2040

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 22, NO. 4, OCTOBER 2007

The Utilization of Digital Fault Recorders in

Protection System Analysis on Tenaga Nasional
Berhad Transmission System
Abdullah Asuhaimi Mohd Zin, Senior Member, IEEE, and Sazali P. Abdul Karim

AbstractThe protection system is a very critical element in a

power system. It is security to the power system for isolating only
the faulty plant as fast as possible. A simple fault can lead to a cascade of tripping if it is not isolated accurately and fast enough by
the protection system. Furthermore, protection system analysis is a
complicated task for inexperienced engineers. Most of the analysis
relied mainly on the relay indications which could lead to incorrect
analysis due to the uncertainty of the correct relay operations and
time tagging. Therefore, it is an urgent requirement to explore protection system analysis to improve system reliability. This paper
describes a method of early detection of protection system failures
in Tenaga Nasional Berhads Transmission Grid using digital fault
recorders. The method has demonstrated to be more accurate, thus
enabling faster decision making and shorter interruption time.

TABLE I
DIGITAL FAULT AND DISTURBANCE RECORDERS INSTALLATION

Index TermsDigital fault recorder (DFR), hidden failures, protection system analysis (PSA).

I. INTRODUCTION

HE importance of monitoring the performance of power

systems has steadily increased over the years. Consequently, evaluation of system disturbances has become more
complex and the monitoring of an equipments performance
has become essential for power system reliability to ensure
competitive power supply in the deregulation industry [1].
In the electrical industry, the economic factor plays an important role to preserve continuous business with the consumers.
Domestic and industrial consumers are more sensitive to the
availability of electricity supply being fed to their premises.
In this new era of business globalization, whenever wide-area
power outage occurs in a country, the power system reliability
and security will always be the first to be inspected by the power
system regulator.
II. RECORDER AS AN ANALYSIS TOOL
The main objective of protection system analysis is to assist
utility engineers to examine the behavior of secondary equipment in order to improve the reliability of the power system.

Unfortunately, only a few engineers can interpret the recorded

waveform traces captured during faults and disturbances. The
engineer should first have experience in power system operation, network configuration, and power system protection. For
those who have experience but have not undergone relevant
training, they cannot interpret the significance of the recorded
waveform traces. Even the most technically trained engineers
will face difficulties in understanding the problems if they do
not have experience in fault and disturbance analysis.
Protection system analysis using fault records has been use
to identify the source of any tripping in a power system. Unfortunately, the digital fault recorder (DFR) has not been extensively applied due to a lack of training. Moreover, with so
many DFR models from different manufacturers, the task becomes more difficult. Failure to understand protection system
operations and the faults characteristics can cause a time delay
in power-supply restoration to the consumers.
A. Recorders Definition

Manuscript received April 3, 2006; revised December 19, 2006. This work
was supported in part by Tenaga Nasional Berhad and in part by Universiti
Teknologi Malaysia for this research. Paper no. TPWRD-00190-2006.
S. P. A. Karim is with the Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Kuala Lumpur 59200,
Malaysia (e-mail: sazalipk@tnb.com.my).
A. A. M. Zin is with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia (e-mail: abdullah@fke.utm.my).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPWRD.2007.905456

In order to optimize the application of the recorders as a

recording device, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has defined
and categorized two types of recorders, namely the DFR and
the digital disturbance recorder (DDR). By adopting these two
definitions, TNB is able to decide the strategic locations for installing each recorder in TNBs Transmission System. The list
of fault and disturbance recorders installed in TNBs Transmission System is shown in Table I.

