Ground Fault Compensation Effectiveness Conditions in MV Grids with Significant To-Ground Unbalance

Abstract

Operating algorithms of automatic power protection and regulation devices in compensated MV grids often must consider the effect of natural to-ground unbalance. The unbalance degree is determined primarily by the voltage defined by the difference between potentials of the grid’s neutral point and the ground. This voltage has a significant impact on the ground fault protection effectiveness and often limits the possibility of Petersen coils’ fine tuning in the ground fault compensation process. This paper presents results of an analysis of the operating conditions of an MV grid with a significant to-ground unbalance. In the practice of the operation of field grids with a large share of overhead lines, the method based on increasing the ground fault compensation detuning factor is often used. According to the authors, a better solution in this respect is the exact compensation while increasing the attenuation factor. By degrading the coil quality factor, the attenuation factor can be increased by up to four times of its natural value. This solution is also supported by the coil’s arc-suppression efficiency increase.