Overcoming the difficulties in field testing series compensated line protection schemes

Overcoming the difficulties in field testing series compensated line protection schemes This paper discusses the traditional approach to field testing a series compensated line protection system. The problem domain is analyzed to establish the various test cases required to prove the local/remote protection system and the difficulty in using traditional testing methods in creating effective tests, whether local only or End-to-End tests. Techniques are identified to break down the testing so conventional test approaches can be used, but these often require compromising the integrity of the IED settings and missing the overall scheme operation. These technical challenges are examined to identify what tools are needed to resolve them. The paper then explores using a network simulation tool to directly create the proper system conditions that the series compensation protection system requires to verify correct operations for all power system faults without compromising the IED setup. It discusses the payback levels of investing in proper preparation and training required for using a network simulation tool. It presents a real case study of field testing a series comp scheme and the potential time savings of the test method employed.