A time-domain procedure for locating switched capacitors in power distribution systems

Abstract

This paper develops a method using transient voltage and current measurements at the substation to determine which capacitor in a multicapacitor feeder switched on to cause a measured transient. The procedure is based upon time-domain analysis where a backward Kalman filter estimates the initial voltage of all feeder capacitors, and those estimates indicate which capacitor switched. The result is an automated procedure that can help electric utilities determine if their capacitors are switching properly, and also help pinpoint the source of capacitor switching-related power-quality problems.