IEEETransactionson PowerDelivery Vol. 6, No.
2, Apll 1991
DEVELOPMENT OF A CURRENT DETECTION TYPE CABLE FAULT LOCATOR
Mitsuharu Komoda
Takao Kawashima
Masayoshi Arakane
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.
Nagoya, Japan
ABSTRACT
The paper deals with a new type of cable fault
locator. Rapid fault location and repair is required
in case of a cable line breakdown. The Murray
Bridge, which is the most popular fault-locating
method, is difficult to apply if one of the end
terminal of the cable line is connected to a GIS.
Moreover, the conventional pulse radar method is
difficult to apply if the cable line is branched o r
crossbonded.
The authors have developed a fault locating
instrument based upon traveling wave current
detection. Measurement is automated, and the
distance to the fault point is displayed by merely
pushing a switch. In a branched or crossbonded line,
the fault point can be located without interference
from the branched or the crossbonded point. Tests
performed in both real and simulated lines confirmed
the practical utility of the present instrument.
Kevwords: Fault location, underground cable, pulse
radar
1. INTRODUCTION
When accidents such as breakdown or burnout occur
in cable lines, the fault must be promptly and
accurately located in order to minimize the time
required for restoration of service. Fault location
has generally been accomplished by the Murray loop or
pulse radar methods, but in the case of XLPE cables,
the resistance at the fault is often very high, which
makes detection by the above-mentioned methods
difficult. Moreover, concomitantly with the
introduction of GIS, the end terminals of cable lines
have been fully enclosed in metal cases, hence the
terminals available for connection to the cable of
the leads required for fault location have become
severely restricted. Consequently, methods such as
the high voltage Murray loop procedure, whereby the
three phases are shorted at the remote end terminals
and a high voltage imposed, are now difficult to
apply *
Many pulse radar type locator^!^"^' are applicable to
cable lines of simple configuration.
However, no conventional locator can efficiently
locate the fault if the cable line includes the
above-mentioned GIS connected terminals, branched
lines o r crossbonded joints.
The authors have previously developed a digital
cable fault locator‘6),but this instrument was liable
to pick up noises at the voltage dividers.
0885-8977Dl~CMm1$01 .OO@ 1991 IEEE
54 1
Mitsugu Aihara
Yasutaka Fujiwara
Junichi Shinagawa
Showa Electric Wire & Cable Co., Ltd.
1-1-2 Odasakae, Kawasaki, Japan
The present instrument developed by the authors
utilizes a pulse radar method, detecting a traveling
wave current and providing a digital display of the
distance to the fault. Since a high voltage pulse is
applied to cause an electrical discharge at the fault
point,- the method is applicable even if the
resistance at the fault point is high, and can be
used for branched or cross-bonded lines.
This instrument is applicable to cable lines of
voltage 6.6 kV to 33 kV.
In these voltage classes, the applied pulse voltage
does not damage the sound section of the cables.
2. Principle of fault location
In the initial stage, the faulty phase is
identified by using conventional methods, measurement
of insulation resistance o r application of DC
voltage. Then, the present locator can be used.
Figure 1 shows the principle of the present fault
locator. High voltage pulses are simultaneously
applied to the cables of the sound and faulty phases,
then the sum (I1 + 12) and difference (I1 - 12) of
the traveling wave currents entering the two phases
are detected by high frequency CTs (CT1 and CT2).
Figure 2 (a) shows the situation immediately after
the application of the pulse. Since the waveforms
and magnitudes of I1 and I2 are identical, a signal
appears in CT1 but not in CT2. The output of CT1
actuates the time counter.
When the applied pulse reaches the fault, a
discharge occurs, and a reflected wave is generated
(Figure 2 (b)). As shown in Figure 2 (c), this
reflected wave, upon returning to the measurement
terminal, splits into a component which turns back
into the sound phase, a component which flows into
the pulse generator and a component which reenters
the faulty phase.
CT2 then detects the difference of the reflected’
wave and the output of CT2 stops the time counter.
The time T elapsed between the application of the
high voltage pulse and the appearance of the
reflected wave at the detection terminal is measured
by a time counter (resolution Ions), and the distance
L to the fault is then calculated from the previously
measured propagation velocity v in accordance with
the formula
L = v.r/2.
In the case of branched lines, reflected waves are
also generated at the branch point, as shown in
Figure 3 (b). However, being formed in the same
manner in both the sound and the faulty phases, these
waves arrive at the measuring terminal
simultaneously, as shown in Figure 3 (c). These
waves then split into three components, one flowing
into the pulse generator, one re-entering the other
phase, and the reflected wave. CT2 does not detect
these waves because they are of the same,-magnitude,
and wave form, and identical 1 1 1 Dsth the sound and
faulty phases. The time counter does not stop till
the reflected wave from the fault arrives at the
measuring terminal.
In the case of a cross-bonded line, one more lead
for application of the pulse is connected with the
other sound phase, and the same pulse is applied to
542

