New Fault Current Measurement Technology Shows Promising Results in Trials with ScottishPower

Key Facts:

New technique to predict fault current delivers outstanding results in first stage of field trials

Accurate calculation will reduce utility costs by eliminating unnecessary network and switch gear reinforcements

Remaining stages of work will reduce network vulnerability due to downstream motors and renewable energy sources when delivering power in a fault condition

Outram Research Ltd – a specialist manufacturer of leading-edge power quality analysers – announces that its new fault current prediction technology developed by John Outram, the company's managing director, has proven to deliver accurate results during the first stage of field trials with ScottishPower. Knowing the peak fault current on their networks is critical to electrical utilities, as it defines the rating of the components such as circuit breakers required to ensure that they can safely withstand the large release of energy that occurs during an electrical fault.

Outram's patent-pending technique to predict fault current from network measurements has been developed to provide greater accuracy than current approaches. The project, funded by Ofgem's Innovation Funding Initiative (IFI), consists of three stages. In the first stage of the trials, which measured RMS “break” current, Outram's solution delivered accuracy to within 2% of the network model. By accurately predicting fault current, utilities can ensure that network components are correctly specified and eliminate the money wasted when over-compensating to provide a safety margin that allows for the existing, possibly inaccurate, approaches to their calculations.