Advances in Research

This study aims to develop a real-time model for detecting and classifying various fault types in power distribution networks to enhance reliability and operational efficiency. A hybrid DWT–SVM approach is essential for accurately detecting and classifying faults in modern power distribution systems, especially under non-stationary and dynamic conditions. The proposed method addresses a range of fault scenarios, including single-phase-to-ground, line-to-line, double-line-to-ground, and three-phase faults, within a 33 kV distribution network. A hybrid approach combining Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) is introduced. Using the Debauchies-4 (Db4) wavelet, DWT effectively decomposes transient fault currents at the source terminal, capturing critical time-frequency domain features. Fault classification is performed using an SVM optimized with a Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), enabling precise mapping of data into higher-dimensional spaces for optimal separation. Validation conducted with MATLAB R2023b demonstrates a detection accuracy of 100% and a classification accuracy of 99%. Comparative analyses against models such as PSO-based Support Vector Machine (PSO-SVM), DWT-DNN and wavelet transform with artificial neural networks (WT-ANN) on the IEEE 13-bus system highlight the proposed method's superior performance. This innovative approach proves to be robust, adaptable, and highly effective across diverse fault scenarios, offering significant improvements in accuracy and reliability for fault detection and classification in power distribution networks. The method supports real-time operation by using high-speed simulation platforms MATLAB/Simulink to process signals and classify faults within milliseconds using a pre-trained SVM model.