P200D

Distribution Protection

The optimal performance of protection relays is critical to the safe, reliable and stable operation of modern power systems. When a disturbance occurs on a power system the protection systems should act in concert to quickly isolate the faulted equipment, while minimizing customer outages and impact on power quality.

The key research question of this work is to establish practical solutions for how protection systems can be assessed, designed, and implemented for solving modern grid challenges. These challenges include developing resilient protection systems considering integration of distributed energy resources, unintentional islanding of DER, improving protection sensitivity, and designing protection with variable short circuit levels and changing system topologies.

The ultimate goals of this multi-year R&D project are the following:

1. Improve Grid Reliability Through Reduced Protection Misoperation
2. Secure and Reliable Protection of Grids with DER
3. Appropriate Application of Technologies for Improving Protection Performance
4. Technology Transfer of Protection Research Results to Utility Engineers

On-going Research Work

Each year there are many project webcasts presenting research results, topical discussions, and cases study results.

1. Webcast Calendar and Recordings
2. Distribution Protection Analysis Tool (DPAT) Homepage
3. Impacts of DER on Arc-Flash
4. Modeling of DER for Protection Studies
5. Impacts of DER on Protection and Mitigation Solutions
6. Microgrid Protection
7. Adaptive Protection

For further information please contact me at smcguinness@epri.com or +704-595-2981

Sean McGuinness, Program Manager Distribution Grid Protection.