Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.

Shankar V Achanta

David E Whitehead

Gregary C Zweigle

Henry Loehner

Scott M Manson

Raymond W Rice

Jerry J Bennett

Richard M Edge

Bogdan Zdzislaw Kasztenny

David James Dolezilek

Kei Hao

Ryan Bradetich

James Mobley

Benjamin S Day

Timothy P Tibbals

Edmund O Schweitzer, Iii

Dennis Gammel

Francis J Cooper

Mark A Thomas

Srinivas Achanta

Daniel B Rippon

Miralem Cosic

Bryson R Bechtel

Benjamin T Rowland

Christopher R Huntley

Chen Zhu

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods of sag in a power line. In an embodiment, a monitoring device may include a distance sensor and an operating parameter sensor. A processor of the monitoring device may acquire, via the distance sensor, a first distance measurement. The processor may acquire, via the operating parameter sensor, a first operating parameter measurement. The processor may provide an output signal indicating that the power line is sagging when a combination of the first distance measurement and the first operating parameter measurement exceed a first combined distance-operating parameter threshold.

Power line sag monitoring device

The present disclosure relates to a wireless neutral current sensor (WNCS) for monitoring a neutral cable of a capacitor bank. The WNCS may include a power storage device that provides power to allow the WNCS to send a test signal to a capacitor bank controller (CBC) of the capacitor bank to confirm operation of the WNCS during commissioning. The WNCS may include processing and communication circuitry that, during operation, detects an electrical characteristic on the neutral cable. The processing and communication circuitry may provide a message indicating the electrical characteristic to the CBC.

Wireless neutral current sensor (WNCS)

The present disclosure pertains to systems and methods for measuring electrical parameters in an electric power system. In one embodiment, a system may include a line-mounted wireless current sensor comprising a current monitoring subsystem to generate a current measurement of an alternating current flow through an electrical conductor. The line-mounted wireless current sensor may harvest power from the electrical conductor. A processing subsystem may generate a message comprising the current measurement, and the message may be transmitted at a synchronization point using a wireless communication subsystem. An intelligent electronic device (IED) may receive the message. The IED may further generate a voltage and generate a phasor based on the current measurement and the voltage measurement. A control action subsystem may implement a control action (e.g., selectively connecting or disconnecting a capacitor bank) based on the phasor.

Wireless current sensor

Systems and methods to detect that a protective device is operating outside of a time inverse overcurrent tolerance region are described. For example, a central monitoring station may obtain a time inverse overcurrent tolerance region of a protective device on a power line. The central monitoring station may obtain a fault magnitude measurement and a fault duration measurement of a wireless line sensor on the power line. The central monitoring station may determine that the protective device is operating outside of the tolerance region based at least in part on the fault magnitude measurement and the fault duration measurement. The central monitoring station may provide a signal indicating that there is a potential issue with the protective device.

Predictive maintenance of protective devices using wireless line sensors and systems

The present disclosure pertains to detection of a broken conductor in an electric power system. In one embodiment, a broken conductor detector may be configured to be mounted to an electrical conductor and may comprise a communication subsystem configured to transmit a signal configured to indicate that the conductor is broken. A sensor may determine a plurality of vectors. A processing subsystem may be configured to receive the plurality of vectors from the sensor and to identify when the vector is outside of a range defined by a threshold value. The processing subsystem may determine that the conductor is falling based on the plurality of vectors remaining outside of the threshold for a period of time determined by the timer subsystem. A signal may be transmitted by the communication subsystem to indicate that the conductor is falling.

Broken conductor detector

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods of detecting discharge events on power lines. For example, a system may include an acoustic sensor that detects a sound wave emitted from a power line. The system may include a radio frequency (RF) sensor that detects a radio wave emitted from the power line. The system may include electrical sensor circuitry that detects an electrical parameter of power being delivered on the power line. The system may include a processor that determines that a discharge event has occurred based on the sound wave, the radio wave, and the electrical characteristic. The system may provide an output signal indicating that the partial discharge event has occurred.

Discharge event monitoring device

Electric power system phase detection systems and methods. One or more line mounted intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) measure voltage at various points of a power system. The measured voltage is timestamped with a reference signal and compared with a timestamped voltage at a location where a phase on each conductor of the power system is known. Pattern matching using the measured voltage may be used to determine the phase at locations where the phase is unknown.

Automatic phase identification for electric power delivery lines

A conductor-mounted device (CMD) used to signal an intelligent electronic device (IED) of the existence of a fault on a portion of the electric power delivery system is described herein. The CMD may provide a heartbeat signal to the IED. The CMD may provide a fault signal to the IED. The CMD may be powered via a parasitic current draw on the conductor to which it is mounted. An IED may use a fault signal and/or LOC signal from a CMD to coordinate a high-impedance fault detection and/or downed line events.

High-impedance fault detection using coordinated devices

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for one-way communications are disclosed. A system includes a transmitter, a first receiver, and a second receiver. A transmitter transmits one or more messages on one or more channels according to a predetermined, pseudo-random channel hopping protocol. The receivers receive said transmissions according to the order of the pseudo-random channel hopping protocol. Methods for re-syncing the one-way system in the event of a power loss or other event causing desynchronization. Default waiting channels are established for the receivers once a certain number of channel detection periods according to the one-way communication protocol result in no detected signals.

One-way broadcast communication

Systems and methods for detecting the failure of a precision time source using an independent time source are disclosed. Additionally, detecting the failure of a GNSS based precision time source based on a calculated location of a GNSS receiver is disclosed. Moreover, the system may be further configured to distribute a time derived from the precision time source as a precision time reference to time dependent devices. In the event of a failure of the precision time source, the system may be configured to distribute a time derived from a second precision time source as the precision time signal during a holdover period.

Time distribution device with multi-band antenna

The present application discloses detecting manipulation of GNSS signals using a second time source. If two or more GNSS constellation signals are being detected, the phase error between the GNSS constellation signals may be monitored. When the phase error drifts, then manipulation is determined. The integrity of a GNSS constellation signal may be monitored using an internal time source such as a crystal oscillator by monitoring a slope of the free running counter at the detected rising edges of a pulse-per-second signal from the GNSS constellation. If more than two GNSS constellations are monitored, a voting scheme may be used to determine the manipulated GNSS constellation.

Multi-constellation GNSS integrity check for detection of time signal manipulation

Disclosed herein are systems for monitoring and protecting an electric power system using a plurality of conductor-mounted detectors (CMDs). In one embodiment, a plurality of CMDs are coupled to an electrical conductor. Each CMD may harvest power from the electrical conductor and may monitor electrical current in the conductor. When the electrical current in the conductor exceeds a fault current threshold a fault signal may be transmitted. A receiver in communication with each of the plurality of CMDs may receive the fault signal from at least one of the plurality of CMDs. A protective action may be generated and implemented to clear the fault. A portion of the electric power system affected by the fault may be determined based on identification of each of the plurality of CMDs to transmit the fault signal.

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Pullman, WA, United States of America

Shankar V Achanta