Integration of a heuristic multi-agent protection system into a distribution network interconnected with distributed energy resources

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. In conventional method protection schemes are devised for certain operation conditions with fixed settings throughout their operation life, however, protection systems in interconnected distribution networks rely on a detailed analysis of fault current contribution and variation in operation conditions under real-world scenarios. In fact, the concept of Adaptive Protection System (APS) and possibility of the adjustment for protection settings within modern Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) have introduced desired functionalities for protection systems to cope with complex operation scenarios envisioned within future power system networks. In this paper, a novel protection system based on Multi-Agent System (MAS) and heuristic decision-making is proposed to update protection settings of the protection IEDs with respect to prevailing operation conditions in an interconnected distribution network. The adopted methodology is reliant on real-time simulation of a distribution network interconnected with Doubly-fed Induction Generator (DFIG) wind farms where different fault scenarios are applied to evaluate the functionality and performance of the proposed Multi-Agent Protection System (MAPS). In addition to that, combination of knowledge sharing between different protection IEDs and logic reasoning are integrated to fulfill protection task under real-world operation scenarios. The significance of the proposed MAPS is the improvement in protection system of the interconnected distribution network.