead fault passage indicator for medium voltage network

Abstract

Fault Passage Indicators (FPIs) (also called FCIs: Faulted Circuit Indicators) have been under development for the last 70 years including new capabilities to satisfy the needs of the Distribution Network Operators. For overhead lines, the FPI hangs on the conductor between two poles, where the FPI mechanical support is also part of the sensor. In underground cables, the FPI surrounds the conductor and the insulation (without the shield) and is allocated mostly in the MV/LV substation. The device itself mainly contains the sensor, the controller for processing the data, the indication means, a reset interface and a system to power the device. Therefore, the FPI are designed to be compact and easy to install. The FPI normally includes a visual indication of the fault (a LED, a flag, etc.). The recent developed one includes more circuits such as memory and communication facility. In this work, Fault Passage Indicator has been implemented first in PC using Matlab- Simulink, then tested using Power System Simulink Model under several operating and fault conditions.