Vol. 10 No.

1
June 2011 Journal of Chongqing University (English Edition) [ISSN 1671-8224]

Article ID: 1671-8224(2011)01-0078-06

To cite this article: XU Gao-xiong. Single-phase earth fault current distribution between optical fiber composite overhead ground wire and ordinary ground wire in
transmission system [J]. J Chongqing Univ: Eng Ed [ISSN 1671-8224], 2011, 10(1): 78-83.

Single-phase earth fault current distribution between optical fiber

composite overhead ground wire and ordinary ground wire in
transmission system

XU Gao-xiong †
China Electric Power Research Institute, Beijing 100192, P. R. China

Received 25 November 2010; received in revised form 5 January 2011

Abstract: It is important for the safety of transmission system to accurately calculate single-phase earth fault current distribution.
Features of double sided elimination method were illustrated. Quantitative calculation of single-phase earth fault current
distribution and case verification were accomplished by using the loop method. Influences of some factors, such as single-phase
earth fault location and ground resistance of poles, on short-circuit current distribution were discussed. Results show that: 1)
results of the loop method conform to those of double sided elimination method; 2) the fault location hardly influences macro-
distribution of short-circuit current. However, current near fault location is evidently influenced; and 3) the short-circuit current
distribution is not so sensitive to the ground resistance of poles.
Keywords: loop method; single-phase earth fault; short-circuit current distribution; optical fiber composite overhead ground wire;
ordinary ground wire

CLC number: TM726.3 Document code: A

1 Introduction a ground resistance of poles, on short-circuit current

When phase-to-ground faults happen, short-circuit
current will result in an increased temperature of
ground lines, which is crucial to power line
communication [1-4]. Among all kinds of earth faults,
single-phase earth fault happens more often. Phase
component method [5-6] and double sided elimination
method [7-10] are mainly used to calculate short-circuit
current distribution which is related with many factors,
such as grounding way of transmission line, pole
resistance, optical fiber composite overhead ground
wire (OPGW) and ordinary ground wire resistance [11].
Using loop method, we carried out quantitative
calculation and case verification of single-phase earth
fault current distribution. Results conform to those of
double sided elimination method. Influences of some
factors, such as single-phase earth fault location and
distribution were discussed.
2 Calculation methods
2.1 Double sided elimination method
Double sided elimination method is first presented
by Dawalibi [5-6] in Canada. He has done much work in
both theoretical and practical fields [5-6]. However,
when dealing with parallel connection line structure
that has different number of conductors, double sided
elimination method has to add virtual paths, which
results in much more calculation and accuracy loss.
Some researchers of P. R. China have improved the
method, and make it more popular [7-8].
2.2 Loop method

†
When a single-phase earth fault happens, the short-
XU Gao-xiong (许高雄): xugx@epri.sgcc.com.cn.

78

circuit current analyzing model is shown in Fig. 1, in
which I is the fault current, and Rgs is the equivalent
pole resistance of pole s ( s  0,1, 2,..., n) .
Given to mutual impedance between OPGW and
ordinary ground wire, loop s in Fig. 1 is equivalent to
the circuit diagram in Fig. 2.
Fig. 1 Mesh model of short-circuit current in double ground
wire system where OPGW is optical fiber composite
overhead ground wire, I is the fault current, and Rgs is the
equivalent pole resistance of pole s ( s  0,1, 2,..., n)
Fig. 2 Equivalent circuit of the s loop where Rgs and Rgs 1
are the resistance of poles s and s  1 respectively, X Ms is
the mutual impedance between OPGW (optical fiber
composite overhead ground wire) and ordinary ground wire
in s loop, EOs and Eds are induced electromotive force in s
loop of OPGW and ordinary ground wire, ROs and X Os are
OPGW’s direct current resistance and alternating current
impedance in s loop respectively, Rds and X ds are ordinary
ground wire’s direct current resistance and alternating current
impedance in s loop respectively, Is is loop circuit of s loop,
and Ios and Ids are OPGW’s current and ordinary ground
wire’s current in s loop respectively.
Define Z Os  ROs  jX Os and Z ds  Rds  jX ds as the
complex impedance in s loop of OPGW and ordinary
ground wire respectively, where j is the imaginary unit;
ROs and X Os are OPGW direct current resistance and
alternating current impedance in s loop respectively;
J. Chongqing Univ. Eng. Ed. [ISSN 1671-8224], 2011, 10(1): 78-83
G. X. Xu
Single-phase earth fault current distribution
and Rds and X ds are ordinary ground wire direct
current resistance and alternating current impedance in
s loop respectively. EOs and Eds are induced
electromotive force in s loop of OPGW and ordinary
ground wire, and EOs  Eds  jwMI , where I is the
same fault current as in Fig. 1, wM is mutual
inductance between phase line and ground line, w is
angular frequency, and M is mutual inductance
coefficient.
According to the current equivalent principle, circuit
between point A and point B in Fig. 2 is equal to that in
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3 Equivalent circuit where Rgs and Rgs 1 are the
resistance of poles s and s  1 respectively, Z s is the
equivalent impedance of s loop, and Es is induced
electromotive force
In Fig. 3, Z s is the equivalent impedance of s loop,
and Es is induced electromotive force.
Z s  jX Ms  (ZOs  jX Ms ) //(Zds  jX Ms ) 
jX Ms  [ ROs  j ( X Os  X Ms )] //[ Rds 
j ( X ds  X Ms )]  jX Ms 
[( ROs Rds )  ( X Os X ds  X Ms X Ms  X Os X Ms  X ds X Ms )]

[( ROs  Rds )  j ( X Os  X ds  2 X Ms )]
j[ ROs ( X ds  X Ms )  Rds ( X Os  X Ms )]
,
[( ROs  Rds )  j ( X Os  X ds  2 X Ms )]
and
Es  (( Z Os  jX Ms ) //( Z ds  jX Ms ))( EOs /( Z Os  jX Ms ) 
Eds /( Z ds  jX Ms ))  (( Z Os  jX Ms ) //( Z ds 
jX Ms ))( jwMI /( Z Os  jX Ms ) 
jwMI /( Z ds  jX Ms ))  jwMI ,
where X Ms is the mutual impedance between OPGW
and ordinary ground wire in s loop; // is the impedance
79
G. X. Xu
Single-phase earth fault current distribution

L De satisfy
parallel symbol; and wM  0.145 log ,
1 000 DXiang_Di
in which De is the equivalent current penetration  I Os  I ds  I s ,
 (2)
depth, L is the span, and DXiang_Di is the distance ( Z Os  jX Ms ) I Os  EOs  ( Z ds  jX Ms ) I ds  Eds .
between OPGW and ordinary ground wire.
Solving Eq. (2) leads to
After the application of current equivalent principle
to all loops, the final whole equivalent circuit model is
obtained as shown in Fig. 4, and E  IRgs .  ( Z ds  jX Ms ) I s  EOs  Eds
 I Os  Z Os  Z ds  2 jX Ms
,

 (3)
 I  ( Z Os  jX Ms ) I s  Eds  EOs ,
 ds Z Os  Z ds  2 jX Ms

where s  1, 2,3, , i  1, i, i  1, i  2, , n .

3 Method verification

To prove the validity of the loop method in this

Fig. 4 Loop circuit distribution equivalent model, where Z s paper, we chose the specific case in Ref. [7].
Results in Ref. [7] and results of loop method in this
is the equivalent impedance of loop s ( s  0,1, 2,..., n) , Es is
work are shown in Figs. 5 and 6.
the induced electromotive force, Rgs is the equivalent pole From the comparison of curves of group 2 in Fig. 5
resistance of pole s ( s  0,1, 2,..., n) , I is the fault current, and with those in Fig. 6, and it can be find out that results
E is the equivalent electromotive force. of loop method in this work conform to those in
Ref. [7].
Supposing that the loop circuits of loops in Fig. 4 is 4 Calculation and discussion
I1 , I 2 , I 3 ,..., I s 1 , I s , I s 1 ,..., I n 1 , I n , an equation group
(1) is as follows: 4.1 Calculation case
( Rg0  Z1  Rg1 ) I1  Rg1 I 2  E1 , Parameters of a practical project are as follows: the

