Introduction
Electrical faults are undesirable events that occur in power systems. This disturbance (fault) could take place in any part of the electrical system, for instance on transmission/distribution lines, within generators or terminals, busbars, transformers, and switchgear, just to mention a few.
Types of Electrical Faults
Faults could be balanced (symmetrical) or unbalanced (unsymmetrical) in an electrical system. A balanced fault will involve all 3 phases (L-L-L) or 3 phases and ground (L-L-L-G). An unbalanced fault may include a line-to-ground (L-G), a line-to-line (L-L), or a line-to-line-to-ground (L-L-G).
Importance of Fault Calculation in Electrical Networks
The fundamental knowledge of calculating fault currents in any electrical network is relevant to understanding the need for protection against such unwanted events. It helps to appropriately design and select equipment that could withstand such faults without damaging itself during or immediately after the disturbance (fault) is cleared or removed.
In this post, the focus is on balanced or symmetrical faults.
A hand calculation of an example of a balanced fault (the magnitude of fault current is equal for all phases) is shown below.
For complex networks, it is not feasible to do hand calculations. Software tools are generally utilized. It is, however, expedient that the fundamentals are understood and applied appropriately. This is one of the most important topics because the economic consequences of electrical faults are enormous. Not forgetting the personnel safety and equipment damages which may take several months to replace.
Check out my blog post on 10 power engineering software tools that will enhance your career
I have listed some of the industry’s top software packages widely used.
Some have free versions or student versions that you may find helpful.
I took training course and it has been a good resource to me. You would find it interesting in case you need to improve and scale your skills. Find the training course link here: Power System Analysis
A skill learned a day for 365 days is worth scaling up your expertise now.
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