An enhanced sensitive power differential protection for series compensated transmission lines in renewable generation intensive power systems

Series compensation is widely used to improve the electrical characteristics of long transmission lines and increase the power transfer capability. However, the insertion of a series capacitor introduces various phenomena that affect the performance of traditional distance relays. Moreover, the fault characteristics of renewable generation systems coupled with generation outputs that vary with weather patterns produce additional complications to the protection of transmission lines. This paper proposes the application of an enhanced sensitive power differential protection (SPDP) algorithm to the protection of series compensated transmission lines. The algorithm incorporates a criterion that improves the security of the protection by inhibiting the SPDP algorithm from operating for faults external to the protected line. Performance of the enhanced SPDP algorithm has been evaluated on a test system built in Digsilent Powerfactory software. Various in-zone and out-of-zone fault cases were simulated at different compensation levels and fault resistances. The results showed that the enhanced SPDP protection technique can detect in-zone faults along practically the entire transmission line (99.99 %) for compensation levels up to 90 %. The method operated reliably for faults with resistances up to 330 omega.