Narrow-band Power Line Carrier Research Articles

Precise Clock Synchronization Strategy of Power Distribution Field Network Based on HPLC Communication

In order to improve clock synchronization precision of the power distribution field network, a power distribution field network with high‐speed power line broadband carrier communication is designed, and a step‐by‐step precision clock synchronization strategy is developed based on modified timing‐sync protocol for sensor networks. In the strategy, the clock of the central node is calibrated in real‐time as the master clock of the field network by the communication master station through the long‐distance communication network, the time and frequency deviations of the clocks of each node in the network are accurately monitored using the broadcast mechanism and the network time base of the carrier communication, and the clock frequency is gradually amended by re‐calibrating the clock temperature compensation coefficient of the node so that the clock of the node is synchronized step‐by‐step within a clock synchronization cycle. The clock synchronization performances of the field network are tested in the laboratory and jobsite, and test results show that the clock synchronization accuracy of the field network is within ± 0.23 s/24 h, which is 28% higher than that of the power distribution field network based on narrowband power line carrier, and these phenomena of time gap or time repetition are avoided in the clock synchronization process. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Design and Research of Channel Circuit Based on Broadband Power Line Carrier

In order to effectively improve the anti-attenuation, anti-noise and anti-impedance change capabilities of the low-voltage narrowband power line carrier communication unit, reduce the carrier signal coupling attenuation, and highly fidelity signal power encoded and modulated by the carrier chip, an improved high-speed power line carrier communication transceiver circuit is designed. Using 303.13kHz~357.81kHz as sub-carrier signal frequency can effectively avoid the random noise generated by high-power power electronic equipment and household appliances below 35kHz. At the same time, to prevent the frequency crosstalk of power line carrier products with 270kHz and 421kHz as the center frequency, the Y-coupling capacitor and sixth order Butterworth band-pass filter circuit are used to design the signal receiving and transmitting circuit of the communication unit to isolate unwanted signals. The experimental simulation of the designed circuit is carried out on the circuit simulation software Multisim 12. The results show that the designed power line carrier communication transceiver circuit can effectively control the signal coupling attenuation within 4dB, and the filtering of unwanted signals can also reach 41.7dB, which has good application value.

Electric Power System Monitoring and Theft Detection using Power Line Communication

Electric power theft is a serious concern in the world irrespective of being major revenue losses and developing a nation. More than one-third part of the electricity generated power is lost due to electric theft, power loss, and inefficiencies in the distribution system. Interdicted or illegal utilization of electricity has not only affected economically but also obstructs the design and modeling phases of the power system. Due to electric theft, providing wrong data input values for power system analysis and difficult to load forecasting. In this paper, an inventive Simulink model is designed to detect and monitoring of electric power theft in power system distribution networks through Power Line Communication (PLC). Electric power theft was detected with variance amendment in the amplitude of carrier signal with a narrow band. PLC technique is utilized for data communication over the power line. A narrow band power line carrier signal which has high frequency transferred in power line alongside with power frequency signal. The deviation in the amplitude of the transmitted carrier signal is monitored at the regular time- intervals and the stealing of electricity can be distinguished by the computing of distinction change within the amplitude of the carrier signal. In a normal case, the signal present fixes pattern and waveform, but in the case of power theft, the signal shows some variation and disturbance in a within waveform pattern. A pattern recognition and monitoring approach is used for direct power theft in the PLC model. The Simulink model is performed on MATLAB software to analyze the performance and efficient results that satisfy the proposed Simulink model.

Design of Single-lamp Monitoring System for Airfield Lighting Based on Broadband Power Line Carrier Communication

Considering the problems of low communication rate and large communication delay of the traditional single-lamp monitoring system for airfield lighting based on narrow-band power line carrier communication technology, a solution of single-lamp monitoring system for airfield lighting based on broadband power carrier communication technology is proposed. Firstly, this paper has made a comparison of advantages and disadvantages between narrow-band power line carrier communication technology and broadband power line carrier communication technology, and briefed the problems faced by traditional single-lamp monitoring system based on narrow-band power line carrier communication. Taking technical characteristics into consideration, broadband power line carrier communication technology is selected for the development of a new single-lamp monitoring system for airfield lighting. Secondly, this paper articulated the design and development process of new airfield lighting single-lamp monitoring system based on broadband power line carrier communication technology, from the formulation of the overall architecture scheme of the system to the realization of local convergent equipment, and focused on the analysis of hardware and software development process of single-lamp monitoring module. Finally, this paper set up a test environment, and verified the performance index by experiments. The test results show that the system meets the design index requirements, can improve the performance of the single-lamp monitoring system for airfield lighting, effectively solves the problems faced by the traditional system, and can further meet the needs of the airport for airfield lighting monitoring and control.

