A current frequency component-based fault-location method for voltage-source converter-based high-voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) cables using the s transform

Abstract

This paper proposes a fault-location method for voltage-source converter (VSC)-based high-voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) systems. This method relies on the current frequency components generated by faults in the cable, and requires the arrival time of the frequency components at two terminals. The S transform is a time-frequency analysis tool that is superior to the wavelet transform in some respects. Therefore, the S transform was employed to determine the arrival time in this paper. To obtain a reliable criterion, a novel phase-mode transform method for bipolar cables was developed, and the propagation characteristics of the current frequency components through out the cable were analyzed. A two-terminal VSC-HVDC system was modeled in power system computer aided design/electromagnetic transients including DC (PSCAD/EMTDC). Various faults under different conditions were simulated on the basis of this model, and the simulation results verified a high accuracy, robustness against fault-resistance, and noise immunity of the proposed method.