Advanced Edge-Cloud Computing Framework for Automated PMU-Based Fault Localization in Distribution Networks

The detection and localization of faults plays a huge role in every electric power system, be it a transmission network (TN) or a distribution network (DN), as it ensures quick power restoration and thus enhances the system’s reliability and availability. In this paper, a framework that supports phasor measurement unit (PMU)-based fault detection and localization is presented. Besides making the process of fault detecting, localizing and reporting to the control center fully automated, the aim was to make the framework viable also for DNs, which normally do not have dedicated fiber-optic connectivity at their disposal. The quality of service (QoS) for PMU data transmission, using the widespread long-term evolution (LTE) technology, was evaluated and the conclusions of the evaluation were used in the development of the proposed edge-cloud framework. The main advantages of the proposed framework can be summarized as: (a) fault detection is performed at the edge nodes, thus bypassing communication delay and availability issues, (b) potential packet losses are eliminated by temporally storing data at the edge nodes, (c) since the detection of faults is no longer centralized, but rather takes place locally at the edge, the amount of data transferred to the control center during the steady-state conditions of the network can be significantly reduced.