Fault Diagnosis on Medium Voltage (MV) Electric Power Distribution Networks: The Case of the Downstream Network of the AES-SONEL Ngousso Sub-Station

An analysis of the Medium Voltage (MV)electricity power distribution network operated by Cameroon’s AES-SONEL company shows that losses are very high due to energy which is produced but not distributed and that the duration of power interruptions as a result of these faults is long due to the time used in searching for the faults. Given that quick detection of faults is a sure means of improving availability and productivity in any company, we hereby propose a system of real-time diagnosis of the faults on AES-SONEL’s electric power distribution network. After an inventory of typical faults on electric power networks and the proposal of a tool for their identification, we propose a system for the detection and localization of these various failures. The implementation of the system on a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) enables the performance of the system to be assessed.