A new method for detecting demagnetization faults in axial flux permanent magnet synchronous wind generators is presented in this study. Demagnetization faults occur in the case of total or partial loss of the magnetic properties of one or more permanent magnets of the machine. Fault signatures appearing in the current or voltage signal due to a demagnetization fault can often be confused with those produced by eccentricity faults, making the discrimination between the two types of faults difficult. The proposed methodology is based on the analysis of the instant power spectrum of the generator, combined with an estimator to derive the permanent magnet flux, based on the machine equations. Short-Time Fourier Transform is proposed as the means for spectrum analysis to ensure performance during variations of the generator speed. Results derived from the experimental tests are presented, which show that the proposed methodology is capable of detecting demagnetization faults and distinguis... [more]

Offshore wind turbine drive train technology is evolving as developers increase size, aim to maximise availability and adapt to changing electricity grid requirements. This work first of all explores offshore technology market trends observed in Europe, providing a comprehensive overview of installed and planned capacity, showing a clear shift from smaller high-speed geared machines to larger direct-drive machines. To examine the implications of this shift in technology on reliability, stop rates for direct-drive and gear-driven turbines are compared between 39 farms across Europe and South America. This showed several key similarities between configurations, with the electrical system contributing to largest amount of turbine downtime in either case. When considering overall downtime across all components, the direct-drive machine had the highest value, which could be mainly attributed to comparatively higher downtime associated with the electrical, generator and control systems. For... [more]

This paper proposes an Intelligent Monitoring System (IMS) for Photovoltaic (PV) systems using affordable and cost-efficient hardware and also lightweight software that is capable of being easily implemented in different locations and having the capability to be installed in different types of PV power plants. IMS uses the Internet of Things (IoT) platform for handling data as well as Interoperability and Communication among the devices and components in the IMS. Moreover, IMS includes a personal cloud server for computing and storing the acquired data of PV systems. The IMS also consists of a web monitor system via some open-source and lightweight software that displays the information to multiple users. The IMS uses deep ensemble models for fault detection and power prediction in PV systems. A remarkable ability of the IMS is the prediction of the output power of the PV system to increase energy yield and identify malfunctions in PV plants. To this end, a long short-term memory (LSTM... [more]

With the rising popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and increasing variety of their applications, the task of providing reliable and robust control systems becomes significant. An active fault-tolerant control (FTC) scheme requires an effective fault detection and isolation (FDI) algorithm to provide information about the fault’s occurrence and its location. This work aims to present a prototype of a diagnostic system intended to recognize and identify broken blades of rotary wing UAVs. The solution is based on an analysis of acoustic emission recorded with an onboard microphone array paired with a lightweight yet powerful single-board computer. The standalone hardware of the FDI system was utilized to collect a wide and publicly available dataset of recordings in real-world experiments. The detection algorithm itself is a data-driven approach that makes use of an artificial neural network to classify characteristic features of acoustic signals. Fault signature is based on Me... [more]

Fault detection and isolation are important tasks to improve the protection system of low voltage direct current (LVDC) networks. Nowadays, there are challenges related to the protection strategies in the LVDC systems. In this paper, two proposed methods for fault detection and isolation of the faulty segment through the line and bus voltage measurement were discussed. The impacts of grid fault current and the characteristics of protective devices under pre-fault normal, under-fault, and post-fault conditions were also discussed. It was found that within a short time after fault occurrence in the network, this fault was quickly detected and the faulty line segment was efficiently isolated from the grid, where this grid was restored to its normal operating conditions. For analysing the fault occurrence and its isolation, two algorithms with their corresponding MATLAB/SIMULINK platforms were developed. The findings of this paper showed that the proposed methods would be used for microgri... [more]

Fault detection is an important and demanding problem in industry. Recently, many researchers have addressed the use of deep learning architectures for fault detection applications such as an autoencoder. Traditional methods based on an autoencoder usually complete fault detection by comparing reconstruction errors, and ignore a lot of useful information about the distribution of latent variables. To deal with this problem, this paper proposes a novel unsupervised fault detection method named one-dimension convolutional adversarial autoencoder (1DAAE), which introduces two new ideas: one-dimension convolution layers for the encoder to obtain better features and the adversarial thought to impose the latent variable z to cluster into a prior distribution. The proposed method not only has powerful feature representation ability than the traditional autoencoder, but has also enhanced the discrimination ability by imposing a prior distribution of the latent variables to cluster. Then, two a... [more]