Algorithms for Modulation Recognition of Narrowband Power Line Carrier Communication Signals

Automatic identification of modulated signals is an important technology of power line communication. Aiming at the problems of low signal recognition rate and characteristic parameter extraction in power line communication channel, this paper uses amplitude variance value of wavelet transform and higher order cumulant as the identification parameter, and designs a signal recognizer based on improved support vector machine. Under the condition of power line channel environment, the recognizer of this paper is less than the existing recognition method in the computational complexity, and has good robustness to power line noise. At the same time, it avoids the shortcomings of traditional neural network such as under-learning and over-learning. The simulation results show that when the SNR is 5 dB, power line communication signals through the recognizer, which the correct identification rate can reach 91%.

Error performance analysis and modeling of narrow-band PLC technology enabling smart metering systems

This paper presents an error performance analysis and a model of a narrow-band power line carrier (PLC) system for smart metering. Our work is founded on complex analysis based on the probability theory using limited, long-term measurement data of a rural 400 V distribution grid during operation. To obtain confident results, the analysis and modeling of the error performance were done in two steps. In the first step, the Neyman contagious distribution, originally derived in the fields of entomology and bacteriology, was applied to describe the probability distribution of errors in messages in consideration of the impulsive noise in the PLC channel and the influence of forward error correction techniques. In the second step, assuming the bit error rate (BER) was a random variable, where errors are randomly distributed in the sample rather than clustered into messages, the confidence interval of the true BER was calculated for different SNR values. The results served as a foundation for the error performance model proposed in this paper. The presented work is crucial for the research of upper layer communication protocols performance incorporating advanced phenomena at the physical layer.

Investigation of Narrow-Band Power-Line Carrier Communication System Performance in Rural Distribution Grids

This paper investigates error performance of the narrow-band (NB) power-line carrier (PLC) communication system from a distribution system operator (DSO) perspective, with measurement data collected in the rural 400 V distribution grid. The performance evaluation is founded on the three aspects: attenuation of the NB PLC channel, frequency of the signal to noise ratio (SNR) class occurrence detected in a receiver and bit error rate (BER) analysis. The true BER is estimated from the limited amount of collected data using error model based on Neyman type A contagious distribution, appropriate for communication channels with impulsive noise. Results confirmed that PRIME-based NB PLC deployments for smart metering applications are adequate in rural distribution grids, even in cases with high attenuation and articulated frequency variations in a PLC channel. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eie.24.1.20149

Broadcasting Control of Intelligent Air Conditioners Using Power-Line-Carrier Technology

This paper proposes a broadcasting control system of intelligent air conditioners using the narrow-band power line carrier (PLC) (NPLC) technology. The communication protocol of Smart Energy Profile SEP 1.0 is implemented for the master station to issue commands to air conditioners over the power line. The function of demand response (DR) can also be executed via the proposed system. To verify the communication performance of control signal using the PLC technology, the field tests of NPLC over power lines and across transformers are executed. By integrating the PLC with the existing optical fiber network of the Distribution Automation System in the Taiwan Power Company, the Hybrid Communication System for Smart Grid applications is built and tested to support the control of air conditioners and the DR programs. It is found that the energy conservation by reducing the system peak load can be achieved when the proposed system is applied for the remote thermostat settings of air conditioners in the commercial section. The power consumption of various types of loads can also be collected and reported to the control center using the two-way communication provided by the proposed system.

Design of PLC-Based Identifier to Support Transformer Load Management in Taipower

To support transformer load management, a narrow-band power line carrier (PLC)-based identifier has been designed and developed for the determination of customers served by each distribution transformer. The transmission characteristics of a PLC signal over low-voltage distribution lines is simulated by using the mathematical model of distribution transformers, line conductors, and customer loading at high frequencies of the carrier signal. After completing the development of PLC-based identifier, a field test has been executed to verify the performance of the identifier to determine the connectivity of the distribution transformer and the customers served without requiring power service interruption. With the customer account numbers updated by the PLC identifier, the monthly energy consumption and the service type of customers served by each distribution transformer are retrieved from the customer information system. The daily power profile and peak loading of the distribution transformers are then derived according to the energy consumption and the typical load patterns of the customers served.