Intelligent detection of unstable power swing for correct distance relay operation using S-transform and neural networks

The conventional power swing schemes used in distance relay operation are not fast enough to detect and distinguish a fault, stable swing and unstable swing and this may lead to unintended tripping of protection devices. Therefore, there is a need for fast detection of unstable swings so as to improve the reliability of distance relay operation. This paper presents an intelligent approach for detecting unstable swings during distance relay operation using the S-transform signal processing technique and artificial neural networks. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, simulations were carried out on the IEEE 39 bus test system using the PSS/E software. Test results showed that the proposed approach using S-transform, multi layer perceptron network and probabilistic neural network can accurately detect and classify fault, stable swing, unstable swing, fault clearance and post fault events for correct distance relay operation. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.