This paper introduces an enhancement of the protection and operation of the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) system. It uses the solid-state transformers to connect the residential A.C. and D.C. microgrids to the distribution system and fault isolation devices for faulty line isolation. In this paper, a current differential protection scheme has been proposed to detect faults in the FREEDM-based microgrid network. This method is based on the current measurement at the two-line terminals using phasor measurement units to ensure data synchronization and minimize the measuring error. Also, a communication scheme that is based on the Internet of things technology and Wi-Fi is constructed for data monitoring and interlinking between the relays, transducers, and the fault isolation devices in the two-terminals lines. A hypothetical FREEDM system has been used for the verification and testing of the proposed method. Different fault types at different locations... [more]

This article presents a method for quantification of methanol and ethanol integrated in the same gas-chromatographic run with a quantification of gases dissolved in mineral oil, making it an integrated tool in transformer diagnostics. The results of aging experiments at 120 °C and 60 °C of Kraft paper, copper, barrier, and pressboard immersed in mineral oil, as well as the aging of thermal upgrade paper in mineral and natural ester oil at 140 °C are presented, in order to investigate correlations between different aging markers and to evaluate their partitioning between oil and cellulose at defined conditions. The results of partitioning experiments at 60 °C showed that re-absorption of methanol from oil to the cellulose materials is faster than the re-absorption of furans. This means that methanol is a paper-degradation marker that can be used in diagnostics over shorter equilibrium times and for the detection of developing faults at broader temperature ranges. Furthermore, a statisti... [more]

In the next decade, further digitalisation of the entire wind energy project lifecycle is expected to be a major driver for reducing project costs and risks. In this paper, a literature review on the challenges related to implementation of digitalisation in the wind energy industry is first carried out, showing that there is a strong need for new solutions that enable co-innovation within and between organisations. Therefore, a new collaboration method based on a digital ecosystem is developed and demonstrated. The method is centred around specific “challenges”, which are defined by “challenge providers” within a topical “space” and made available to participants via a digital platform. The data required in order to solve a particular “challenge” are provided by the “challenge providers” under the confidentiality conditions they specify. The method is demonstrated via a case study, the EDP Wind Turbine Fault Detection Challenge. Six submitted solutions using diverse approaches are eval... [more]

Energy consumption in buildings is a significant cost to the building’s operation. As faults are introduced to the system, building energy consumption may increase and may cause a loss in occupant productivity due to poor thermal comfort. Research towards automated fault detection and diagnostics has accelerated in recent history. Rule-based methods have been developed for decades to great success, but recent advances in computing power have opened new doors for more complex processing techniques which could be used for more accurate results. Popular machine learning algorithms may often be applied in both unsupervised and supervised contexts, for both classification and regression outputs. Significant research has been performed in all permutations of these divisions using algorithms such as support vector machines, neural networks, Bayesian networks, and a variety of clustering techniques. An evaluation of the remaining obstacles towards widespread adoption of these algorithms, in bo... [more]

Integrating inverter-based generators in power systems introduces several challenges to conventional protection relays. The fault characteristics of these generators depend on the inverters’ control strategy, which matters in the detection and classification of the fault. This paper presents a comprehensive machine-learning-based approach for detecting and classifying faults in transmission lines connected to inverter-based generators. A two-layer classification approach was considered: fault detection and fault type classification. The faults were comprised of different types at several line locations and variable fault impedance. The features from instantaneous three-phase current and voltages and calculated swing-center voltage (SCV) were extracted in time, frequency, and time−frequency domains. A photovoltaic (PV) and a Doubly-Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) wind farm plant were the considered renewable resources. The unbalanced data problem was investigated and mitigated using the... [more]

Most wind turbines are remotely monitored 24/7 to allow for early detection of operation problems and developing damage. We present a new fault detection approach for vibration-monitored drivetrains that does not require any feature engineering. Our method relies on a simple model architecture to enable a straightforward implementation in practice. We propose to apply convolutional autoencoders for identifying and extracting the most relevant features from a broad continuous range of the spectrum in an automated manner, saving time and effort. We focus on the range of [0, 1000] Hz for demonstration purposes. A spectral model of the normal vibration response is learnt for the monitored component from past measurements. We demonstrate that the trained model can successfully distinguish damaged from healthy components and detect a damaged generator bearing and damaged gearbox parts from their vibration responses. Using measurements from commercial wind turbines and a test rig, we show tha... [more]

