A High Impedance Fault (HIF) on a
distribution feeder is an abnormal circuit condition
which results in energy being dissipated in a
manner other than the serving of the intended load.
Most faults can be detected and isolated in time,
but high impedance faults and arcing faults are still
difficult to detect in practice because the currents
the faults produce are small and they mimic normal
loads. Distribution feeder conductors are prone to
physical contact with neighboring objects such as
overgrown vegetation, building walls, asphalt, a
high impedance object or surface, which limits
current values for faults on distribution systems and
prevents conventional overcurrent protection from
operating. In the case of an arcing HIF, when an
energized conductor contacts the ground, the
electric contact is not solid. Due to the existence of
air between ground and conductor, the high
potential difference in such a short distance excites
the appearance of the arc. High impedance faults
(HIF) have characteristics in their transient and
steady state regimes that make them identifiable.
They also lead to arcing and it is the result of air
gaps due to the poor contact made with the ground