Magnetic Fiber Integrator and its Application in Precision Noninvasive DC Current Sensor

Abstract

This paper is concerned with novel method of exact magnetic field sensing and line integration along path required for specific application. One of important applications is the electric current measurement. The sensor based on the presented method can be therefore used as precision dc current sensor. The realized openable flexible current probe based on the magnetic fiber integrator can cover current levels from fraction of A to tens of kA with negligible power and space requirements. Due to the true line integration, the measured current value is independent of areal distribution of the magnetic field, and therefore, the initial laboratory calibration is valid for field applications. The theory is experimentally validated with magnetic integrator for electrical current measurement, but it is not limited to this application only. The method is applicable in variety of instruments exploiting magnetic field evaluation.