A Detection Method for Slight Inter-Turn Short-Circuit Fault in Dry-Type Air-Core Shunt Reactors

Dry-type air-core shunt reactors are integral components in power transmission and distribution networks, designed to control reactive power and enhance system stability. However, inter-turn short-circuit faults (ISCFs) are common occurrences in shunt reactors, which are caused by various factors, including manufacturing defects, insulation degradation, or operational stresses. At the early stage of the ISCFs, the current does not reach a sufficient level to activate the protective equipment. These faults may lead to serious consequences, such as overheating, insulation breakdown, and even catastrophic failures, posing risks to the entire power system. Therefore, developing an effective and reliable detection method for ISCFs at the early stage is paramount. In this paper, a new method named the fault detection factor (FDF) based on equivalent resistance is presented to detect the slight ISCFs in dry-type air-core shunt reactors considering insulation resistance. In addition, the effect of noise signal existence in the monitoring process is taken into account. A moving average filter is adopted to guarantee both the sensitivity and the reliability of the proposed method. Ultimately, the simulation results of the FDF under different conditions are presented, which show the effectiveness and potential of the proposed method in observing and monitoring slight ISCFs.