Abstract: A system comprises a first intelligent electronic device (IED) configured to receive simulated electric power delivery system measurements and test configuration settings from a computing device, transmit a signal indicative of instructions to pause normal operation to a plurality of additional IEDs, transmit a signal comprising the simulated electric power delivery system measurements and the test configuration settings to each of the plurality of additional IEDs, transmit a signal indicative of instructions to begin a test procedure according to the simulated electric power delivery system measurements and the test configuration settings to each of the plurality of additional IEDs, receive a signal indicative of test results from each of the plurality of additional IEDs, and transmit a signal indicative of instructions to resume normal operation to the plurality of additional IEDs.

Abstract: A system for voltage signal distribution in a digital substation protection system. In a system where a voltage signal from a bus is not available, an alternative voltage secondary signal may be selected as a reference voltage and made available to the appropriate protection devices in a digital substation protection system for synchronism check. Voltage signals may be distributed using software-defined networking. A voltage selection controller may select the reference voltage and control distribution of the voltage signal using the software-defined networking communication system.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for detecting an electrical secondary arc across a transition point in an electric power delivery system are provided. An intelligent electronic device (IED) for an electric power delivery system may include data processing circuitry and machine-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the data processing circuitry, cause the IED to perform operations several operations. The operations may include comparing a first electrical measurement across a transition point in the electric power delivery system measured at a first time with a second electrical measurement across the transition point measured at a second time; and identifying an occurrence of an electrical secondary arc across the transition point when the second electrical measurement at the second time is greater than the first electrical measurement at the first time by more than a threshold.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to improving the monitoring of electric power systems. In one embodiment, a device consistent with the present disclosure may include an input for receiving information related to electric parameters at a location within the electric power system. A power supply in electrical communication with an external power source may provide conditioned electric power to components internal to the device. The power supply may include a power input in electrical communication with the external power source to receive electric power. A conditioning circuit may condition electric power from the external power source for use by the device. An energy storage device may store electric power from the external power source. An energy storage device control subsystem may draw power from the energy storage device upon loss of the external power source to enable the device to remain fully operational and to implement an action.

Abstract: Quotient differential protection of electric power delivery system equipment is described herein. Load-side currents and source-side currents are used without need of tap changer and control switch positions of the dual-core phase-shifting transformer being protected. The quotient differential signal is determined based on comparing the winding turn ratios in individual transformer phases, resulting in a differential signal that includes the products of currents. Similarly, the restraining signal comprises the products of currents.

Abstract: A protective intelligent electronic device (IED), such as a protective relay, includes a processor to execute protection routines and/or data acquisition routines. The protective IED or an associated networking device may include, for example, a measurement module to monitor processor burden and control logic to detect Ethernet storms based on a dynamic burden function threshold. In response to storm detection, non-critical Ethernet traffic is throttled while critical protection functions are maintained. Auxiliary communication subsystems and/or critical protocols such as RSTP may continue to function during a storm mitigation mode. The systems and methods described herein leverage dynamic CPU burden assessments, traffic prioritization, and hysteresis logic to limit toggling between storm mitigation and normal operation modes.

Abstract: Fault location determination using local and remote incremental voltages and replica currents is disclosed herein. Using the observation that the change in voltage at the fault location estimated from a local terminal is the same as the change in voltage at the fault location estimated from a remote terminal, the embodiments herein determine fault location by minimizing a difference between a change-in-voltage at the fault location estimated using the local incremental voltages and replica currents and a change-in-voltage at the fault location estimated using the remote incremental voltages and replica currents.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for protecting electric power equipment. In one embodiment, an oscillator generates a time signal to timestamp a first stream of data comprising a plurality of local measurements. A communications interface may receive a second stream of data comprising a plurality of remote measurements from a remote source through a communication channel. The second stream of data may include a plurality of timestamps. A clock offset estimation subsystem may determine a plurality of clock offset values based on the second stream of data, analyze the second stream of data; identify a plurality of valid raw clock offset values within the second stream of data; and generate a prediction error. An adaptive filter subsystem may determine an adaptive gain using an adaptive filter and apply the adaptive gain to the prediction error based on conditions of the communication channel.

Abstract: A system includes a first intelligent electronic device (IED) of an electric power delivery system. The first IED may measure a local current and a local voltage, transmit a first signal indicative of the local current and voltage measurements to additional IEDs via one or more communication channels, receive one or more additional signals indicative of remote current and voltage measurements from each of the additional IEDs, determine a respective asymmetry of each of the communication channels based on the local current and voltage measurements and the remote current and voltage measurements, determine a total asymmetry based on the respective asymmetries, compare the total asymmetry to one or more threshold relationships between operating currents and restraining currents, each of the one or more threshold relationships comprising a slope value, and perform a control function based on the comparison.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for configuring time synchronization in a network. The system includes a time signal source to provide a common time signal to multiple configurable communication devices and a network controller in a control plane, in communication with the multiple configurable communication devices. The network controller is configured to receive time signal source information and to receive device configuration information for a first configurable communication device. The network controller is also configured to determine settings for time signal distribution and to transmit the settings to the multiple configurable communication devices to cause the first configurable communication device to transmit the time signal from the time signal source in a data plane for consumption by the multiple configurable communication devices.

