Decentralized Multi-setting Adaptive Distribution Protection Scheme for Directional Overcurrent Relays

Widespread integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) in the power distribution system has left the conventional protection schemes ineffective in adequately identifying and isolating a fault. Hence, modern protection schemes should be able to adapt to these variations and modify the protective device's settings to ensure effective protection coordination. Although prior works have addressed this issue using extensive communication-based methods (centralized or peer-to-peer), the actual implementation of these methods is economically less viable shortly considering the present infrastructure. However, with the advent of modern digital relays, protection schemes can be made adaptive yet keeping them decentralized and hence, easily implementable and deployable. The work proposed in this paper aspires to achieve this goal by utilizing the commonly used protective devices such as directional overcurrent relays in the power distribution systems by storing versatile setting groups enabling better observability of the relays towards fault identification and isolation in the absence of extensive communication links.