Automated fault detection and diagnostics in building systems using machine learning (ML) can be applied to commercial buildings and can result in increased efficiency and savings. Using ML for FDD brings the benefit of advancing the analytics of a building. An automated process was developed to provide ML-based building analytics to building engineers and operators with minimal training. The process can be applied to buildings with a variety of configurations, which saves time and manual effort in a fault analysis. Classification analysis is used for fault detection and diagnostics. An ML analysis is defined which introduces advanced diagnostics with metrics to quantify a fault’s impact in the system and rank detected faults in order of impact severity. Explanations of the methodology used for the ML analysis include a description of the algorithms used. The analysis was applied to a building on the Texas A&M University campus where the results are shown to illustrate the performance... [more]

Faults in the power system affect the reliability, safety, and stability. Power-distribution systems are familiar with the different faults that can damage the overall performance of the entire system, from which they need to be effectively cleared. Underground power systems are more complex and require extra accuracy in fault detection and location for optimum fault management. Slow processing and the unavailability of a protection zone for relay coordination are concerns in fault detection and location, as these reduce the performance of power-protection systems. In this regard, this article proposes an optimized solution for a fault detection and location framework for underground cables based on a discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The proposed model supports area detection, the identification of faulty sections, and fault location. To overcome the abovementioned facts, we optimize the relay coordination for the overcurrent and timing relays. The proposed protection zone has two seq... [more]

The boiler is an essential energy conversion facility in a thermal power plant. One small malfunction or abnormal event will bring huge economic loss and casualties. Accurate and timely detection of abnormal events in boilers is crucial for the safe and economical operation of complex thermal power plants. Data-driven fault diagnosis methods based on statistical process monitoring technology have prevailed in thermal power plants, whereas the false alarm rates of those methods are relatively high. To work around this, this paper proposes a novel fault detection and identification method for furnace negative pressure system based on canonical variable analysis (CVA) and eXtreme Gradient Boosting improved by genetic algorithms (GA-XGBoost). First, CVA is used to reduce the data redundancy and construct the canonical residuals to measure the prediction ability of the state variables. Then, the fault detection model based on GA-XGBoost is schemed using the constructed canonical residual va... [more]

In modern complex industrial processes, mode changes cause unplanned shutdowns, potentially shortening the lifespan of key equipment and incurring significant maintenance costs. To avoid this problem, a method that can detect the fault of equipment operating in various modes is required. Therefore, we propose a novel fault detection method that uses the k-nearest neighbor normalization-based weight local outlier factor (WLOF). The proposed method performs local normalization using neighbors to consider possible mode changes in the normal data and WLOF is used for fault detection. In contrast to statistical methods, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA), the local outlier factor (LOF) uses the density of neighbors. However, because LOF is significantly affected by the distance between its neighbors, the weight is multiplied proportionally to the distance between each neighbor to improve the fault detection performance of the LOF. The efficie... [more]

In power energy distribution networks, switchgear is considered critical equipment. This is because the act of monitoring the operation and condition of switchgear, as well as performing the required corrective maintenance on any potentially problematic equipment, is critical. A single event may harm thousands of customers over time and pose a significant risk to operational staff. Many considerations must be put in place before using outages to switch down the system since they may raise maintenance costs and disrupt the power supply to users. As a result, proper interpretation of switchgear status evaluations is critical for the early identification of possible faults. Existing ultrasound condition-based monitoring (CBM) diagnostic testing techniques require the tester to manually interpret test data. This study aims to review the status of the recent development of CBM techniques with faults in switchgear. The current trend in electrification will be toward the safety and sustainabi... [more]

In the modern induction motor (IM) drive system, the fault-tolerant control (FTC) solution is becoming more and more popular. This approach significantly increases the security of the system. To choose the best control strategy, fault detection (FD) and fault classification (FC) methods are required. Current sensors (CS) are one of the measuring devices that can be damaged, which in the case of the drive system with IM precludes the correct operation of vector control structures. Due to the need to ensure current feedback and the operation of flux estimators, it is necessary to immediately compensate for the detected damage and classify its type. In the case of the IM drives, there are individual suggestions regarding methods of classifying the type of CS damage during drive operation. This article proposes the use of the classical multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network to implement the CS neural fault classifier. The online work of this classifier was coordinated with the active F... [more]

Currently, AC motors are a key element of industrial and commercial drive systems. During normal operation, the machines may become damaged, which may pose a threat to the users. Therefore, it is important to develop a fault detection method that allows for the detection of a fault at an early stage. Among the currently used diagnostic systems, applications based on deep neural structures are dynamically developed. Despite many examples of applications of deep learning methods, there are no formal rules for selecting the network structure and parameters of the training process. Such methods would make it possible to shorten the implementation process of deep networks in diagnostic systems of AC machines. The article presents a detailed analysis of the influence of deep convolutional network hyperparameters and training procedures on the precision of the interturn short-circuits detection system. The studies take into account the direct analysis of phase currents through the convolution... [more]