0885-8977/$25.00 2007 IEEE

ZIN AND KARIM: UTILIZATION OF DIGITAL FAULT RECORDERS IN PROTECTION SYSTEM ANALYSIS

2041

B. Digital Fault Recorder

A DFR is defined as a device to graphically record all of the
voltages and currents as well as protective relays operations
during any fault condition and switching transients using a fast
sampling rate. The fast sampling rate shall be at least 2000 Hz
and above. The recording time shall be up to 4 s [2], [3].
III. DIGITAL DISTURBANCE RECORDER
A DDR is defined as a device to graphically record all of
the voltages and currents as well as protective relay operations
during any power system disturbances, including fault condition, power swing, power system frequency deviation, and other
information related to dynamic system performance using fast
and slow sampling rates. The fast sampling rate must be at least
2000 Hz and above. The slow sampling rate can be as low as
100 Hz. Both fast and slow sampling rates shall be used at the
same time. The recording time for the fast sampling rate shall
be up to 4 s and the slow sampling rate shall be up to 60 s [2],
[3].
IV. REVIEW OF EXISTING ANALYSIS TOOL
As the power system grows, the protection systems reliability and selectivity have become a very critical issue compared
to the last century. The evolution of numerical protection technology contributes to the complexity of protection system analysis. Therefore, a DFR is a very important tool for protection
system analysis. One advantage is to confirm the correctness of
protection operation compared to the normal utilities practice
and any special rectification that needs to be done.
In 1992, Rodriguez et al. [4] presented a paper on modular
approach for fault diagnosis. They described the application of
neural networks in order to detect the faulty elements in a power
system taken from alarm messages. They used these alarm messages to formulate a model classification representing the behavior of the protection system.
There is some literature which discussed the protection
system performance information to identify the faulty section
and confirmation of protection operations. Mc Arthur et al. [5]
discussed the combination between an expert system and model
based to identify the accuracy of the protection schemes. The
principles are based on correct protection operation schemes
and modeled for any given disturbances. The model needs to be
updated to the latest power system status in order to perform the
correct diagnosis. The findings were extended by Chantler et
al. [6] in 2000, which used DFR to identify the faults section.
They utilized power system modeling to analyze the protection
system reactions corresponding to tripping.
Dongyuan et al. [7] introduced an integrated power system
protective relaying fault information system in 2003. With this
approach, the relay and fault recorder information are captured
and stored in the local management computer located at the substation. All of this information is sent to the control room for the
operator to make a decision. This approach requires all of the
protective relays to be upgraded to digital relays.
A. Protection System Performance
When discussing protection system analysis, it is all about
selectivity and speed [6]. Fast fault clearing time is essential

Fig. 1. Example of the consequences due to protection system failures.

to minimize the impact of any system fault. Protection relay

operating times may vary from a fraction of a cycle to several
cycles for the transmission system and may exceed 1 s for the
distribution network.
The protection system is a very important device to ensure
that the consumer receives a secure electricity supply. This is
one reason why most of the power utilities devote serious attention to protection system performance. Furthermore, conducting
a protection performance audit for each operation becomes routine. This audit is essential for protection system analysis.
Failure to detect protection failures prior to any system incident can lead to component failures. Fig. 1 provides an example
of the consequences resulting from the protection system failures.
Protection system analysis requires vast experience and indepth knowledge on how the protection systems operate. Consequently, all protection operations must be recorded and synchronized in order to detect any failure in the protection system
[8]. This approach can be used to measure the performance of
the protection system being installed.
From the power systems point of view, the protection systems fail to protect if:
1) the main protection does not operate correctly;
2) the fault is cleared by the backup protection;
3) the fault clearance time is beyond the standard requirement.
Analysis on the protection system will further improve the
effectiveness of each protection scheme installed. This will reveal the protection hidden failures and, hence, reduce the impact during any tripping. Simultaneously, the analysis will reveal protection failures which could prevent a cascade of tripping that might lead to a major blackout. Some of the protection
system hidden failures could directly affect the power system
performance. Protection system hidden failures are defined as a
permanent defect that will cause a relay or a protective scheme
to incorrectly and inappropriately remove a circuit element(s)
as a direct consequence of another switching event [9]. Normally, the protection failures will occur when the power system
is under stressed conditions, such as during or immediately after

2042

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 22, NO. 4, OCTOBER 2007

Fig. 2. Artificial neural networks.

faults, undervoltages, overloads, or as a consequence of another

switching event [10].
B. Protection System Analysis Tool Development
Recently, TNB has embarked on a project to develop a protection system analysis tool with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
(UTM). The newly developed tool utilized the information extracted from the existing DFR. Each tripping waveform traces,
together with the associated protection devices operation
status, are analyzed and then compared to the TNBs protection
practices [3].
Most of the power utilities in the whole world have been operating their power systems in different ways due to various requirements imposed by their regulators. In a transmission network, the system operators have to follow predetermined rules
stated in their National Grid Codes. Therefore, different philosophies and practices have been adopted in order to fulfill the
above requirements.
Protection system analysis is a systematic approach to identify the operational behavior of the protection system components. It incorporates protection basic rules, namely reliability,

selectivity, and speed. This research utilizes the recorders information where all power system data during flashovers are captured.
The protection system analysis (PSA) module will analyze
the protection system response using the data that have been
sampled by the selected DFR at a substation level. The data
sampling rate being used by the selected DFR for this research
is 5 kHz. This approach will produce 100 arrays of data for
every one cycle (20 ms for a 50-Hz system) of information.
As a result, the PSA module will analyze the data for every
0.2 ms in a matrix form as shown in the analog and digital
matrices below.

