An Enhanced Method for Fault Location and Multiple-Estimation Mitigation in Wind Farm Collector Systems

Abstract

The growing penetration of Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs), such as solar and wind, challenges the operation of electric power systems. Specifically, conventional methods for fault location (FL) in wind farm collector lines experience reduced accuracy due to the atypical contributions of IBRs and the inherent non-homogeneity of these lines. This paper proposes a novel FL approach for wind farm collector systems that compensates for the errors introduced by these factors using measurements only at the circuit entrance. Additionally, the approach incorporates a mitigation strategy for multiple fault location estimation. To enhance practical applicability, the methodology includes a virtual meter model to estimate electrical quantities at remote nodes, reducing reliance on an expensive advanced metering infrastructure. The proposed method was validated through PSCAD/EMTDC simulations based on a real wind farm located in northeastern Brazil. The results demonstrate significant improvements over classical approaches, achieving an average reduction of up to 96% in FL errors and mitigating approximately 99.7% of cases with multiple location estimates.