FAULT DIAGNOSIS OF AC High Voltages UNDERGROUND CABLES AND SOLUTIONS Research Paper

FAULT DIAGNOSIS OF AC High Voltages UNDERGROUND CABLES AND SOLUTIONS ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES - Research Paper Example I also looked at the formation of water trees in the plastic insulation and how both mechanical and chemical forces trigger them. Besides, charges can also lead to the formation of water trees. After a thorough analysis of fault detection techniques, I settled on two of them. They first one is the magnetic amorphous magneto†resistive concentric†neutral probing. The next method is the radio frequency test† point injection. The magnetic technique can detect a fault from an average distance of 90 feet. Underground cables have been in use for a long time in power distribution networks due to the advantages associated with underground connections. These cables are friendly to the environment, are not interrupted by adverse weather conditions, are less expensive for shorter distances and have got low maintenance costs. The disadvantages of these cables are that they are more expensive than overhead lines, have low power transferring capacity, are likely to get permanently damaged and fault location in underground cables is also difficult. Faults in underground cables are divided into two general groups that are permanent and incipient faults. Incipient faults develop from aging of insulation material that can be caused by chemical pollution, electrical overstress, severe environmental conditions and mechanical factors. Incipient faults gradually turn into permanent faults. Fault location is important in ensuring that distribution networks remain reliable as the restoration will be quick, so that power outage time is reduced. The cost of repair will also be low if a fault is located and corrected promptly. This research majorly studies how faults can be diagnosed in AC high voltage underground cables and the possible solution techniques for the faults. Some objectives must be achieved to realize this goal. The first objective is to establish the distinction between underground