Arc fault detection algorithm based on variational mode decomposition and improved multi‐scale fuzzy entropy

Arc fault diagnosis is necessary for the safety and efficiency of PV stations. This study proposed an arc fault diagnosis algorithm formed by combining variational mode decomposition (VMD), improved multi‐scale fuzzy entropy (IMFE), and support vector machine (SVM).. This method first uses VMD to decompose the current into intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) in the time-frequency domain, then calculates the IMFE according to the IMFs associated with the arc fault. Finally, it uses SVM to detect arc faults according to IMFEs. Arc fault data gathered from a PV arc generation experiment platform are used to validate the proposed method. The results indicated the proposed method can classify arc fault data and normal data effectively.