Anhui's intelligent distributed distribution network protection based on 5G technology is put into trial operation

China Energy Storage Network News: On August 21, power supply workers installed 5G communication equipment in the Zhonghai 20kV public switch station in Binhu New District, Hefei City, Anhui Province, and successfully achieved end-to-end communication and mutual access of distribution network protection devices. The first intelligent distributed distribution network protection based on 5G technology in Anhui Province was completed and put into trial operation, which will significantly improve the power supply reliability of Binhu New District, making the power outage area smaller, the number of power outages for residents less, and the waiting time for calls shorter.

It is understood that the power supply of Hefei Binhu New District adopts a 20 kV double-ring network structure, which is flexible and diverse, and has relatively high power supply reliability. However, this structure has the problem of difficulty in coordination between the upper and lower protection levels of the trunk line.

"If a power line fails somewhere in the area, according to the previous relay protection configuration, the 20kV main switch of the upper substation will trip, and the entire feeder will lose power." Rong Jian, a power distribution specialist in the operation and maintenance department of Hefei Power Supply Company, said, "Not only will the scope of the power outage be expanded, but it will also take longer to find the fault point and isolate the fault."

Intelligent distributed distribution network protection technology can accurately locate and isolate faulty areas, but it has extremely high requirements for the network, which could only be met by fiber-optic communication in the past. The use of fiber-optic communication has problems such as difficulty in laying optical cables and high investment costs. The high reliability, security and low latency of 5G communication technology enable intelligent distributed distribution network protection to achieve rapid, on-site and accurate isolation of distribution line faults, shortening the isolation time from minutes to milliseconds, minimizing the duration and scope of power outages caused by faults.

After the domestic 5G commercial license was officially issued, State Grid Anhui Electric Power actively cooperated with communication operators and communication equipment manufacturers to carry out pilot construction of 5G networks across the province. Two months ago, the country's first ultra-high voltage station 5G base station was settled in Anhui ±1100 kV Guquan Converter Station.

This project is another new exploration of Anhui Power Grid integrating 5G technology. After multiple on-site inspections, the work team coordinated with multiple departments and professions, and repeatedly verified each link from technical route, planning and design to communication testing and power outage construction to ensure the smooth completion of the project.

In the next step, State Grid Anhui Power will use the Binhu New District pilot project as a basis, summarize the experience of distributed distribution network protection and operation based on 5G communications, continuously improve the construction of the distribution network master station management and control platform, and build a distribution network reliability improvement management model integrating 5G technology, so as to comprehensively improve the intelligence level of Anhui power grid.