Design of a smart tool for detecting hidden errors in protection setting files

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)

Applied Research and Development

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
National Grid Electricity Transmission

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 September 2011

01 January 2015

40 months

£190,000

Power

London

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, National Grid Electricity Transmission

The objectives for this project are to ensure that vulnerability is reduced and reliability is increased through an intelligent tool for detecting hidden errors in setting files to help prevent the re-occurrence of a similar incident to above. This project will be successful if we can develop a tool that can identify hidden protection file settings in protection relays. Further success would be to ensure these setting are then changed, however this is outside the scope of the project.

On 15th March 2011 at 05: 32hrs, Tilbury SGT4 tripped. Coincident with the trip, SGT2B at Littlebrook and the Tilbury - Littlebrook 2 circuit also tripped. Investigation found that the trip of the Tilbury-Littlebrook circuit and the SGT2B was caused by incorrect backup protection setting calculated and applied on the relay at Littlebrook. The setting calculation engineer and site commissioning engineer failed to spot the setting error. The cause of the above multi-circuit tripping is similar to the incidents which caused the Birmingham and London blackouts. Relying solely on people and procedures to assess the validity of protection relay setting files has not always been successful and occasionally hidden errors were not detected until after a relay mal-operated. In addition, a mal-operation related to an inappropriate setting may only become apparent when the power system is operating in a stressed or abnormal state and consequently might cause a local black-out or trigger a regional collapse. Setting errors, or hidden problems in the setting files used in protection relays, have resulted in mal- operations. This project will investigate a method based on an intelligent system (often referred to as "expert system") that will detect hidden errors in a setting file. Setting errors, or hidden problems in the setting files used in protection relays, have resulted in mal- operations. This project will investigate a method based on an expert system that will detect hidden errors in a setting file This will be done by proposing the following methods; Literature survey on issues of management of protection settings, current tools available for detecting hidden errors in a protection setting file Literature survey on expert systems - what tools are available and what computer language is best to use for this project Understanding National Grid protection application policy and Alstom’s Micom protection devices. Development of a simple power system model and allocate protection functions to the model (feeder and transformer protection functions)Research on how to open Alstom’s MICOM relay setting files and interoperate intelligently the enabled/disabled protection functions and settings. Produce a design specification for the smart tool Start to write a computer program (i.e. the smart tool) for implementation of the power system model and protection function block. Produce a database of line and transformer parameters of National Grid’s 400 kV and 275 and 132 kV networks and impellent the database in the tool. - Report & the computer program Nov 2012Determine the fault levels and fault currents to be applied for various faults on the power system model Development of the smart tool for detecting hidden errors in protection setting files (Alstom’s MICOM setting file only)Trial of the tool and further development Finalise the test report after a setting file is tested - Report & the computer program Write up PhD thesis and a user manual for the smart toolNote : Project Documents may be available via the ENA Smarter Networks Portal using the Website link above

09/08/18