A fault location method using air-gap fluxes of synchronous generator

This paper deals with an experimental investigation of a novel fault location method using air-gap flux distributions of a synchronous generator connected to a power system. Air-gap fluxes are the sum of field fluxes and armature reaction fluxes. Changes in armature current and field current at a fault contribute directly to the armature reaction fluxes and field fluxes, then resultant air-gap fluxes. Therefore, air-gap fluxes can be utilized to locate a fault. Wavelet analysis is applied to the induced voltages of search coils, which are wound around a stator tooth top for measurement of the air-gap flux. It is shown that the fault type and location can be estimated based on the change in the search coil voltages measured during the fault.