1
Real-Time Detection of Voltage Sags Based on
Wavelet Transform
F. B. Costa∗† , Member, IEEE, B. A. Souza∗ , Senior Member, IEEE and N. S. D. Brito∗
Abstract—This paper presents a wavelet-based method for
real-time detection of voltage sags in transmission lines. The
wavelet coefficient energies of the phase voltages and currents are
used for real-time detection of the transients at both beginning
and end times of voltage sags. On the other hand, the voltage
sags are identified in real-time by means of the approximation
coefficient energy analysis. The voltage sag diagnosis method was
evaluated by using the Real Time Digital Simulation (RTDS).
Index Terms—Voltage sag detection, real-time analysis, wavelet
transform.
I. I NTRODUCTION
Voltage sags are related power quality problems. They are
usually the result of faults in the power system and switching
actions to isolate the faulted sections. Voltage sags are defined
by a short duration reduction in RMS (root mean square)
voltage [1]. However, the magnitude and duration do not
completely characterize the voltage sags. According to [2],
transients in both voltages and currents are another fundamen-
tal concern for voltage sag characterization in transmission
lines.
The transients in voltage sags can be detected by means of
the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), which is a powerful
tool useful to analyze non-stationary signals. The well-known
application of the DWT is to detect and locate power system
transients [2]. Much research has been focused on wavelet-
based techniques applied on analyzing power system transients
[3], [4], detecting and classifying power quality disturbances
[5], [6], [7], [8] and faults [9], [10], [11]. The beginning and
end times of voltage sags and faults were also detected by
means of the wavelet transform analysis [12], [13]. In addition,
the wavelet transform can be used for real-time transient
detection in electrical power systems [22], [18].
The aim of this paper is to introduce the wavelet coefficient
energy as a fast and very efficient tool for real-time detection
of the transients at both beginning and end times of voltage
sags in electrical power system. After the detection of the
beginning time, the voltage sags are identified in real-time by
means of the approximation coefficient energy analysis. The
performance of the proposed voltage sag diagnosis method was
evaluated by using the Real Time Digital Simulation (RTDS)
and good results were obtained.
This work was supported by Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq).
† The author is with Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte - School
of Science and Technology, Campus Univesitário Lagoa Nova, Natal - RN,
CEP:59.078-970, Brazil. E-mail: flaviocosta@ect.ufrn.br.
∗ The authors are with Department of Electrical Engineering at Fed-
eral University of Campina Grande, 882 Aprı́gio Veloso Av, Bodocongó,
Campina Grande - PB, CEP:58.109-970, Brazil. E-mail: {flabc, benemar,
nubia}@ee.ufcg.edu.br.
II. T RANSMISSION L INE FAULTS AND VOLTAGE S AGS
In order to evaluate the features of faults and voltage sags
due to faults, the system model depicted in Fig. 1 was modeled
by using the RTDS. This system is based on the model
proposed by [14], composed by various components: lines,
transformers, sources, etc. The transmission lines consist of
one pair of mutually coupled lines (between buses 1 and 2).
A third line connects buses 2 and 3. Each 230 kV transmission
line is 45 miles long.
Fig. 1. Power system model.
According to Fig. 1, digital fault recorders were inserted to
monitor lines 1 and 2 (DFR1 and DFR2). In this way, a fault
simulated on line 1 could be recorded by both monitoring
devices (Figs. 2 and 3).
A. Faults on Overhead Transmission Lines
Faults upon overhead transmission lines are usually char-
acterized by transients soon after both fault inception and
clearance as a consequence of travelling waves [15], [16].
Voltage and current waveform characteristics before, during,
and after a fault may be significantly different. In this way,
these waveforms should be divided into three intervals:
1) Pre-fault time: corresponds to steady-state operation of
the power system.
2) Fault-clearing time: contains voltage and current sam-
ples under fault situation. Voltage sags and increased
currents can often occur at faulted signals according to
fault and system parameters [17].
3) Post-fault time: corresponds to the circuit breaker oper-
ating to de-energize the line.
Fig. 2 depicts the oscillographic record with a simulated
single line-to-ground (SLG) fault obtained by the DFR1. It is
well-known that the fault is transient in nature, as follows:
• The voltages and currents soon after fault inception are
usually composed by fault-induced transients according
to the fault location, resistance, and inception angle [15].
• Circuit-breaker switching to clear the fault produces also
transients in voltages and currents [18].

