Types of Electrical Power Faults and The Causes

Any abnormality in the flow of electric current or voltage can be potentially risky for the equipment and devices is known as electrical power fault. These faults can be dangerous and can lead to loss of property as well as other severe damages can happen. In order to avoid such instances, it is important to understand the various types of faults and the causes.

Electrical Power Fault

Symmetrical Faults

This is a rare type of fault and less than 5% of the faults are symmetrical faults. They are severe and can damage the entire electrical power system. Such faults are also referred to as balanced faults. They tend to occur when all three phases face a short circuit issue, simultaneously. These are usually of two types Line-Line-Line and Line-Line-Line-Ground.

While not all short circuits are symmetrical faults but when short circuits happen across the three phases simultaneously they become symmetrical.

Unsymmetrical Faults

These are the more common types of electrical power faults. When the current flowing through the phases is of different intensity is causes an imbalance and this fault is called, unsymmetrical faults. It also referred to as unbalanced fault. These mainly consist of three types of faults Line-Ground, Line-Line, and Line-Line-Ground. Among all the types of faults, the Line-Ground is the most common and it amounts to nearly 70% of the faults caused.

The Line-Ground fault occurs when there is a short circuit between the line and the ground. While these can occur frequently, they are not very dangerous.

Open circuit faults that occur due to the failure of one of more conductors are a common type of unsymmetrical faults. In fact, even a short circuit in one of the lines is an example of unsymmetrical faults.

With an understanding of the way an electrical power fault can occur, you can be better equipped to deal with it and create devices that can restrict the amount of damage caused due to such faults. Other than understanding how these faults are caused, it is also important to understand why they are caused.

Electrical Power Fault

Below mentioned are a few reasons why electrical faults happen:

• Extreme Weather: When there is extreme weather, than it can interrupt the power supply and potentially damage the electrical equipment. Lightning, extreme rains, and winds or accumulation of salt, snow, or ice over the equipment can lead to these faults.

• Smoke Caused by Fire: Many times, you will see that fire is usually accompanied by short circuit in a structure or in an area. This is because the smoke generated causes sparks between the lines, thus leading to fluctuation in the voltages. Hence, an electrical power fault occurs.

• Human Errors: Many faults can be caused by simple human errors. Not using the right conductor or not connecting the correct wires can cause such problems. At times, the error is due to negligence while at times, it is purely because of the lack of knowledge of the person doing the job. In any case, human errors are a big reason why faults happen.

• Equipment failure: Finally, one of the biggest reasons why power faults happen is equipment failure. Many parts make an electrical system, even if one is not functioning correctly, there can be an issue with the entire system. The equipment issue can be due to some malfunctioning, weather, or purely due to the age of the equipment.

When you understand about the causes of an electrical power fault, there are changes that you can avoid the same. You can look for professional help of a certified technician to help you with solutions to prevent faults and avoid damages in case faults happen.