In this paper, a novel fault detection and diagnosis technique for a grid-tied photovoltaic (GTPV) with the ability of module-level fault location and differentiation is proposed. The proposed system measures the voltage, current, and temperature of the PV modules using low-cost sensors and critically compares them with the mathematical evaluated data to locate the type and location of the fault in the system. Additionally, a power line communication (PLC)-based low-cost PV monitoring system for tracking the operation of individual modules along with a fault detection algorithm is proposed to detect and locate the fault in the system. An intuitive online web application is also created to make it simple for users to view monitored data online. The suggested method is shown to have reduced computing needs; thus, the transmission of data and fault diagnosis is performed using the same microcontroller without the need for extra hardware or simulation software. The usefulness of the propos... [more]

Various methods have been proposed to provide the protection necessitated by the high voltage direct current system. In this field, most of the research is confined to various types of DC and AC line faults and a maximum of two switching converter faults. The main contribution of this study is to use a new method for fault detection in HVDC systems, using the gray wolf optimization method along with artificial neural networks. Under this method, with the help of faulted and non-faulted signals, the features of the voltage and current signals are extracted in a much shorter period of the signal. Subsequently, differences are detected with the help of an artificial neural network. In the studied HVDC system, the behavior of the rectifier, along with its controllers and the required filters are completely modeled. In this study, other methods, such as artificial neural network, radial basis function, learning vector quantization, and self-organizing map, were tested and compared with the... [more]

The increasing integration of renewable sources into distributed networks results in multiple protection challenges that would be insufficient for conventional protection strategies to tackle because of the characteristics and functionality of distributed generation. These challenges include changes in fault current throughout various operating modes, different distribution network topologies, and high-impedance faults. Therefore, the protection and reliability of a photovoltaic distributed network relies heavily on accurate and adequate fault detection. The proposed strategy utilizes the Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) and ensemble bagged trees method to tackle these problems in distributed networks. Primarily, VMD is used to extract intrinsic mode functions from zero-, positive-, and negative-sequence components of a three-phase voltage signal. Next, the acquired intrinsic mode functions are supplied into the ensemble bagged trees mechanism for detecting fault events in a distri... [more]

A cloud-based platform for reducing photovoltaic (PV) operation and maintenance (O&M) costs and improving lifetime performance is proposed in this paper. The platform incorporates a decision support system (DSS) engine and data-driven functionalities for data cleansing, PV system modeling, early fault diagnosis and provision of O&M recommendations. It can ensure optimum performance by monitoring in real time the operating state of PV assets, detecting faults at early stages and suggesting field mitigation actions based on energy loss analysis and incidents criticality evaluation. The developed platform was benchmarked using historical data from a test PV power plant installed in the Mediterranean region. The obtained results showed the effectiveness of the incorporated functionalities for data cleansing and system modeling as well as the platform’s capability for automated PV asset diagnosis and maintenance by providing recommendations for resolving the detected underperformance issues... [more]

Aiming at the problem of unbalanced data categories of UHV converter valve fault data, a method for UHV converter valve fault detection based on optimization cost-sensitive extreme random forest is proposed. The misclassification cost gain is integrated into the extreme random forest decision tree as a splitting index, and the inertia weight and learning factor are improved to construct an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm. First, feature extraction and data cleaning are carried out to solve the problems of local data loss, large computational load, and low real-time performance of the model. Then, the classifier training based on the optimization cost-sensitive extreme random forest is used to construct a fault detection model, and the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to output the optimal model parameters, achieving fast response of the model and high classification accuracy, good robustness, and generalization under unbalanced data. Finally, in ord... [more]

Recently, the concept of the microgrid (MG) has been developed to assist the penetration of large numbers of distributed energy resources (DERs) into distribution networks. However, the integration of DERs in the form of MGs disturbs the operating codes of traditional distribution networks. Consequently, traditional protection strategies cannot be applied to MG against short-circuit faults. This paper presents a novel intelligent protection strategy (NIPS) for MGs based on empirical wavelet transform (EWT) and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks. In the proposed NIPS, firstly, the three-phase current signals measured by protective relays are decomposed into empirical modes (EMs). Then, various statistical features are extracted from the obtained EMs. Afterwards, the extracted features along with the three-phase current measurement are input to three different LSTM network to obtain exact fault type, phase, and location information. Finally, a trip signal based on the obtained fault... [more]