Abstract: In various examples, a host HSR device determines bidirectional latency values in an HSR ring without adding network traffic beyond the supervision frames mandated by the HSR protocol. The host HSR device receives its own supervision frames after the frames traverse the ring in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions. The host HSR device determines direction-specific roundtrip latency values, which are transmitted and used to, for example, set channel delay parameters in protective relays, assert alarms when latency or frame-return timeout thresholds are exceeded, and/or take other protective or reporting actions. In some examples, the larger of the two latency values is used to calculate a maximum roundtrip latency, which can be used to adjust or set a channel delay setting of a protective relay to ensure that the protective relay will continue to operate with the ring in a degraded state.

Abstract: This disclosure pertains to systems and methods to detect network errors in a parallel redundant protocol (PRP) or high-availability seamless redundancy (HSR) network. A node-level redundancy error subsystem of an intelligent electronic device (IED) maintains records (e.g., counts) of information associated with missing duplicate frames expected from node devices on the PRP or HSR network via redundant first and second local area networks (LANs). Non-zero counts of missing duplicate frames may be identified as network errors.

Abstract: A multiport current sensor is disclosed for measuring current. The sensor may include multiple CT or Rogowski coil segments or sections arranged in a closed loop configuration around a monitored phase line or other electrical conductor. An adjacent phase rejection circuit compares the magnitudes and/or phase angles of the voltage signals from the multiple coil segments. The adjacent phase rejection circuit may detect if a fault in an adjacent phase line or other electrical conductor is affecting the output signal of the current sensor by more than a threshold amount. The adjacent phase rejection circuit may additionally or alternatively indicate whether the measured values are valid for detecting a fault on the monitored phase line or other electrical conductor.

Abstract: The presently described systems and methods include differential protection architectures for power lines, including three-phase transmission lines and distribution lines, in which each protective device monitors and protects more than one power line. A protective device with multi-channel line current differential protection provides additional security from data corruption and/or single event upsets. A protective device on one end of a transmission line may include multiple communication channels to simultaneously receive independent differential data (e.g., current measurements) from protective devices on the other end of the transmission line. The device may use the independent channels of line current differential protection data to implement multiple independent differential protection functions for two or more power line segments.

Abstract: The present application discloses a current monitor mountable to an energized electrical conductor in an electric power system and related methods. In one embodiment, a current monitor comprises a housing, a first moveable arm coupled to the housing, and a second moveable arm coupled to the housing. The first moveable arm and the second moveable arm are configurable in an open configuration and a closed configuration. A current sensor is disposed in the moveable first arm and the second moveable arm and generates a signal output representing a current flow in the energized electrical conductor. The first moveable arm and the second moveable arm form a channel to receive the electrical conductor in the open configuration and transition to a closed configuration in which the first moveable arm and the second moveable arm substantially surround the electrical conductor in response to the electrical conductor entering the channel.

Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling dispatchable elements of a microgrid, such as generators or a point of common coupling, to achieve control objectives of the microgrid are provided. A monitoring and control system may determine a set of prioritized control objectives corresponding to a number of dispatchable elements of a microgrid and a combined dispatch region for the microgrid based on the prioritized control objectives. The monitoring and control system may control the plurality of dispatchable elements based on the combined dispatch region.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to control of a voltage regulator in an electric power system. In one embodiment, a system to control a voltage regulator includes a communication interface configured to communicate with the voltage regulator. A power flow direction subsystem may determine a direction of a current flow in the electric power system. A tap change monitoring subsystem may monitor tap changes implemented by the voltage regulator to evaluate a voltage change resulting from each of the plurality of tap changes and determine a source stiffness value for a first source and a second source. A voltage regulator control subsystem is configured to determine a regulation direction based on the direction of current flow determined by the power flow direction subsystem and based on the source stiffness value for the first source and the second source, and communicate the regulation direction to the voltage regulator through the communication interface.

Abstract: A method to determine a location of a fault in a power network includes monitoring electrical measurements, receiving an indication of a presence of the fault; determining a first sequence mutual coupling parameter based on the electrical measurements, wherein the first sequence mutual coupling parameter indicates a mutual coupling of a positive sequence to a negative sequence of the power network, determining a second sequence mutual coupling parameter based on the electrical measurements, wherein the second sequence mutual coupling parameter indicates a mutual coupling of a zero sequence to the negative sequence of the power network, determining the location of the fault based on the indication of the presence of the fault, the first sequence mutual coupling parameter, and the second sequence mutual coupling parameter, and sending one or more commands to one or more devices to adjust one or more operations based on the location of the fault.

Abstract: Transformer differential protection notwithstanding magnetizing inrush and overexcitation conditions is disclosed herein. Differential protection uses differential and restraining signals calculated using compensated winding currents. The protection is effective during magnetizing inrush and overexcitation conditions by determining whether the differential current is due to the magnetizing inrush or overexcitation. Further, the protection may determine a fault condition during energization.

Abstract: A method to determine a location of a fault in a power network includes monitoring electrical measurements, receiving an indication of a presence of the fault; determining a first sequence mutual coupling parameter based on the electrical measurements, wherein the first sequence mutual coupling parameter indicates a mutual coupling of a positive sequence to a negative sequence of the power network, determining a second sequence mutual coupling parameter based on the electrical measurements, wherein the second sequence mutual coupling parameter indicates a mutual coupling of a zero sequence to the negative sequence of the power network, determining the location of the fault based on the indication of the presence of the fault, the first sequence mutual coupling parameter, and the second sequence mutual coupling parameter, and sending one or more commands to one or more devices to adjust one or more operations based on the location of the fault.