Fig. 2. Oscillographic record with a simulated SLG fault: (a) voltages; (b) currents.
Fig. 3. Oscillographic record with a voltage sag due to a SLG fault in a parallel line: (a) voltages; (b) currents.
According to [19], [18], the fault inception and clearance
time can be easily identified through the transients in both
voltage and current waveforms. In this paper, the transients
in both voltages and currents are used in order to detect the
beginning and end times of the disturbance in real-time.
In a fault, the magnitude of the faulted phase voltages drops
during the fault-clearing time, similar in cause and magnitude
to a voltage sag. The decreasing in voltage depends of the fault
parameters, such as fault location, resistance, and inception
angle. With regard to healthy phases, sometimes the voltages
increase softly. In this paper, the decreasing in one of the phase
voltages during a fault (phase A voltage in Fig. 2(a)) is used
for real-time confirmation of a voltage sag in a transmission
line with fault.
B. Voltage Sags on Overhead Transmission Lines
Voltage sags are short duration reductions in RMS voltage,
caused by faults, overloads, and starting large motors [17].
Faults are the main causes of voltage sags in transmission
lines and only sags due to faults will be dealt with in this
paper.
The voltage sag depicted in Fig. 3 is due to the fault shown
in Fig. 2. Both the fault and voltage sag were gathered at
the same time in transmission lines connected in the same
bus. According to Fig. 3, the voltage magnitude in phase C
dropped and the related current increased in values during the
fault-clearing time, such as the fault shown in Fig. 2. However,
unless the fault, the voltage comes back to steady-state and the
current recovers to a new steady-state operation after the fault
clearance.
The magnitude and duration are the main characteristics
of a voltage sag [17]. However, these parameters do not
completely characterize the sag. The transients in both voltages
2
and currents at fault inception and clearance times can become
another fundamental concern for voltage sag characterization
in transmission lines [2]. In this paper, the beginning and end
times of the voltage sags are identified in real-time through
the transient analysis in both voltages and currents. On the
other hand, the voltage sag is confirmed in real-time through
the analysis of the voltage magnitudes.
III. R EAL -T IME D ISCRETE WAVELET T RANSFORM
The wavelet transform is a well-known powerful tool to
analyze a signal within different frequency ranges, by dilating
and translating a single function named mother wavelet [20].
Besides the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), the maximal
overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT) uses also low-
and high-pass filters (scale and wavelet filters) to divide
the frequency-band of the input signal into low- and high-
frequency components (approximation and wavelet coeffi-
cients). This operation may be repeated recursively, feeding
the low-pass filter output into another identical filter pair,
decomposing the signal into approximation (a) and wavelet
(w) coefficients at various scales. However, in contrast to
the DWT, there is no down-sampling in MODWT (time-
invariant transformation) [21]. In this way, the transients in
faults and voltage sags can be faster detected by means of
the MODWT [22]. In this paper, both the approximation and
wavelet coefficients are computed through the MODWT.
The coefficients of the scale (g) and wavelet (h) filters are
associated with the selected mother wavelet. According to [2],
[18], the wavelet Daubechies 4 (db4) provides an accurate
detection of the fast transients in power systems. In this case,
both g and h have only four coefficients (L=4) which provide a
fast computation of the approximation and wavelet coefficients
[22], ideal for real-time applications.
 3

The real-time wavelet coefficients at the first scale are Fig. 4 depicts the flowchart of the procedure for real-time
computed as follows [18], [22] computation of both the wavelet and approximation coefficient
L energies of a signal, by using the MODWT with db4 wavelet.
X
w(k) = h(l)x(k + l − L), (1)
l=1

since ∃{x(k-L+1),...,x(k-1),x(k)}.
In the same way, the approximation coefficients at the first
scale are computed as follows
L
X
a(k) = g(l)x(k + l − L), (2)
l=1

