A Multi-principle Passive Islanding Detection Technique for Power Distribution Systems

With the recent large-scale integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) in the power distribution system, the conventional notion of a radial system with unidirectional power flow does not hold. Bidirectional power flow has challenged the protection schemes in place to detect an islanding event. Numerous passive islanding detection techniques have been proposed in the past. However, the non-detection zone (NDZ) associated with these techniques may be large. The work presented in this paper advocates the feasibility of a multi-principle passive islanding detection technique based upon the rate of change of voltage measurements and 3-phase active power mismatch at the point of common coupling of the DERs. Such a technique ensures smaller NDZ and easier implementation with no additional cost. The effectiveness of the technique is validated on a synthetic distribution model using commercially available protective relays and performing Hardware-in-the-Ioop (HIL) testing using the Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS).