Abstract
Power line carrier (PLC) technology plays an increasingly important role in the realization of cost-effective communication in a smart distribution grid. No current channel modeling method is universally applicable to more complex topologies that may emerge in smart grids, such as ring and mesh topologies. This paper presents a novel PLC channel modeling method based on the information node concept, and the universality and feasibility of the proposed method are demonstrated with applications in modeling networks with ring and mesh topologies. The factors that affect the channel characteristics of the networks and the laws that govern their behaviors for different types of topologies are analyzed. The validity and effectiveness of the proposed method are proven using simulation and laboratory tests. This paper provides the necessary theoretical basis and technical means to design the PLC modulation method for smart distribution grids.
Highlights
Reliable and cost-effective communication networks are the basis and premise for the realization of Smart Grids.The power line carrier (PLC) technology [1,2,3], which has been applied in traditional power systems to transfer voice or data at high speed over the power line with a power flow, is considered a suitable candidate [4, 5].the channel of the PLC has high-frequency selectivity with complex signal attenuation because of the poor working condition, serious interference, and large time variation
Dt11 and Dt12 are the information nodes related to the signal source impedance Zs and power line Line_1, respectively, which connect to termination node T1, and Dcn1 is the information node of power line Line_k, which connects to internal node Cn
By placing all necessary information nodes into the network, the problem of determining the transmission characteristic between signal source VS and each receiver is converted into a problem of determining the transmission characteristic between information node DS and the information node related to each receiver (e.g., Dt22 if the receiver is located at node T2)
Summary
Reliable and cost-effective communication networks are the basis and premise for the realization of Smart Grids. The top-down method regards the PLC channel as a multi-path model and uses curve fitting techniques to obtain the required parameters based on the actual measurement results of the transmission characteristics. The main principle of the bottom-up methods is to consider the reflection and attenuation at the impedance mismatch points and subsequently enumerate, simplify, and classify all paths between the signal transmitter and the information receiver based on the actual network topology. This type of method simplifies the forward traveling wave to such an extent that it results in large errors.
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