Southern States Smart Tap User Manual

> Directional Fault Sensing > Smart Tap

APPLICATION GUIDE

Smart Tap

®

Fault Location in

Transmission Networks

Fault location and load restoration in transmission networks.

Faults on tapped transmission lines can result in signicant outage times and customer dissatisfaction. Commonly used

substation based fault locating solutions for tapped transmission lines can be problematic when trying to locate the specic

line segment where the fault occurred. Using Smart Tap technology, the fault location information is reported through the

SCADA system allowing the system operator to determine which line segment has experienced the fault.

For momentary faults, the SCADA fault information can assist the crews in the location and elimination of the source

of the momentary fault. For permanent faults, the operator can isolate the faulted section and minimize outage times.

Information from each line tap provides an indicator of a fault and fault direction, it also provides deterministic information

to allow proper sectionalizing.

For example, in a transmission network with four taps, there are nine
possible sections where the fault could occur.

• Faulted section is not identied

• Trial and error approach required to clear fault

• For permanent faults, breakers are reclosed into fault to locate faulted

section

• The trial and error approach repeated until proper section is
identied

• Not possible to identify sections where momentary faults occur

Smart Tap is an innovative new technology that correctly identies the faulted section for low current momentary

faults and over current permanent faults.

KEY FEATURES

• Detects low current and over current faults

• Detects magnitude and direction of permanent and

momentary faults

• Works on looped transmission lines with radial load taps

• Does not require PTs to determine fault direction

• Direction indication points to faulted section

• Reports information to SCADA operator

• Can be congured for automatic operation

APPLICATION GUIDE

MOMENTARY OR PERMANENT FAULT

> Directional Fault Sensing > Smart Tap

Line fault between two taps. Smart Tap generates fault direction ags at each sensing point. These ags can be sent to the

SCADA system and displayed on the operators single line diagram. These direction indicators represented as arrows on this

diagram point to the faulted line segment.

PERMANENT FAULT

Faulted Line Section Isolated

In the case of a permanent fault, The SCADA operator can open the switches which will isolate the faulted section after

the breakers have locked out for the remote controlled switches. If the switches are manually operated the crews can be

dispatched to the proper section to isolate the fault without the guess work of trying several locations before the proper location

is identied. The power to the customer can be quickly restored while the crews are clearing the source of the fault.

SSIPOWER SENSORS AND AUTOMATION