since ∃{x(k-L+1),...,x(k-1),x(k)}.
According to the Parseval theorem, the energy of a signal
can be decomposed in terms of the energy of the wavelet
coefficients at scales j={1, 2, ..., J} and the energy of the
approximation coefficients at the scale J [21], as follows
kt
X kt
X kt
J X
X
|x(k)|2 = |aJ (k)|2 + |wj (k)|2 ,
k=1 k=1 j=1 k=1
Pkt Pkt
2 2
where k=1 |x(k)| : energy of the signal; k=1 |aJ (k)| :
approximation coefficient energy at the scale J; and
P 2) The samples {k, k-1, k-2, and k-3} of x are used
kt 2
k=1 |wj (k)| : wavelet coefficient energy at the scale j.
As a consequence of the Nyquist theorem, a discrete signal
with sampling rate of fs has frequency components limited
from 0 to fs /2. In addition, the process to computer the
approximation and wavelet coefficients divides the frequency
spectrum of the original signal into octave bands [20]. There-
fore, the frequency spectrum of the approximation and wavelet
coefficients at the first scale falls into the range [0, fs /4]
(smallest frequency components) and [fs /4, fs /2] (highest
frequency components), respectively. In this way, the wavelet
coefficient energies at the first scale are well-suitable to detect
and locate in time the highest frequency components of the
transients in faults and voltage sags. On the other hand, the
approximation coefficient energies are well-suitable for voltage
sag confirmation [18].
The wavelet coefficient energy (E) of a signal (voltage or
current), at the first scale, can be computed in real-time as
follows
Xk
E(k) = w2 (n), (4)
n=k−∆k+1
where w are the last wavelet coefficients at the first scale of the
signal; ∆k=fs /f is the coefficient amount equivalent to one
cycle of the fundamental power frequency (f ); and ∃{w(k −
∆k + 1), w(k − ∆k + 2), ..., w(k)}.
In the same way, the approximation coefficient energy (Ë) of
a signal (voltage or current), at the first scale, can be computed
in real-time as follows
k
X in damped transients. In this way, at a specific energy sample
Ë(k) = a2 (n),
n=k−∆k+1
where a are the last approximation coefficients at the first scale
of the signal and ∃{a(k − ∆k + 1), a(k − ∆k + 2), ..., a(k)}.
Fig. 4. Flowchart of the real-time computation of the wavelet and approxi-
mation coefficient energies.
According to Fig. 4, in each simulation time step:
(3) 1) The last four samples of the original signal are stored in
a buffer. For instance, at sample k, x(k − 4) is discarded
and {x(k), x(k − 1), x(k − 2), and x(k − 3)} remain in
the buffer.
in order to compute the wavelet and approximation
coefficients regarding the sample k. The wavelet and
approximation coefficients w(k) and a(k) are stored in
the respective buffer with the last ∆k-1 coefficients.
3) The wavelet and approximation coefficient energies E(k)
and Ë(k) are computed considering the last wavelet and
approximation coefficients in one cycle. E(k) and Ë(k)
are also stored in buffers with the last ∆k-1 energies.
This procedure is used for real-time computation of wavelet
and approximation coefficient energies of each phase voltage
and current (vA , vB , vC , iA , iB , and iC ) in a specific power
system point. All voltage and current samples and the related
wavelet and approximation coefficients are computed in each
50 µs by using the RTDS (sampling frequency of 20 kHz).
IV. R EAL -T IME VOLTAGE S AG D ETECTION
Figs. 5 and 6 depict the wavelet coefficient energies (EvA ,
EvB , EvC , EiA , EiB , and EiC ), computed in real-time, of
the phase voltages and currents shown in Figs. 2 and 3,
respectively. These energy waveforms can be used for real-
time transient detection of faults and voltage sags [18].
The energy values regarding the steady-state system opera-
tion are almost constant. However, a fast-rising energy occurs
at least in one energy waveform in each transient inception
time1 (beginning and end times of the fault or voltage sag).
This parameter is used by the proposed method for real-time
detection of the transients in faults and voltage sags.
A fast-rising energy may not happen instantaneously, mainly
(5) k of a generic energy waveform E, a fast-rising energy is
1 PS: the energy waveforms are plotted in logarithm scale. In this way, it
is possible to see that the energy values present a hard increasing at each
transient inception.

