Insulator leakage current detector and method of detecting insulator leakage current

1. An insulator leakage current detector mountable on an insulator string, the insulator leakage current detector comprising:

a sensor to sense leakage current information of the insulator string; and

a device to wirelessly send a signal including the leakage current information sensed by the sensor to a receiving device, the receiving device being at a location separate from the insulator leakage current detector,

wherein the insulator leakage current detector does not have a power source separate from any power source of the receiving device, and

wherein the device to send the signal including the leakage current information comprises an RFID sensor.

2. The insulator leakage current detector of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a Rogowski coil.

3. An insulator leakage current detecting system comprising:

an insulator leakage current detector mountable on an insulator string and comprising:

a sensor to sense leakage current information of the insulator string; and

a device to wirelessly send a signal including the leakage current information sensed by the sensor; and

a receiving device to receive the signal including the leakage current information, the receiving device being at a location separate from the insulator leakage current detector,

wherein the insulator leakage current detector does not have a power source separate from any power source of the receiving device, and

wherein the device to send the signal including the leakage current information comprises an RFID sensor, and the receiving device comprises an RFID transceiver.

4. The insulator leakage current detecting system of claim 3 , wherein the sensor comprises a Rogowski coil.

5. The insulator leakage current detecting system of claim 3 , wherein the receiving device comprises a transmission line monitor mounted on a transmission line, the transmission line being supported by the insulator string.

6. The insulator leakage current detecting system of claim 3 , further comprising a remote monitoring device to which the receiving device is configured to send leakage current data.

7. An insulator leakage current detecting system comprising:

an insulator leakage current detector mountable on an insulator string and comprising:

a sensor to sense leakage current information of the insulator string; and

a device to send a signal including the leakage current information sensed by the sensor; and

a receiving device to receive the signal including the leakage current information,

wherein the insulator leakage current detector is mounted at an end of the insulator string opposite a ground.

8. A method of detecting an insulator leakage current, the method comprising:

providing an insulator leakage current detector on an insulator string;

sensing leakage current information using a sensor of the insulator leakage current detector; and

wirelessly transmitting a signal including the leakage current information to a receiving device, the receiving device being at a location separate from the insulator leakage current detector,

wherein the insulator leakage current detector does not have a power source separate from any power source of the receiving device, and

wherein transmitting the signal including the leakage current information comprises transmitting the signal from an RFID sensor to an RFID transceiver.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising calculating a leakage current based on the leakage current information, and transmitting the calculated leakage current to a remote monitoring station.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the leakage current information is a derivative of the leakage current, and the method further comprises integrating the derivative of the leakage current to obtain the leakage current.

11. The insulator leakage current detector of claim 1 , wherein the location of the receiving device is separate from the insulator string.

12. The insulator leakage current detecting system of claim 3 , wherein the location of the receiving device is separate from the insulator string.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the location of the receiving device is separate from the insulator string.

14. A method of detecting an insulator leakage current, the method comprising:

providing an insulator leakage current detector on an insulator string at an end of the insulator string opposite a ground;

sensing leakage current information using a sensor of the leakage current detector; and

transmitting a signal including the leakage current information to a receiving device.