A Novel Passive Technique Based on Superimposed Negative Sequence Impedance to Detect Islanding in AC Microgrids

Abstract

Improper detection of islanding in a microgrid can lead to power quality issues, reclosing failures, and serious equipment damage, and it also poses a threat to security personnel. Therefore, the detection of islanding is a critical task for ensuring the proper functioning of the microgrid system. In this article, an effective islanding detection method is presented for detecting islanding in the modern distribution test system. The proposed islanding scheme employs the concept of superimposed negative sequence impedance to derive the islanding event index (IEI). Unlike many schemes available, this scheme does not degrade the power quality and provides a large difference in IEIs during islanding and non-islanding events. It properly distinguishes between islanding and non-islanding events at zero power mismatch. All the simulations have been carried out in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. Additionally, this technique has also been validated on the OPL-RT real-time simulator. The results showed the superiority of this method over several previous methods and detected islanding in 66 msec – with a large gap of the order of 10⁴ in IEIs during islanding and non-islanding events – making this method more accurate and robust. Moreover, the scheme can be implemented into any existing system simply and inexpensively.

Keywords:

• passive technique
• islanding detection
• NDZ
• microgrid
• distribution system
• converters for energy conversion

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Indradeo Pratap Bharti

Indradeo Pratap Bharti received his B.Tech degree in electrical engineering from Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, India, in 2014, and his M.Tech degree in power systems from the Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad, India, in 2016. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. degree at the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, India, His research interests include electric power systems, power distribution systems, and islanding operations in microgrids.

Navneet Kumar Singh

Navneet Kumar Singh received his B.Sc. Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering in 2004 and M. Tech degree in 2006 from Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra, India. And Ph.D. degree in 2016 from the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad, India. He is presently working as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, Allahabad, India. His major areas of research are Power System Operation and Planning, and Artificial Intelligence Applications in Power Systems.

Om Hari Gupta

Om Hari Gupta obtained his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, India. He is presently employed as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, at the National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, India. He is a recipient of the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship for research visiting the Ontario Tech University (Formerly University of Ontario Institute of Technology), Oshawa, ON, Canada in 2017. His major areas of research interest include power system protection, microgrids, renewable-based distributed generation, and electric power quality. Dr. Gupta is a senior member of IEEE and a reviewer for various international journals including IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Electric Power Components and Systems, International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, etc.

Asheesh Kumar Singh

Asheesh Kumar Singh received his B. Tech degree in electrical engineering from Harcourt Butler Technical. Institute, Kanpur (INDIA), in 1991, and the M.Tech. degree in Control systems from the National Institute of Technology (formerly REC), Kurukshetra (INDIA), in 1994. I doctorate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (INDIA), in 2007. He is currently working as a Professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering, MNNIT Allahabad. He has more than 15 years of teaching experience. He is also serving as a Chair in Conferences (IEEE-UPCON). His research interests include power Systems, Power quality, E-mobility, Renewable energy integration, Microgrids, and Smart Grid.