Fault Location in Onshore Wind Farms Using Heuristic Methods and Current Estimation of Wind Generators

This work proposes a method for fault location in onshore wind farms’ collector circuits based on metaheuristic optimization. The approach minimizes differences between voltage and current phasors measured and calculated at the Collector Bus (CB) using a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. By optimizing this objective function, the method achieves accurate identification of fault locations. Additionally, to improve the method’s precision, the CB measurement data were employed to estimate the current injected by the wind generators during the fault. The proposed solution was evaluated through extensive simulations in PSCAD/EMTDC v5.0.2, covering short-circuit scenarios with variations in fault type, location, resistance, and affected segments, including both overhead and underground cables. The results demonstrated high fault location accuracy, even under diverse and challenging conditions. Additionally, the method successfully identified the fault resistance and the specific circuit segment where the fault occurred, thereby reducing the possibility of multiple fault locations. Sensitivity analysis further confirmed the robustness of the methodology, validating its applicability through errors in phasor measurements and line parameters. These findings highlight the proposed method’s potential as a practical and reliable tool for enhancing fault diagnosis and resilience in wind farm collector circuits.