ZIN AND KARIM: UTILIZATION OF DIGITAL FAULT RECORDERS IN PROTECTION SYSTEM ANALYSIS

Fig. 3. Kg. AwahPaka Line 2 tripping on September 14, 2005 at 14:37:10.

TABLE II
DIGITAL INPUTS CONFIGURATION FOR MAIN1
AND MAIN2 ARE DISTANCE PROTECTION

where
red phase voltage at the data sampling;
yellow phase voltage at the data sampling;
blue phase voltage at the data sampling;
red phase current at the data sampling;
yellow phase current at the data sampling;
blue phase current at the data sampling;
neutral current at the data sampling.

TABLE III
DIGITAL INPUTS CONFIGURATION FOR MAIN1
DIFFERENTIAL AND MAIN2 DISTANCE

2043

2044

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 22, NO. 4, OCTOBER 2007

Fig. 4. Impedance locus measured by a distance relay using mho characteristic.

TABLE IV
PROTECTION SYSTEM ANALYSIS

where
digital input no 1 at data sampling;
digital input no 2 at data sampling;
digital input no 3 at data sampling and so on
.
until
The two matrices from before consist of a set of analog and
digital signals reaction during a power system fault that has
been recorded in a specified sampling time. The values will be

used to calculate the time response of the protection system

and the total fault clearing time. All of these time-response
values will be validated against the predefined value according
to the protection philosophies being adopted in TNB using an
artificial neural network (ANN). The ANN has 23 inputs and
7 outputs with 2 hidden layers to calculate the accumulated
weights. The architecture of the ANN is shown in Fig. 2. The
lists of digital inputs used are tabulated in Tables II and III.
The output of the ANN that has been introduced in this
research should produce a report similar to that practiced by
the medical profession (i.e., the normal medical checkup
report for human beings). This approach was selected because
it has the capability to check for any symptom before a major
problem hits the power system.
This simplified, yet useful report will help the nonprotection
engineer to understand the next course of action to be taken
related to the protection system. In order to verify the above
concept, actual tripping data shown in Fig. 3 have been tested
to identify the protection system hidden failures using the PSA
module. An example of a report produced by PSA is shown in
Table IV.
The normal practice of power utilities for this kind of fault
is usually treated as a normal operation since it does not
cause any load loss and the fault can be cleared successfully.
Although the fault is transient in nature and the power supply
is restored automatically, PSA has successfully detected a
protection system hidden failure in the Main 1 protection.
In this example, the Main 1 protection failed to isolate
the fault. However, the fault was cleared by the Main 2
protection. The PSA report recommends that the maintenance
crew check the Main 1 operating characteristics. From the
site investigation, it was found that Main 1 is a distance
protection and Main 2 is a current differential protection.
Further analysis was conducted, and it has been ascertained
that the failure of Main 1 to isolate the fault was due to a
high-resistance path created by a tree encroaching into the
zone 2 of distance protection. Approximately 22 ms before
the final isolation by current differential, the impedance falls
into zone 1 as shown in Fig. 4. However, it is not sufficient
for the distance relay to make any decision to trip. The

ZIN AND KARIM: UTILIZATION OF DIGITAL FAULT RECORDERS IN PROTECTION SYSTEM ANALYSIS

2045

Fig. 5. Impedance locus measured by a distance relay using quadrilateral characteristic.

normal time required by a typical distance relay to trip is

between 30 to 40 ms.
In order to increase the Main 1 sensitivity for this kind of fault
in the future, it is recommended that the utility must replace it
with a quadrilateral characteristic distance protection as shown
in Fig. 5. Using the same reach settings, it has been proven
that a quadrilateral characteristic can improve the distance
protection sensitivity for a high impedance fault. Therefore,
the PSA has detected a protection system hidden failure in the
Main 1 protection that is related to the incorrect selection of
the distance protection characteristic for the Kampong Awah
substation.
V. CONCLUSION
Protection system maloperation is often a contributing factor
to most major power outages despite system constraints as
discussed in [11]. Although a major blackout is an occasional
event, the impact from a single incident might cost more than
U.S.$ 1 billion. The selection of an appropriate protection
scheme must be carefully evaluated in order to prevent any
damage in the power system. In that respect, TNB has implemented protection schemes to cater to all types of faults, such as
lightning strike and tree encroachment, which are common in
tropical countries such as Malaysia. The fault and disturbance
recorders installed in the TNB transmission grid system have
made significant improvements in the operation of the power
system. With this newly developed tool (PSA), TNB is able to
identify the protection system hidden failures before any major
disturbance appears in the power system. In conclusion, PSA
is a valuable tool for decision making, particularly to network
dispatch operators of TNB, Malaysia. Ultimately, reduced
operating costs for every disturbance in the power system will
be achieved.
REFERENCES
[1] S. P. A. Karim, Fault diagnosis in transmission system, M.Elect. Eng.
dissertation, Universiti Teknologi, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, 1995.

