Case studies · Outage response
A live wire on the ground, reported within minutes
A storm tore down a three-phase section. DFA tracked the energized conductor for seven minutes and flagged a probable wire down.
- Where
- 25 kV circuit, United States
- DFA saw
- A 1,500 A fault, then a phase left energized
- Tracked
- Seven minutes of downed-wire activity
- Alert
- Probable wire on the ground, within minutes
What DFA reported
During severe storms in late May 2024, the DFA device on a 25 kV circuit recorded a 1,500 A fault that tore down a three-phase section and likely left phase A energized on the ground. Over the next seven minutes DFA tracked it: twice a downstream device tripped and reclosed into it, and twice it flared to high current and fell back before protection could act.
What the crew found
Then the substation's high-side protection tripped. Within minutes, researchers told the utility there was a probable wire on the ground. The breaker then reclosed twice onto the downed wire.
Why it matters
An energized conductor on the ground is a public-safety and ignition hazard that may draw too little current for protection to see. Knowing within minutes gives operators the chance to hold the reclose and send a crew.
Keep reading
How a cooperative uses DFA every day
Bluebonnet's operators pair DFA reports with their circuit model and meter pings. Three cases from their own presentations.
A glowing substation switch, found within two hours
No calls, no SCADA alarm, normal meters. DFA reported series arcing, and a lineman found the failing switch before two days of storms.
Two blinks a day apart led to a charred crossarm beside a pine forest
Nobody lost power for more than a blink. DFA matched the two faults, and the crew found a conductor burning into its crossarm six spans from the prediction.