A method for operating an electrical circuit arrangement comprising at least one first component and one second component, wherein the components are electrically connected across a direct current sub-grid of the electrical circuit arrangement, includes switching the first component at a first operating point with a first cycle time and switching the second component at a second operating point with a second cycle time, wherein the components are connected across a communication link and a phase position is determined and set between the first cycle time and the second cycle time as a function of fault information describing at least one present alternating voltage in the direct current sub-grid.

Provided is a renewable power generation plant, a computer program product and method of controlling a renewable power generation plant including a power converter for connecting the renewable power generation plant to a power transmission network; a circuit breaker arrangement between the power converter and the power transmission network, including a circuit breaker for each phase of the renewable power generation plant; and a converter controller configured to generate control signals for the power converter and control signals for the circuit breaker arrangement; which method includes the steps of detecting the occurrence of a phase-to-ground fault event in one of the phases of the power transmission network; issuing control signals to the circuit breaker arrangement to keep the circuit breakers closed during the phase-to-ground event; and issuing control signals to the power converter to ride through the phase-to-ground fault event.

Power distribution systems and methods are described. In one example, a method of determining by a first circuit protection device in a zone selective interlocking (ZSI) system whether to output a blocking signal to a second circuit protection device in the ZSI system is described. The method includes detecting, by a current rate of change sensor, a rate of change of a current flowing through the first circuit protection device. A trip unit receives a current rate of change signal from the current rate of change sensor. The current rate of change signal is proportional to the detected rate of change of the current flowing through the first circuit protection device. The trip unit determines whether to output the blocking signal to the second circuit protection device based, at least in part, on the current rate of change signal.

A method and device for timing in time-varying distance protection based on multiple lines of a tower. The method includes: collecting an instantaneous current value at a time-varying distance protection installation location in the multiple lines of the tower, and acquiring preset parameters; calculating, according to the preset parameters and a multi-line ranging model, a multi-line ranging result; calculating, according to the preset parameters, the multi-line ranging result, and an adaptive calculation model, time of a section-II distance protection action and final time of a section-III distance protection action; and determining, according to the instantaneous current value, the preset parameters, and a cross-line failure auxiliary criterion model, final time of the section-II distance protection action.

Disclosed herein is a system for time aligning electric power system measurements at an intelligent electronic device (IED) using samples and sample time offset from merging units. The merging units do not require access to a common time signal. The IED does not require storage of a communication latency with the merging units. The sample time offset corresponds to a latency between obtaining the sample and receipt of the sample at the IED. The IED aligns samples from various merging units using sample time offset values communicated from the merging units to the IED. The IED performs monitoring and protection functions using the time aligned samples.

Systems and methods may mitigate risk of fire caused by an electric power system. In one embodiment, a system may include an intelligent electronic device (IED). The IED includes a communication subsystem to receive a signal from a sensor related to a condition of the electric conductor. A processing subsystem in communication with the communication subsystem may operate in at least two modes comprising a high security mode and a fire prevention mode. In the fire prevention mode, the IED may interrupt a flow of electric current based on the signal from the at least one sensor associated with the electric conductor. In the high security mode, the system may interrupt a flow of electric current based on the signal from the at least one sensor associated with the electric conductor and based on a second condition relating to the electric conductor.

A method for locating phase faults in a microgrid in off-grid mode. The method includes obtaining a grid topology of the microgrid having at least two busbars and determining the position of all circuit breaker position of the grid topology. Further, acquiring measurement data which includes current magnitude and voltage magnitude. Monitoring the at least two busbars for a voltage dip in one of phase-to-phase or phase-to-neutral voltages. On detecting a voltage dip, determining a defect phase having a minimum phase-to-neutral voltage value. And for the defect phase performing busbar analysis and feeder analysis, using phase-directional information.

A current differential relay apparatus includes a first relay and a second relay. The first relay calculates a first differential current and a first suppression current, using a first current and a second current, and performs a ratio differential relay operation based on the first differential current and the first suppression current. The second relay calculates a maximum of results of add operations of the first current and the second current as a second differential current, calculates an add operation of the maximum of the first current and a maximum of the second current as a second suppression current, and performs a ratio differential relay operation based on the second differential current and the second suppression current. The current differential relay apparatus includes an output controller that outputs an operation signal based on results of operations performed by the first and second relays.

A device can be used with a power transmission system that includes three section that are connected at a junction, each section being from a corresponding. An input interface receives measurements of voltages and currents carried out at one or more of the first terminal, the second terminal and the third terminal or positive sequence voltage and current phasors obtained from the measurements of voltages and currents carried out at one or more of the first terminal, the second terminal and the third terminal. A phasor calculation module calculates positive sequence voltage and current phasors from the measurements of voltages and currents carried out at a terminal of the power transmission system. A fault locator obtains the fault location based on the section with the fault, the positive sequence voltage and current phasors obtained for each terminal, and the positive sequence line impedance parameters of each section.

Wireless communication enabled circuit breakers are described. Methods associated with such wireless communication enabled circuit breakers are also described. The wireless communication enabled circuit breakers may controlled by a remote entity. The remote entity may wirelessly case the wireless communication enabled circuit breakers to trip.