Validation of S-parameter Power Cable Joint Model on Two Cable Defect Sections

Abstract

Electricity disruption due to power cable failure is a major challenge to power utility companies worldwide. A technique which provides quick response with accurate result is needed to detect defects along the cable to reduce the disruption time. This paper discusses the application of time domain reflectometry (TDR) technique to identify and locate the defect along a cable. A cable system is modelled in MATLAB/Simulink to replicate the cable configuration with two joints using the scattering parameter (S-parameter). This research studies the fault identification for two degraded sections in a cable by analyzing the reflected signal from the TDR technique. The characteristics of the reflected signal which indicates the defect cable section are discussed in detail in this paper. Results from MATLAB/Simulink simulations are also compared to the experimental results of the same cable configuration. This study shows that the signal reflection characteristics from MATLAB/Simulink simulations are similar to the experimental results. This indicates that the cable model system built using MATLAB/Simulink replicates the actual cable system accurately which can be used for further analysis of cable fault localization.