A research on the characteristics of fault current of DC distribution system and AC distribution system

In this paper, research on the comparison of the fault characteristics of the direct current (DC) distribution system and the alternating current (AC) distribution system has been conducted. Since the DC distribution system is a promising topology to be used in future smart distribution systems having high efficiency and reliability, it is expected that there would be an increase in the installation of DC distribution systems in houses and buildings. For the analysis, DC and AC networks to be analyzed are implemented using PSCAD/EMTDC. Simulation results show that the DC distribution system has several benefits compared to the regular AC distribution system such as improved voltage drop and power quality characteristics at the customer-end during a disturbance. This is because the DC/DC converters of DC distribution system can mitigate voltage fluctuations caused by disturbance and increase power quality.