Systems and methods for power line fault detection
A power distribution monitoring system ( 100 ) is provided that can include a number of features. The system can include a plurality of monitoring devices configured to attach to conductor(s) on a power grid distribution network. In some embodiments, a monitoring device is disposed on each conductor of a three-phase network and utilizes a complex platform of software and hardware to detect faults and disturbances that can be analyzed to determine or predict the risk of wildfires.
1. A line sensor with power line fault analytics, comprising:
a wireless interface;
an e-field sensor;
a current sensor;
a processor communicatively coupled with the wireless interface, the e-field sensor, and the current sensor; and
memory communicatively coupled with the processor and storing:
at least one fault signature having an e-field template defining e-field attributes that occur in response to a line break, and a current template defining current attributes that occur in response to the line break; and
machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
determine e-field key parameters based at least in part on e-field data, representing electrical field produced by a power line to which the line sensor is installed, received from the e-field sensor;
determine current key parameters based at least in part on current data, representing current through the power line, received from the current sensor;
normalize the e-field key parameters to generate normalized e-field key parameters;
cross-correlate the normalized e-field key parameters to the e-field template to determine an e-field match similarity;
normalize the current key parameters to generate normalized current key parameters;
cross-correlate the normalized current key parameters to the current template to determine a current match similarity;
determine a line break in response to both (a) the e-field match similarity being greater than an e-field threshold, and (b) the current match similarity being greater than a current threshold;
and
send, via the wireless interface, an alert to a computing device indicating the line break.
2. The line sensor of claim 1 , the e-field key parameters including e-field RMS.
3. The line sensor of claim 1 , the current key parameters including current RMS.
4. The line sensor of claim 1 , further comprising further machine-readable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:
receive a signal waveform including the e-field data and the current data, the e-field key parameters including e-field RMS values, the current key parameters including current RMS values;
determine a first qualification that the e-field RMS values are greater than a first threshold unit value;
determine a second qualification that the current RMS values show a drop of a first percentage threshold value or more;
determine a third qualification that the e-field RMS values show a drop of at least a second percentage threshold value or more; and
disqualify the signal waveform as a potential line break in response to determining that one or more of the first qualification, the second qualification, or the third qualification are not met.
5. The line sensor of claim 1 , further comprising further machine-readable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to send, using the wireless interface, one or both of the e-field key parameters and the current key parameters corresponding to the line break to the computing device.
6. The line sensor of claim 1 , further comprising further machine-readable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to, prior to sending the alert:
delay for a pre-determined period; and
in response to determining that the line reenergizes within the pre-determined period, forgo sending the alert.
7. The line sensor of claim 1 , further comprising further machine-readable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to,
receive accelerometer data from a motion sensor located at the line sensor; and
indicate, in the alert, increased possibility of line break in response to determining that rapid acceleration occurs proximate in time to the line break as indicated by the e-field data and the current data.
8. A computer-implemented method for line-fault detection, comprising:
receiving e-field data from an e-field sensor of a line sensor positioned at a power line;
calculating e-field RMS values for the e-field data;
receiving current data from a current sensor of the line sensor;
calculating current RMS values for the current data;
determining that characteristics of the e-field RMS values and the current RMS values indicate a line break;
delaying outputting an alert indicating the line break for a pre-determined period; and
in response to determining that the line reenergizes within the pre-determined period, indicating a short fault indication or forgoing outputting the alert.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
normalizing the e-field RMS values to generate normalized e-field RMS values;
cross-correlating the normalized e-field RMS values to an e-field template to determine an e-field match similarity;
normalizing the current RMS values to generate normalized current RMS values;
cross-correlating the normalized current RMS values to a current template to determine a current match similarity; and
determining that the characteristics in the e-field RMS values and the current RMS values indicate the line break in response to determining that both (a) the e-field match similarity is greater than an e-field threshold, and (b) the current match similarity is greater than a current threshold.
10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining a first qualification that the e-field RMS values are greater than first threshold unit value;
determining a second qualification that the current RMS values show a drop of a first percentage threshold value or more;
determining a third qualification that the e-field RMS values show a drop of a second percentage threshold value or more; and
determining that the characteristics in the e-field RMS values and the current RMS values do not indicate the line break in response to determining that any one or more of the first qualification, the second qualification, or the third qualification are not met.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising sending the e-field RMS values corresponding to the line break to a computing device.
12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising
receiving accelerometer data from a motion sensor located at the line sensor; and
indicate, in the alert, increased possibility of line break in response to determining that rapid acceleration occurs proximate in time to the line break as indicated by the e-field data and the current data.
13. A computer-implemented method for line-fault detection, comprising:
receiving e-field data from an e-field sensor of a line sensor positioned at a power line;
receiving current data, representing current through the power line, from a current sensor of the line sensor;
receiving a signal waveform including the e-field data and the current data, the e-field data indicating including e-field RMS values, the current data indicating current RMS values;
determining a first qualification that the e-field RMS values are greater than a first threshold unit value;
determining a second qualification that the current RMS values show a drop of a first percentage threshold value or more;
determining a third qualification that the e-field RMS values show a drop of at least a second percentage threshold value or more; and
disqualifying the signal waveform as a potential line break in response to determining that one or more of the first qualification, the second qualification, or the third qualification are not met.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining that characteristics of subsequent e-field RMS values and subsequent current RMS values indicate a line break.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
delaying outputting an alert indicating the line break for a pre-determined period; and
in response to determining that the line reenergizes within the pre-determined period, indicating a short fault indication.
16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising outputting an alert indicating the line break.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
receiving accelerometer data from a motion sensor located at the line sensor; and
indicate, in the alert, increased possibility of line break in response to rapid acceleration occurring proximate in time to the line break.
18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising sending the subsequent e-field RMS values corresponding to the line break to a computing device.
19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receive a plurality of additional line break signals from a plurality of additional line sensors coupled to the power line; and
spatially correlate the line break with additional line break signals to locate the line break with respect to the plurality of additional line sensors and the line sensor.
20. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
delaying outputting an alert indicating the line break for a pre-determined period; and
in response to determining that the line reenergizes within the pre-determined period, forgoing outputting the alert.