An Analytic Model for Fault Diagnosis in Power Distribution Systems Considering Unreliable Alarms

Intelligent electronic devices represented by fault indicators (FIs) and advanced measurement infrastructures (AMIs) are widely installed by industrial and residential users in a distribution system concerned, and are new information sources for a power distribution dispatching center in dealing with fault diagnosis related issues. However, unreliable measurements of either the FIs on a feeder or the AMIs on the low-voltage side of a step-down transformer are inevitable, rendering some difficulties to accurate fault diagnosis. Given this background, an analytic model for fault diagnosis in a power distribution system is proposed considering unreliable alarms generated by FIs and AMIs. Characteristics of both kinds of measurement devices are formulated mathematically, and an optimization model for fault diagnosis is then attained. Finally, a sample power distribution system is employed to demonstrate the capability of the proposed model in accommodating unreliable alarms.