Fig. 5. Wavelet coefficient energies at the first scale of the SLG fault: (a) voltages; (b) currents.
Fig. 6. Wavelet coefficient energies at the first scale of the voltage sag: (a) voltages; (b) currents.
identified by means of the parameter ∆E, computed in real-
time considering the last five energy samples, as follows
( before the transient detection regarding the beginning time of
E(k)−E(k−4)
E(k−4) , if E(k − 4) 6= 0
∆E(k) = , (6)
0, otherwise
since k>4; E={EvA , EvB , EvC , EiA , EiB , or EiC }. A fast-
rising energy is identified when ∆E(k)>3. The number 3 was
established after the analysis of some signals with transient
disturbances.
The voltages and currents during the fault (Fig. 2) are
composed by two transient inceptions. All of them can be real-
time detected by means of the fast-rising energy. For instance,
in the fault inception time, the energy values of EvA , EvB , and
EvC changed from about 9.105 to 1.109 (Fig. 5(a)) and the
energy values of EiA , EiB , and EiC changed from about 1.100
to 7.103 (Fig. 5(b)) and the fault-induced transients could be
detected in real-time.
According to Figs. 5, both the fault inception and clearance
are properly located when TIs are detected. The beginning and
end times of voltage sags are located in real-time in the same
way (Fig. 6).
V. R EAL -T IME VOLTAGE S AG I DENTIFICATION
Figs. 7 and 8 depict the approximation coefficient energies
(ËvA , ËvB , and ËvC ), computed in real-time, of the phase
voltages shown in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively. These energy
waveforms can be used for real-time identification of voltage
sags [18].
4
The mean values ËvA , ËvB , and ËvC are computed in
one cycle of the respective energies ËvA , ËvB , and ËvC , just
the disturbance. These mean values are taken as reference as
the energy values in steady-state normal system operation. In
real-time computation, when one of the energies ËvA , ËvB ,
and ËvC presents value less than 0.9 of ËvA , ËvB , and ËvC ,
respectively, for more than half cycle, the voltage sag is
identified.
According to Figs. 7 and 8, a voltage sag was identified in
phase A voltage, in both faulted and non-faulted transmission
lines, in less than one cycle after the detection of the transients
regarding the beginning time of the disturbances.
VI. P ROPOSED M ETHOD P ERFORMANCE E VALUATION
The system model shown in Fig. 1 was also used to evaluate
in real-time the proposed voltage sag detector by using the
RTDS. The voltage sag detector was modeled to monitor phase
voltages and currents of both terminals on line 1 and line 2
(Fig. 9). The sampling rate of the signals was 20 kHz.
A total of 1000 faults on line 1 was simulated in real-
time, each one with random values of fault resistance
rf ∈{0, 100} Ω, fault inception angle θf ∈{0o , 180o }, and
fault location df ∈{15, 68} km from bus 1. In this way, the
voltage sag detector was evaluated 4000 times in real-time.
With regard to the fault type, 67% were SLG faults, 25%
were line-to-line faults, 3% were double line-to-ground (DLG)
faults, and 5% were three-phase faults [23]. The fault-clearing
time in each simulation was about 50 ms (3 cycles of 60 Hz).

Fig. 7. Approximation coefficient energies at the first scale regarding the phase voltages of the SLG fault.
Fig. 8. Approximation coefficient energies at the first scale regarding the phase voltages of the voltage sag.
Fig. 9. Power system model.
The success rate in the real-time detection of the transients
regarding the beginning and end times of the disturbances were
98.90 and 100%, respectively. The success rate in the real-time
identification of the voltage sags were 99.80%.
Fig. 10 depicts the approximation coefficient energies (ËvA ,
ËvB , and ËvC ), computed in real-time, of the phase voltages in
line 2, bus 1, regarding the AG faults with rf =14.5, rf =68.8,
and rf =91.0 Ω. The voltage sag is difficult to be detected
in faults with high resistances. In Fig. 10(c), the transients
at beginning and end times of the disturbance were detected.
However, a voltage sag was not identified.
VII. CONCLUSIONS
The wavelet and approximation coefficient energy analysis
as a fast and efficient tool for real-time diagnosing of voltage
sags in power systems was presented in this paper. The
distinctive feature of the proposed energy waveform analysis is
the ability to detect the beginning and end times of the voltage
sags and confirme the voltage sag occurrence in real-time.
The proposed method was evaluated 4000 times in real-
time simulations. A success rate in the real-time detection of
the transients regarding the beginning and end times of the
disturbances were 98.90 and 100%, respectively. The success
rate in the real-time identification of the voltage sags was
99.80 %.
5
Fig. 10. Approximation coefficient energies at the first scale regarding
the phase voltages of the voltage sag: (a) rf =14.5 Ω; (b) rf =68.8 Ω;
(c) rf =91.0 Ω.
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 6

[7] F. B. Costa, K. M. Silva, K. M. C. Dantas, B. A. Souza, and N. S. D. B. A. Souza (M’02 - SM’05) received his PhD in
Brito, “A wavelet-based algorithm for disturbances detection using oscil- Electrical Engineering from Federal University of
lographic data,” International Conference on Power Systems Transients, Paraı́ba, Brazil, in 1995. He works currently as a pro-
Lyon, France, jun 2007. fessor at the Department of Electrical Engineering
[8] F. B. Costa, B. A. Souza, and N. S. D. Brito, “A wavelet-based algorithm of Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil.
to analyze oscillographic data with single and multiple disturbances,” His main research activities are on optimization
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IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 2058–2063, in 1988 and 2001 respectively. She received her MS
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F. B. Costa (M’05) received his BS, MS, and PhD

in Electrical Engineering from Federal University of
Campina Grande (UFCG), Brazil, in 2005, 2006,
and 2010, respectively. He works currently as a
professor at School of Science and Technology at
Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
He is also a Post-Doctoral candidate at UFCG. His
research interests are electromagnetic transients in
power systems, power system protection, and real-
time analysis of power quality disturbances and
faults by means of the wavelet transform and ar-
tificial neural networks.