all three phases, therefore, the waves reflected from
the cross-bonded points mutually cancel and the waves
reflected from the fault point alone can be detected
without interference.
In many cases, v is 150m/p to 200m/ps. Then, the
time resolution of the time counter corresponds to a
cable length of 0.75111 to 1.0m. Therefore, the
distance resolution of this fault locator is actually
less than Im. However, since zis influenced by the
wave distortion and the flashover delay at the fault,
a difference of Im is not meaningful. Therefore, the
locator actually displays minimum distance increments
of 10m.
3 . Specifications of fault locator
The specifications and external appearance of the
present instrument are shown by Table 1 and the
photograph in Figure 4 , respectively. The fault
location procedure is as follows.
3.1 Calibration of wave propagation velocity
( 1 ) Connect one lead to each of the sound phases.
(2) At the remote end terminal, ground the core of
one of the phases which have been connected to the
leads.

Highvoltage generator Pulse generator

(time difference T)

Counter
Propagation velocity
(input)

Fig. 1 Principle of fault locator

O Signal output
(e) Immediately &er applicationofhigh voltage pulse
fa) Immediately aRer applicationofhighvoltage pulse

4
H1:
T : il-12jo
O Signal output
0 Signaloutput
(bl Formationofreflected waveatfaultpoint f b ) Formationofreflectedwave at branched point

T
11-121 0
-
Signal output
(c) Arrival ofwave reflected a t fault point le) Arrival ofwave reflected a t branch point

Fig. 2 Reflection of high voltage pulse and arrival Fig. 3 Reflection of high voltage pulse at branch
of reflected wave at detection terminal point and signal outputs detected in CTI and
CT2.

Table 1 Specifications of fault locator

Charging voltage
I Calibration mode 3kV
Location mode 30kV (Negative Polarity)

