Validation of a High Impedance Fault Model for Overhead Distribution Networks Using Real Oscillography Data

High Impedance Faults (HIF) are serious disturbances that occur in power distribution systems. Due to the low current levels, conventional overcurrent-based protection systems do not detect this type of fault. Some studies have been carried out in the diagnosis of this type of disorder in order to accelerate their detection and location, reducing the risk to people, environment, property, and damage to utilities. A HIF computational model that is faithful to the real characteristics influences decisively model-based HIF detection and localization tasks. In this paper, a HIF model widely used in the literature is the first time confronted with real oscillography data captured during actual HIF incidents in overhead distribution networks. The results show that the measured steady-state current signals match the HIF model.