Method and arrangement for generating an error signal

• US 8,462,004 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Jurisch, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees, Edny
• Application Number:
  US12/936,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20110109465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 340/635, 340/636.17, 340/650, 340/649, 324/500, 324/508, 324/509, 361/42, 361/107
• US Class Current: 340/635
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/083 in cables, e.g. underground
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/088 Aspects of digital computing
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/385 using at least one homopolar quantity

Abstract

A method generates an error signal indicating the location of a ground fault in a line between two line ends. A voltage and a current are measured at both ends of the line, establishing measured values, and the location of the ground fault is determined when or after a ground fault is detected. Accordingly, harmonic indicator variables are established and used for determining the location of the ground fault.

Claims

1. A method for producing a fault signal identifying a location of a ground fault on a line between two line ends, which comprises the steps of:

measuring a voltage and a current at each of the two line ends, with measured values being formed;

determining a harmonic component contained in one of a zero phase-sequence voltage and a zero phase-sequence current, as well as a decay time constant for each of the two line ends, using the measured values;

forming a magnitude and a phase of a harmonic vector measurement variable in each case using the harmonic component and the decay time constant for each of the two line ends, wherein a time reference point of the phase of the harmonic vector measurement variable relates to a time of the ground fault detection at a respective line end;

rotating the harmonic vector measurement variables formed in this way, starting from the respective line end, to a time in a past;

determining the time in the past and a location on the line at which rotated-back harmonic vector measurement variables have at least approximately a same magnitude and at least approximately a same phase, and the location on the line determined is regarded as the location of the ground fault; and

outputting the location with a fault signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

taking account of a telegraph equation, which describes a propagation of electromagnetic waves on the line, by calculating a first and a second zero phase-sequence voltage vector for a selectable location on the line, for a time which is located in the past corresponding to a propagation time to the selectable location, using the harmonic vector measurement variables of the zero phase-sequence current and the zero phase-sequence voltage at the two line ends, wherein a first zero phase-sequence voltage vector is calculated starting from a first line end in a direction of a second line end, and a second zero phase-sequence voltage vector is calculated starting from the second line end in the direction of the first line end;

comparing the first and second zero phase-sequence voltage vectors calculated in this way with one another; and

selecting a line location at which calculated zero phase-sequence voltage vectors best match, and the line location determined in this way is regarded as the location of the ground fault.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

determining the magnitude and the phase of the two harmonic vector measurement variables by means of an estimation method on a basis of a predetermined signal model, which models a time profile of the zero phase-sequence voltage in a case of the ground fault, wherein the predetermined signal model takes account at least of the harmonic vector measurement variable to be determined at a defined vector angular frequency, a determined decay time constant of the harmonic component and a zero phase-sequence voltage vector measurement variable at a fundamental frequency of the zero phase-sequence voltage; and

during a course of the estimation method, adapting the magnitude and the phase of the harmonic vector measurement variable such that a discrepancy between a time signal profile of a modeled signal of the signal model and a measured time signal profile of the measured values of the zero phase-sequence voltage is a minimum.

4. The method according to claim 3, which further comprises selecting the estimation method from the group consisting of a least squares estimation method, a Kalman filter algorithm and an ARMAX estimation method.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

selecting a frequency which is dominant for the harmonic component from a frequency spectrum of the harmonic component; and

defining a vector angular frequency of the two harmonic vector measurement variables in each case such that it corresponds to the dominant frequency.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

determining a harmonic frequency whose amplitude is a maximum in the harmonic component; and

defining a vector angular frequency of the two harmonic vector measurement variables in each case such that it corresponds to the harmonic frequency.

7. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determining a time window for data used to generate the harmonic vector measurement variables such that a time window start is fixed at a start of a rise of the zero phase-sequence voltage after a predetermined threshold value has been exceeded.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the harmonic component is determined such that a measurement window for which a frequency spectrum of the zero phase-sequence voltage is determined by means of a Fourier transformation is in each case opened for each line end after a detection of the ground fault, and the frequency spectrum is subjected to high-pass filtering, in which harmonics of a fundamental frequency of the zero phase-sequence voltage are separated, forming the harmonic component.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the decay time constant is determined such that a root mean square value of the harmonic component is determined and the decay time constant of the root mean square value is determined, and the determined decay time constant of the root mean square value is regarded as the decay time constant of the harmonic component.

10. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out a measurement of the voltage at the two line ends free of synchronization, and the voltage measured values at the two line ends are unsynchronized.

11. A configuration for producing a fault signal that identifies a location of a ground fault on a line between a first and a second line end, the configuration comprising:

a first measurement instrument at the first line end of the line for measuring a voltage and a current at the first line end resulting in measured values;

a second measurement instrument at the second line end of the line for measuring a voltage and a current at the second line end resulting in measured values; and

an evaluation device connected to said first and second measurement instruments and uses the measured values from said first and second measurement instruments, said evaluation device programmed to;

determine a harmonic component contained in one of a zero phase-sequence voltage and a zero phase-sequence current, as well as a decay time constant for each of the first and second line ends, using the measured values;

form a magnitude and a phase of a harmonic vector measurement variable in each case using the harmonic component and the decay time constant for each of the first and second line ends, wherein a time reference point of a phase of the harmonic vector measurement variable relates to a time of the ground fault detection at a respective line end;

rotate the harmonic vector measurement variables formed in this way, starting from a respective line end, to a time in a past;

determine the time in the past and a location on the line at which a rotated-back harmonic vector measurement variables have at least approximately a same magnitude and at least approximately a same phase, and the location on the line determined is regarded as the location of the ground fault; and

output the location with a fault signal.

12. The configuration according to claim 11, wherein said evaluation device is formed by a programmed data processing installation.

13. The configuration according to claim 11, further comprising a central device, said evaluation device is disposed in said central device to which said first and second measurement instruments are connected.

14. The configuration according to claim 11, wherein said first and second measurement instruments are connected to one another and said evaluation device is implemented in one of said first and second measurement instruments.

15. A field device for connection to one line end of an electrical line and for identification of a ground fault on the line, the field device comprising:

an evaluation device programmed to;

determine a harmonic component contained in one of a zero phase-sequence voltage and a zero phase-sequence current, as well as a decay time constant for each of first and second line ends, using measured values;

form a magnitude and phase of a harmonic vector measurement variable in each case using the harmonic component and the decay time constant for each the first and second line ends, wherein a time reference point of a phase of the harmonic vector measurement variable relates to a time of ground fault detection at a respective line end;

rotate the harmonic vector measurement variables formed in this way, starting from the respective line end, to a time in a past;

determine the time in the past and a location on the line at which a rotated-back harmonic vector measurement variables have at least approximately a same magnitude and at least approximately a same phase, and the location on the line determined is regarded as the location of the ground fault; and

output the location with a fault signal; and

a data connection for connection to another measurement instrument for receiving measured values which relate to another line end of the line.

16. The field device according to claim 15, wherein the field device is a protective device for connection to the one line end of the electrical line.