ImDressed current waveform I Wave front 1 us Wave tail 5-10 us

Distance display 4 digit(99.99km) Resolutiou O.Olkm

1115mm L X 775mm W X 680mm H; weight 13Okgf

Dimensions and weight

210min L x 350n11n W X 1OOinrnH: weight lOkgf

Fig. 4 Photograph of fault locator

(3) Set the switch of the fault locator to
CALIBRATION, press the CHARGE button, and after
charging is completed, press the DISCHARGE button.
(4) If the displayed distance differs from the
actual length of the line, rotate the propagation
velocity knob through several turns, then repeat
operation (3).
Repeat this procedure until the displayed
distance is equal to the length of the line.
3.2 Fault location
(1) Transfer one of leads connected in the
calibration procedure to the faulty phase.
(2) Set the switch of the fault locator to
LOCATION, press the CHARGE button and after
charging is completed press the DISCHARGE button.
(3) The number which appears on the display
represents the distance to the fault.
Thus, operation of the device is extremely
simple.
4. Verification tests
The present instrument was tested with both actual
and simulated lines under various conditions, as
indicated in Table 2. Each case will be separately
described below.
(a) Case 1
This test was performed on a simulated line with
a 6.6kV XLPE cable. At each grounding point, the
core and shielding layer of the cable were short-
circuited. Accurate location of grounding points
over distances ranging from 600m to 1800m was
possible.
(b) Case 2
Three coaxial cables of characteristic impedance
50Q were stranded together and covered with copper
tape. The copper tape simulated the ground return
circuit of an actual line. The cable shielding of
each phase were cross-bonded every 100m. The cable
core and shielding were short-circuited at the
grounding point. In case of crossbonded lines,
automatic location of faults has not been possible
with the conventional pulse radar method, but
faults were precisely located with the present
instrument.
(c) Case 3
This was a branched line composed of an SL cable
combined with XLPE cable of two conductor sizes.
7 Top
Bottom : CTZoutput
v Sound phase
A. Case 1: branched line
-
Top
Bottom : CT2 output
C. Case 3: branchesanddiasimilar cables
Fig. 5 Examples of waveforms obtained for each case
in verification tests
543
Two types of faults were created, i. e., by short-
circuiting the core with the shielding and by
inserting a discharge gap of variable length.
Even discharge gaps 3mm in length (discharge
voltage approximately 10kV) were successfully
located. In all such cases, the results of
automatic location were 30-40111 greater than the
actual distance.
This error is of the same order whether the
fault is grounded or connected to a discharge gap.
Therefore, the cause of this error is not the
statistical time lag of the discharge at the fault.
The reflected wave from the fault travels to the
branched point, and then splits into two waves.
One wave, which enters the short branch, is soon
reflected at the open end terminal, and this wave
is superimposed upon the other wave which travels
to the measuring terminal. Thus, the wave front is
blunted and the trigger signal from CT2 is delayed.
Nevertheless, this example demonstrates that the
present instrument permits fault location even in
branched lines with complicated cable
configurations. However, if the flashover voltage
is higher, a statistical time lag may occur, thus
causing an error.
(d) Case 4
This was a line composed of several types of
cable of varying sizes. The grounding points were
simulated by driving in nails up to the cable core
at various points along the line. The
configuration of the line was simple, and accurate
location was possible.
(e) Case 5
A simulated line was tested in Case 2, but in
the present case the tests verified that reflected
waves from cross-bonding points are not generated
even in actual lines. Since the line was in
regular operation, simulated fault points could not
be created. AC voltages in the tested line were
induced by other nearby circuits. When such
induced AC voltages were encountered, the present
apparatus was used with the cores of all three
phases grounded at the remote terminal, whereupon
circulating current was sometimes found to flow for
an extremely short time when performing the fault
location procedure with the loop circuit composed
of the locator and the cable. However,
disconnecting at least two phases of the cores at
the remote terminal without grounding was found to
suffice as a countermeasure in such instances.
: CTI output
Faultvohase
GcG_
5W3 Top : currcntwaveformsof
faulty and sound phases
Bottom : differenceoftwo waveforms
D. Case4eablesofvarioussizes
CTI output
Since no fault points were
: CTI output present. no CT2output appeared.
ZWJd
5dd
E.Case6 cross-bonded line
544

