A Protection Strategy and Microprocessor-Based Relay for Low-Voltage Microgrids

• Published in: IEEE transactions on power delivery Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 1873 - 1883
• Main Authors: Zamani, M. Amin, Sidhu, Tarlochan S., Yazdani, Amirnaser
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.07.2011; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Adaptive control systems; Applied sciences; Circuit breakers; Circuit faults; Connection and protection apparatus; Devices; Distributed generation; Disturbances. Regulation. Protection; Electric power plants; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Electrical power engineering; electronically coupled distributed generators; Exact sciences and technology; Fault currents; Fault detection; Faults; Fuses; Grounding; microgrid; microprocessor-based relays; Miscellaneous; Power networks and lines; power system protection; Protective; Relay; Relays; Simulation; Software packages; Strategy; Performance evaluation; Relay; Protective device; Software package; Grid-connected system; Distributed power generation; Distributed system; Damage prevention; electronically coupled distributed generators; Fault currents; Low voltage; Time domain method; Electrical network; Power system protection; microgrid; microprocessor-based relays; Distributed generation; Microprocessor; Electric power production; Effectiveness factor; Distribution network
• ISSN: 0885-8977; 1937-4208
• DOI: 10.1109/TPWRD.2011.2120628

One of the major challenges associated with microgrid protection is to devise an appropriate protection strategy that is effective in the grid-connected as well as islanded mode of operation. This paper proposes a protection strategy based on microprocessor-based relays for low-voltage microgrids. Further, the structure of a new relay enabling the proposed protection strategy is presented. One of the salient feature of the developed protection scheme is that it does not require communications or adaptive protective devices. Moreover, it is to a large extent independent of the fault current magnitude and the mode of operation. Transient time-domain simulation studies are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed protection strategy and its enabling relay, using the PSCAD/EMTDC software package.