Modified Murray Loop Method for Underground Cable Fault Location Detection Using GSM

In recent years, power systems have been very difficult to manage as the load demands increase and environment constraints restrict the distribution network. One another mode used for distribution of Electrical power is making use of underground cables (generally in urban areas only) instead of overhead distribution network. The use of underground cables arise a problem of identifying the fault location as it is not open to view as in case of overhead network. To improve the reliability of a distribution system, accurate identification of a faulted segment is required in order to reduce the interruption time during fault. Speedy and precise fault location plays an important role in accelerating system restoration, reducing outage time, reducing great financial loss and significantly improving system reliability. The objective of this paper is to study the methods of determining the distance of underground cable fault from the base station in kilometers. Underground cable system is a common practice followed in major urban areas. While a fault occurs for some reason, at that time the repairing process related to that particular cable is difficult due to exact unknown location of the fault in the cable. In this paper, a technique for detecting faults in underground distribution system is presented. Proposed system is used to find out the exact location of the fault and to send an SMS with details to a remote mobile phone using GSM module.