[2] S. P. A. Karim, K. M. Isa, and A. H. A. Bakar, Tenaga Nasional

Berhad experience on the application of fault and disturbance recorder,
presented at the Fault and Disturbance Analysis Conf., Atlanta, GA,
May 4, 1999.
[3] Protection & Control Code of Practice, 2nd ed. Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia: Tenaga Nasional Berhad, 2003.
[4] C. Rodriguez, S. Rementeria, C. Ruiz, A. Lafuente, J. I. Martin, and
J. Muguerza, A modular approach to the design of neural networks
for fault diagnosis in power systems, in Proc. Int. Joint Conf. Neural
Networks, Jun. 711, 1992, vol. 3, pp. 1623.
[5] S. D. J. Mc Arthur, J. R. McDonald, S. C. Bell, and G. M. Burt, Expert
systems and model based reasoning for protection performance analysis, in Proc. Inst. Elect. Eng., Colloq. Artif. Intelligence Applications
in Power Systems, London, U.K., 1995, pp. 1/11/4.
[6] M. Chantler, P. Pogliano, A. Aldea, G. Tornielli, T. Wyatt, and A.
Jolley, The use of fault-recorder data for diagnosing timing and other
related faults in electricity transmission network, IEEE Trans. Power
Syst., vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 13881393, Nov. 2000.
[7] S. Dongyuan, W. Xinghua, and D. Xianzhong, Road to the integrated
protective relaying fault information system, in Proc. IEEE Power
Eng. Soc. General Meeting, Jul. 1317, 2003, vol. 1, pp. 2326.
[8] A Working Group of the Relaying Practices Subcommittee of the IEEE
Power System Relaying Committee, Application of fault and disturbance recording devices for protective system analysis, IEEE Trans.
Power Del., vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 16251630, Jul. 1989.
[9] S. Tamronglak, Analysis of power system disturbances due to relay
hidden failures, Ph.D. dissertation, Virginia Polytech. State Univ.,
Blacksburg, 1994.
[10] M. G. Adamiak, D. Novosel, B. Kasztenny, V. Madani, J. Sykes, and A.
G. Phadke, Wide area protection and controltoday and tomorrow,
Proc. IEEE Power Eng. Soc. Transmission and Distribution, pp. 17,
May 2006.
[11] S. H. Horowitz and A. G. Phadke, Boosting immunity to blackouts,
IEEE Power Energy Mag., vol. 1, no. 5, pp. 4753, Sep./Oct. 2003.
Abdullah Asuhaimi Mohd Zin (M88SM97) received the B.Sc. degree from
Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia, in 1976, the M.Sc. degree from University
of Strathclyde, Strathclyde, U.K. in 1981, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, Manchester, U.K.,
in 1988.
Currently, he is a Professor and Head of Electrical Power Engineering
Department, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,
Johor Bahru. He authored or coauthored more than 90 technical papers. His
research interests include power system protection, application of neural
network in power system, arcing fault in underground cables, power quality
and dynamic equivalent of power systems.
Dr. Mohd Zin is a corporate member of The Institution of Engineers,
Malaysia (IEM) and a member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (U.K.).
He is a registered Professional Engineer (P. Eng.) in Malaysia and Chartered
Engineer (C.Eng.) in the United Kingdom.

2046

Sazali P. Abdul Karim is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree at Universiti

Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru.
He is actively conducting the fault analysis courses for power utilities in Asia
Pacific, Middle East, and Europe. He has more than 17 years of experience in
transmission protection systems, specializing in fault investigation with Tenaga
Nasional Berhad (TNB), a power utility company in Malaysia. His work has
contributed to a significant reduction of system minutes. His research interests
are protection system and fault signature analysis.
Dr. Abdul Karim received an award from the Malaysian Government which
was presented by the H.M. the King for his contribution in analyzing the
protection system during a power crisis which saved the country from a major
blackout. He also received international recognition when his paper Tenaga
Nasional Berhad Experience on the Application of Fault and Disturbance
Recorders won the 1999 Best Paper Award at the Fault and Disturbance
Analysis Conference in Atlanta, GA. He is currently a member of Board
of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and a Corporate Member of The Institution
of Engineers Malaysia (IEM). He is also a registered Professional Engineer
(P. Eng.) with Board of Engineers Malaysia, The ASEAN Federation of
Engineering Organization, The AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation, and The
International Engineer Register.

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 22, NO. 4, OCTOBER 2007