Search results for "Power System Measurement"
showing 10 items of 42 documents
A self-synchronizing instrument for harmonic sources detection in power systems
2004
The deregulation of energy markets holds out new prospects for contract between customers and utilities, in which the price of energy can depend on voltage quality and load characteristics, as well as on the responsibility for disturbances caused to supply voltage in power systems. In this context, harmonic sources detection is one of the main problems, because of equipment sensibility and the proliferation of loads which absorb non-sinusoidal currents. In this paper the authors present a new instrument based on a time domain method for the detection of harmonic active powers in three-phase systems, which can be usefully applied even in the presence of unbalance or asymmetry. The amplitude …
PQ Metrics Implementation on Low Cost Smart Metering Platforms. A Case Study Analysis
2018
The increasing interest on the quality of the energy supplied and generated in distribution networks is raising the need of distributed power quality (PQ) measurements. To allow such capabilities with cost effective metering solutions, this paper wants to investigate the feasibility of using smart meters, already installed for energy billing, also for power quality monitoring. To this aim, an electronic board (based on STCOMET metrology device), already used in many energy meters of different countries, has been selected as case study platform. The manufacturer firmware of this board was essentially aimed at implementing energy meter metrics and power line communications functionalities. In…
Implementation and Experimental Tests of a Management System for MV/LV Distribution Grids
2019
The continuous monitoring of network power flows and the remote control of Distributed Generators and Energy Storage Systems are the essential elements to allow a full exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources and their real integration in distribution networks. Thus in the paper a management system is presented for load flow monitoring in MV/LV distribution network. Moreover, on the basis of calculated power flows, the management system is able to send control commands to DGs and ESSs, to vary their power production or power factor or eventually to disconnect them in order to maintain the network stability. The proposed solution was really implemented in the MV network of Ustica Island, dev…
Implementation of a PLC Field Analyzer on a G3 Modem Platform
2021
Nowadays, power line communications (PLC) are a widely used technology in distribution grids, both for automatic meter reading and automation applications. PLC performances (in terms of capacity, coverage, robustness, and data transmission rate) can be significantly affected by electrical network topologies, connected loads and disturbances. Thus, utilities and modem manufacturers are increasing their interest in electrical network characterization. In this framework, a software tool is proposed in this paper to measure received signal and noise levels. As case study, it is implemented on a G3 PLC transceiver, widely used for smart metering purposes. In this way, a PLC channel characterizat…
Metrological performances of voltage and current instrument transformers in harmonics measurements
2018
In the new electrical system scenario, the increasing presence of non-linear loads and renewable energy sources makes the measurement of harmonics an essential task. The accuracy of harmonic measurement firstly depends on the used instrument transformers for voltage and current sensing. Since the behavior of instrument transformers in non-sinusoidal conditions is not always well defined, this paper presents an experimental study on the metrological performances of current and voltage instrument transformers (CTs and VTs) in the presence of harmonics. Proper tests procedures are defined and measurement setups are developed for both CTs and VTs calibration. The analysis is carried out by usin…
An Innovative Coupling Solution for Power Line Communication in MV Electrical Networks
2019
One of the main problems in the diffusion of power line communication (PLC) in medium voltage (MV) networks is the need of a dedicated PLC coupler to be installed all over the network. To avoid this problem, the authors have studied, prototyped and patented an innovative PLC coupling solution which uses electrical elements embedded in most of the switchgears already installed in MV networks, i.e. the capacitive dividers of the voltage detecting systems (VDS). The new solution prototype is described in this paper, highlighting the advantages in terms of a significant reduction of both direct costs of equipment and infrastructures and indirect costs of installation and service interruption. T…
Innovative Solutions for the Integration of Renewable Energies on Tunisian and Sicilian Electrical Grids
2022
The rapid spread of distributed generation from renewable energy sources, combined with their unpredictable behavior, requires the continuous monitoring and control by the Distribution System Operator, in order to guarantee the stability and efficiency of the distribution network. Thus, in this paper a new measurement and communication architecture is proposed, which foresees the use of innovative devices and different technology-oriented solutions, even redundant ones, which allows the transition from passive to active electricity distribution network, with minimal structural changes. The architecture has been developed in the framework of the SInERT project (Italy-Tunisia cross-border coo…
An Innovative Power Line Communication solution For Medium Voltage Smart Grids Applications
2018
This paper summarizes the authors research activity concerning the design, modeling and experimental characterization of a new coupling system for medium voltage (MV) narrow band power line communications (NB-PLC). The proposed solution has been patented by authors and it exploits the capacitive divider of voltage detecting systems (VDSs) normally used to reveal the mains voltage presence, thus avoiding the use of dedicated MV couplers. In the following, the modeling of the VDS capacitive divider is presented and the interface card design is described, based on simulation of the whole PLC transmission channel. Laboratory tests are also presented. Finally, the results are shown of an on-fiel…
A Line Impedance Calculator Based on a G3 PLC Modem Platform
2022
Power line communication (PLC) is one of the most today used technologies for both automatic meter reading and many other smart grid applications. In this framework, a characterization of the electrical network in the PLC frequency range is needed in terms of impedance measurement and received signal level. This can allow choosing the most suitable and less noisy frequency ranges for PLC transmission. Usually, these characterization measurements are performed with dedicated instrumentation and in the absence of mains voltage. This article wants to propose an alternative solution, which allows these kinds of measurements to be performed using electronic boards currently used as on-field appl…
Uncertainty evaluation in load flow analysis: real MV distribution networks case studies
2018
This work investigates the measurement uncertainty impact on load flow analysis in medium voltage (MV) distribution networks. The considered algorithm is a simplified load flow algorithm (LFA), developed by authors, which is based on the load power measurements at each secondary substation and one voltage measurement at the slack bus (i.e. the voltage at the MV bus bars of the primary substation). In the viewpoint of a real implementation, to reduce monitoring system costs, the LFA makes use of low voltage (LV) load power measurements for all the substations except those of MV users, where MV transducers are usually already installed. The uncertainties on LFA input quantities (load powers a…