Distribution system protection with communication technologies

Due to the communication technologies’ involvement in the distribution power system, the time-critical protection function may be implemented more accurately, therefore distribution power systems’ stability, reliability and security could be improved. This paper presents an active distribution power system, including CHPs (Combined Heating and Power) and small scaled WTs (Wind Turbines), as a practical example to examine the possible impacts of communication technologies on the power system. Under some fault scenarios, the power system’s responses to the fault are compared between the system with communication technologies and that without communication technologies. At the same time, the previously proposed study method of combining the simulations of communication and power systems is adopted in this study. The performance of a communication network adopted for power system is simulated by OPNET, and then the corresponding power system is studied by EMTDC/PSCAD. Finally the simulation results are analyzed to draw a conclusion.