Using Waves to Locate Faults on Transmission Lines

Sounds like you are talking about a time domain reflectometer. Most of the time it is referred to as wire radar here in the US. Google it and you can find out more about it. These units are readily manufactured.

Sweitzer Engineering Laboratories (http://www.selinc.com) is probably the largest manufacturer of fault location relays in the U.S. I know many utilities have installed them on critical transmission lines. I believe they are modified Rogowski coils.

A time-domain Reflectometer will find a discontinuity in a wire. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-domain_Reflectometer

To find the shape of the fault wave, you would need to recorded it in real time.

Regard.

Tme Domain means that the Graph is drawn "Time" ie sec as Tme-base [converted to Distance M or KM & Y axis as the ZO of cable in Ohms.

A pulse-train is sent on Cable under test, time taken for travel to the "Fault-Point" & return iscalculated. divided by 2, converted to length.

The "Fault-Point" (s) shown by change of ZO, less than the ZO of cable in Short or Leakage or Joint & Hi in case of open end.

Scale of graph can be continuously varied for best resolution.

The graph can be printed out on Built-in Priter.

TekTronix is one of the manufacturers I know for its Equipment I had been using to certify the Characteristics of Cables, cable assemblies & Transmission lines diagonostics.

Regards.

It's called frequency domain reflectometry. We used to call it the "peak and valley" method. This site explains it and how to use it.

http://urgentcomm.com/mag/radio_frequency_domain_reflectometry_2/

Regards !

TDR is the only solution for your problem.

For brief description see just at the end of this page:

You might be interested in:

Time Domain Reflectometers

http://optical-components.globalspec.com/LearnMore/Optics_Optical_Components/Fiber_Optics/Optical_Time_Domain_Reflectometer

A previous discussion:

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/31151/Best-Way-to-Locate-a-Break-Underground

Have a good day !