Injection Harmonic Current Differential Protection Based on Control-Protection Synergy for Distribution Networks with IBDGs

The high penetration of inverter-based distributed generations (IBDGs) leads to traditional distribution networks’ complex and variable fault characteristics. Traditional passive detection protection methods can hardly meet the stability and reliability requirements. To solve this problem, an injection harmonic current differential protection (IHCDP) scheme based on the idea of control-protection synergy is proposed in this paper. By analyzing the circuit structure, control strategy, low-voltage-ride-through characteristics of IBDGs, and short-circuit currents provided by IBDGs, an injection-control strategy of characteristic harmonic currents (CHCs) based on the d-axis and q-axis is proposed. According to the change of short-circuit currents provided by the IBDG, the amplitude of CHCs is adaptively corrected to strengthen the fault characteristics and ensure that the distribution network harmonic injection protocols are always satisfied. An IHCDP criterion based on the distortion rate of the negative-sequence component of CHCs is proposed by analyzing the fault characteristics of the CHCs after injection. To effectively eliminate the dead-zone problem during symmetrical short-circuit faults, the proposed IHCDP utilizes the distortion rate of A-phase CHCs. The feasibility of the proposed protection scheme is demonstrated by the theoretical analysis and simulation results in this paper.