( Rg1  Z 2  Rg 2 ) I 2  Rg1 I1  Rg 2 I 3  E2 , line length is 20.8 km, loop number is 52, average line
 ...... span is 400 m, ordinary ground wire is LBGJ180-
 20AC, the diameter is 17.5 mm, cross sectional area is
( Rgs  2  Z s 1  Rgs 1 ) I s 1  Rgs  2 I s  2  Rgs 1 I s  Es 1 ,
 182.8 mm2, the loop resistance is 0.353 3Ω. OPGW is
( Rgs 1  Z s  Rgs ) I s  Rgs 1 I s 1  Rgs I s 1  Es  Rgs I , OPGW-24B1-176[202,156], the diameter is 17.5 mm,
 cross sectional area is 176.47 mm2, and the loop
( Rgs  Z s 1  Rgs 1 ) I s 1  Rgs I s  Rgs 1 I s  2  Es 1  Rgs I , resistance is 0.357 0 Ω. Grounding resistance of both
 ......
 terminal substation is 0.5 Ω, the resistance of other
( Rgn  2  Z n 1  Rgn 1 ) I n 1  Rgn  2 I n  2  Rgn 1 I n  En 1 , poles is 10 Ω, single-phase earth fault location is in
 loop 26, equivalent resistance of every loop is
( Rgn 1  Z n  Rgn ) I n  Rgn 1 I n 1  En . 0.237 9 Ω, induced electromotive force is 0, and the
system fault current is 50 kA.
(1)
Using chased method [12-13], all loop circuits 4.2 Short-circuit current distribution
I1 , I 2 , I 3 ,..., I s 1 , I s , I s 1 ,..., I n 1 , I n could be obtained.
Short-circuit current distribution between OPGW
Refer to Figs. 2 and 3, currents on OPGW I Os and and LBGJ180 for the calculation case in section 4.1 by
on ordinary ground wire I ds of all loops in Fig. 4 using the loop method is shown in Fig. 7.

80 J. Chongqing Univ. Eng. Ed. [ISSN 1671-8224], 2011, 10(1): 78-83

 G. X. Xu
Single-phase earth fault current distribution

Short-circuit current distribution under conditions of

the calculation case manifests that a) current near fault
location is larger than other places; b) as distance to
fault location becomes larger, short-circuit current gets
smaller.

4.3 Discussion of fault location influence

Supposing that the fault location can be a series of

places: loop 15, loop 20, loop 26, loop 32 and loop 37.
Short-circuit current distribution corresponding to these
locations is shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 5 Results of Ref. [7]

Fig. 8 Short-circuit current distribution corresponding to

different fault locations
Fig. 6 Results of loop method

Fig. 8 shows that short-circuit current macro-distribution

curves of different fault locations are almost the same.
However, loop circuit near fault location is evidently
influenced.

4.4 Discussion of pole resistance influence

Set pole resistance as 5 Ω, 10 Ω and 20 Ω,

respectively. Short-circuit current distribution under
these circumstances is shown in Fig. 9.
In Fig. 9, short-circuit current distribution
differences of three pole resistances are not so evident.
In practical projects, 5 Ω is a little hard to implement,
and 10 Ω is more proper in practice.

5 Conclusion
Fig. 7 Short-circuit current distribution between OPGW and
LBGJ180 Short-circuit current distribution with loop method
under single-phase earth fault was calculated and the

J. Chongqing Univ. Eng. Ed. [ISSN 1671-8224], 2011, 10(1): 78-83 81

G. X. Xu
Single-phase earth fault current distribution
correctness of loop method was proved. The results can
be concluded as 1) fault location hardly influences
macro-distribution of short-circuit current. However,
current near the fault location is evidently influenced;
and 2) short-circuit current distribution is not so
sensitive to ground resistance of poles.
Fig. 9 Short-circuit current distribution corresponding to
different pole resistance as 5 Ω, 10 Ω and 20 Ω
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