Improving site tests' efficiency by real-time testing of a new communication link between sensors and a protection device

The diversity of protective relays is always increasing, along with its complexity. Because the stakes for the availability of the grid are very important, the behavior of these equipment should be thoroughly verified through exhaustive tests. EDF, in its strive to increase its competitiveness, employs an innovative method to reduce the costs of laboratory tests and to ensure the success of field tests. It consists of a test a new protection communication scheme based on the real-time simulator ARENE on all contingencies that shall arise on the grid in the real operation conditions. In Section I, the background of the development of this new communication scheme between a nonconventional (NC) transducer and a distance relay is presented. The real-time simulator along with the models employed and all connection set-up is presented within Section II. The case studies and their results are finally exposed in Section III and IV.