Diagnosis of defects on Medium Voltage Electric Energy Distribution Networks

An analysis of the Medium Voltage (MV) electricity power distribution network in the operated by Cameroon’s AES-SONEL company shows that losses are very high due to energy which is produced but not distributed and that the duration of power interruptions as a result of these defects is long due to the time used in searching for the defects. Given that quick detection of defects is a sure means of improving availability and productivity in any company, we hereby propose a system of real-time diagnosis of the defects on AES-SONEL’s electric power distribution network. After an inventory of typical defects on electric power networks and the proposal of a tool for their identification, we propose a system for the detection and localization of these various failures. The implementation of the system on a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) enables the performance of the system to be assessed.

► Manual transfer of electrical energy has high incidence of interruption in the AES-SONEL network (up to 10%).
► Phase loss in the network is signaled by consumers rather than any intelligent system.
► Duration of fault detection is dependent on distance from station and time of occurence of the fault.
► An algorithm of real-time monitoring of the AES-SONEL network is proposed to remedy the faults of the network.