The localization of current leakage in the distribution network based on automated meter reading and control system (AMRCS) data

The paper considers a four-wire distribution electric network (DEN) with 0.4 kV voltages, setting the task of identifying the places of current leaks in the DEN. The available methods of its solution are based on the preliminary construction of a three-phase network model in an integrated form, which, to a certain extent, complicates the identification procedure. The authors propose an identification algorithm that uses the idea of simplifying the initial structure of a three-phase network by decomposing it into relatively simple electrical circuits. Based on the analysis of the equations of the electrical circuits of the last ones, a new identification criterion is derived, which allows for the localization of current leakage places in the network. The formation of mathematics (rules), on which the specified criterion is based, is carried out without calculating the currents and voltages in the network. In this case, only the values of the complex resistances of the loads and the inter-customer sections of the backbone transmission line are used, which greatly simplifies the implementation of the computational algorithm of the proposed method. The obtained results shall be usable for the development of special software for the subsystem for identification and monitoring of electricity losses as part of AMRCS.