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Figure 5 shows representative waveforms obtained in
each of the cases described above.
In case of a high impedance fault, if the flashover
voltage of the fault is higher than the arriving
pulse voltage, then the fault does not form a short
circuit. However, when the reflection from the open
circuit end is superimposed, the fault may form a
short circuit. In this case, the located distance to
the fault will be significantly in error. To avoid
this error, it is necessary to lower the flashover
voltage by burning the fault with DC current.
The authors are now studying improvements of the
locator which will permit automatic calibration of
the error.
5. CONCLUSION
A cable fault location instrument based upon
detection of traveling wave currents was developed,
’ different from the conventional pulse radar method
based upon voltage detection. The new locator was
tested on various types of lines. The results
verified that the device operates without
interference even in lines with complicated branches
Mitsuharu Komoda was born in
Nagoya, Japan, on April 18, 1939.
He received the B.E. degree in
electrical engineering from Nagoya
University, Japan in 1962. The
same year, he joined Chubu Electric
Power Co., Inc. He was engaged
mainly in design, construction, as
well as research and development of
transmission lines and substation
until 1988. He joined PSE course
of GE in 1969-1970. Now he is a
Deputy General Manager of the Electric Power Research
& Development Center.
He won the Japan OHM Awards in 1976 and the Prize of
Progress, I.E.E. of Japan in 1987. Mr. Komoda is a
member of I.E.E. of Japan.
Takao Kawashima was born in Nagoya,
Japan, on January 6 , 1947. He
received the B.E. degree in
electrical engineering from Nagoya
Institute of Technology, Nagoya,
Japan in 1969. The same year, he
joined Chubu Electric Power Co.,
Inc. He was engaged mainly in
construction of substation and
overhead transmission lines until
1988. Then he has been with the
Electric Power Research & Devel-
opment Center. He is a senior research engineer of
Electric Power Engineering Research Section.
He won the Japan OHM Awards in 1984. Mr. Kawashima
is a member of 1.E.E of Japan.
Masavoshi Arakane was born in
Ohita, Japan, on June 2 2 , 1939. He
graduated from Ohita Technical High
School in 1958. From 1966 to 1989,
he was with Electric Power Research
& Development Center of Chubu
Electric Power Company., Inc. He
is working on Engineering of Power
Transmission Lines and Lightning
Surge analysis.
Mr. Arakane is a member of I.E.E.
of Japan.
545
and cross-bonded lines.
REFERENCES
1 ) W.E. Anderson, J.D.Ramboz, A.R. Ondrejka,
The detection of incipient faults in transmission
cables using time domain reflectometry techniques:
Technical challenges. IEEE Trans. PAS Vol. PAS-
101, N O . 7 , pp.1928-1934, 1982
2)W.L. Weeks, J.P. Steiner, Instrumentation for the
detection and location of incipient faults in power
cables. IEEE Trans. PAS Vol. PAS-101, No. 7,
pp .2328-2335, 1982
3)W.Rietz, Fault location in power cables. Wire
Industry Vol. 52, No. 619, pp. 415-416, 418, 1985
4)P.F. GALE, The application of digital electronics
to power cable fault location and testing. Prepr.
Pap. Electr. Energy Conf.Vo1. 1980 pp. 72-79, 1980
5)P.F. GALE, Practical methods of fault location for
high voltage cables. Electr. Eng. Vol. 61, No. 10,
pp. 2 1 , 2 4 , 26, 28, 1984
6 ) Y . Suzuki et al., Development of a digital cable
fault locating instrument, Proceedings of Jicable
8 7 , €33.3 (1987)
Mitsugu Aihara was born in Tokyo,
Japan, on September 9 , 1938. He
received the B.S. and the M.S.
degrees from Tokyo Institute of
Technology, Japan, in 1964 and
1966, respectively. In 1966, he
joined Showa Electric Wire & Cable
Co., Ltd., Japan, where he has been
engaged in research and development
on dielectric phenomena, insulation
design and diagnostic methods of
high voltage power cables. Now,
he is a general manager of electric power research &
development section.
He won the Japan OHM Awards in 1982, and the Paper
Award from the I.E.E. of Japan in 1989. Mr. Aihara
is a member of I.E.E. of Japan.
Yasutaka Fuiiwara was born in
Okayama, Japan, in 1942. He
received the B.S. degree in
electrical engineering from Tokyo
University in 1966. In 1966, he
joined Showa Electric Wire & Cable
Co., Ltd., and had been engaged in
R & D of superconducting and cryo-
resistive cables for ten years. At
present time he is engaged in the
development of UHV XLPE cables and
their accessories.
Mr. Fujiwara is a member of the I.E.E. of Japan.
Junichi Shinagawa was born in
Miyagi Prefecture, Japan on August
17, 1949. He received the B.S. and
the M.S. degrees in electrical
engineering from Tohoku University
in 1973 and 1975, respectively. In
1975, he joined Showa Electric Wire
& Cable Co., Ltd., Kawasaki, Japan,
where he is now engaged in the
development of UpV cables and
analysis of the transient over
voltage on cable sheaths.
Mr. Shinagawa is a member of I.E.E. of Japan.