Behavior of Residual Current Devices at Earth Fault Currents with DC Component
Low-voltage electrical installations are increasingly saturated with power electronic converters. Due to very high popularity of photovoltaic (PV) installations and the spread of electric vehicles (EV) as well as their charging installations, DC–AC and AC–DC converters are often found in power syste...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/21/8382 |
| _version_ | 1797466474897473536 |
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| author | Stanislaw Czapp Hanan Tariq Slawomir Cieslik |
| author_facet | Stanislaw Czapp Hanan Tariq Slawomir Cieslik |
| author_sort | Stanislaw Czapp |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Low-voltage electrical installations are increasingly saturated with power electronic converters. Due to very high popularity of photovoltaic (PV) installations and the spread of electric vehicles (EV) as well as their charging installations, DC–AC and AC–DC converters are often found in power systems. The transformerless coupling of AC and DC systems via power electronic converters means that an electrical installation containing both these systems should be recognized from the point of view of earth fault current waveform shapes. In such installations, various shapes of the earth fault current may occur—a DC component of a high value may especially flow. The DC component included in the earth fault current influences the tripping threshold of residual current devices (RCDs)—the devices which are mandatory in certain locations. This paper presents results of the AC-type, A-type, and F-type RCDs sensitivity testing under residual currents of various compositions of the DC component. This testing has shown that the DC component may both degrade and improve the sensitivity of RCDs. Moreover, unexpected positive behaviors of RCDs in some circumstances under DC residual current is discussed. Therefore, recognizing the real sensitivity and behavior of RCDs from the point of view of the DC component is important for effective protection against electric shock, in particular, in PV installations and EV charging systems. The research results provide a new insight into the real behavior of RCDs in modern power systems and, consequently, the safety of people. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:40:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b841a943e3774053b5b6a3d664f25bf7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:40:24Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-b841a943e3774053b5b6a3d664f25bf72023-11-24T06:47:09ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202022-11-012221838210.3390/s22218382Behavior of Residual Current Devices at Earth Fault Currents with DC ComponentStanislaw Czapp0Hanan Tariq1Slawomir Cieslik2Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, PolandFaculty of Electrical and Control Engineering, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, PolandFaculty of Telecommunications, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 85-796 Bydgoszcz, PolandLow-voltage electrical installations are increasingly saturated with power electronic converters. Due to very high popularity of photovoltaic (PV) installations and the spread of electric vehicles (EV) as well as their charging installations, DC–AC and AC–DC converters are often found in power systems. The transformerless coupling of AC and DC systems via power electronic converters means that an electrical installation containing both these systems should be recognized from the point of view of earth fault current waveform shapes. In such installations, various shapes of the earth fault current may occur—a DC component of a high value may especially flow. The DC component included in the earth fault current influences the tripping threshold of residual current devices (RCDs)—the devices which are mandatory in certain locations. This paper presents results of the AC-type, A-type, and F-type RCDs sensitivity testing under residual currents of various compositions of the DC component. This testing has shown that the DC component may both degrade and improve the sensitivity of RCDs. Moreover, unexpected positive behaviors of RCDs in some circumstances under DC residual current is discussed. Therefore, recognizing the real sensitivity and behavior of RCDs from the point of view of the DC component is important for effective protection against electric shock, in particular, in PV installations and EV charging systems. The research results provide a new insight into the real behavior of RCDs in modern power systems and, consequently, the safety of people.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/21/8382DC componentresidual current devicessensitivitysensors testing and evaluation |
| spellingShingle | Stanislaw Czapp Hanan Tariq Slawomir Cieslik Behavior of Residual Current Devices at Earth Fault Currents with DC Component Sensors DC component residual current devices sensitivity sensors testing and evaluation |
| title | Behavior of Residual Current Devices at Earth Fault Currents with DC Component |
| title_full | Behavior of Residual Current Devices at Earth Fault Currents with DC Component |
| title_fullStr | Behavior of Residual Current Devices at Earth Fault Currents with DC Component |
| title_full_unstemmed | Behavior of Residual Current Devices at Earth Fault Currents with DC Component |
| title_short | Behavior of Residual Current Devices at Earth Fault Currents with DC Component |
| title_sort | behavior of residual current devices at earth fault currents with dc component |
| topic | DC component residual current devices sensitivity sensors testing and evaluation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/21/8382 |
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