A fault indicator is a device that provides visual or remote indication of a fault on the electric power system. Also known as a faulted circuit indicator (FCI), this device is used in electric power distribution networks as a means of automatically detecting and identifying faults to reduce outage time1.
Fault indicators and sensors are designed and manufactured by various companies, supplying utilities around the world with products that help reduce fault-finding time so that power can be restored quickly after a fault occurs. These indicators help utilities restore service faster, reduce fault-finding time by 50 percent, and require little, if any, maintenance.
In the context of power systems, real-time monitoring requirements for on-site data are getting higher and higher due to the increasing scale of the power grid. The high-voltage distribution network is widely distributed, spanning rivers, mountains, deep valleys, jungles, and other complex and variable environments so that it is susceptible to short-circuit faults caused by various natural disasters and other environmental factors.
The real-time monitor of the line current is indispensable for short-circuiting faults, while ground faults need to monitor the zero-sequence voltage in the substation and call the original sampled data for analysis. When there is a transient short-circuit fault in the distribution network, the transmission line resumes operation after reclosing, but the hidden danger still exists. In the fault recording system, the data can be analyzed in time to avoid the fault happening again.
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