A Multiconductor Model of Power Line Communication in Medium-Voltage Lines

Abstract

Most power line communication (PLC) models are designed to date simulate power lines as two-wire lines. However, in alternating current (AC) electrical distribution, the two-wire option is seldom applied, and medium-voltage lines are most often based on the three-phase configuration. In this context, the influence of the ground, which constitutes another conductor with specific parameters, cannot be neglected. Two-wire models are characterized by limited accuracy, not allowing us to simulate certain major phenomena affecting PLC. This, for example, could embody the answer to the question of whether it is more advantageous to transmit a signal independently through each phase, reference the signal with respect to another phase or to use the ground as a reference. This paper discusses a multi-conductor model that eliminates the disadvantages outlined above; the proposed model exploits the multi-conductor telegrapher's equations. In order to be able to include medium-voltage (MV)/ low-voltage (LV) transformers in medium-voltage network models, we constituted a transformer model. The designed models were validated on a real medium-voltage network. To be able to evaluate the suitability of the PLC, the noise in the medium voltage network was measured in order to determine the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Measurements and characterisation of low and medium voltage residential, commercial, and industrial NB‐PLC networks for AMI

“…VDS has two series capacitances used to reduce the voltage for socket and NB‐PLC transceiver. VDS follows IEC 61234‐5 and is being followed worldwide [40, 41]. The specification of the transceiver is discussed in the next subsection.…”

Impact of Signal Radiation Leakage on Power Line Communication Systems

“…Transmission with low frequency modulation (~100 kHz) will result in low attenuation as compared to transmission at ~10 MHz. This is due to the skin effect which causes about 10 times smaller effective conductor area since the frequency is higher by a factor of 100 [8,12,13].…”

“…Low-frequency (about 100-200 KHz) carriers impressed on highvoltage transmission lines may carry one or two analog voice circuits, or telemetry and control circuits with an equivalent data rate of a few hundred bits per second; moreover, the circuits may be many miles long. Higher data rates generally imply shorter ranges; a local area network operating at millions of bits per second may only cover one floor of an office building, but eliminates installation of dedicated network cabling [5,7,8].…”

“…There are many number of technical contributions providing understanding how PLC systems operate and pointing out challenging advancements related to on PLC technology. Coupling antenna was the first type of coupling used with the electric power grid due to its simplicity, easy installation and cost [1,8,9].…”

A New Coupling Solution for G3-PLC Employment in MV Smart Grids

“…Narrowband power line communication (PLC) over MV networks can be an alternative or a redundant solution. They can also be used in hybrid systems based on different communication technologies to ensure robustness, reliability, and redundancy [9][10][11][12][13][14]. PLC, in fact, has the great advantage of no additional costs for the communication service provider because electric lines are usually owned by the DSO and they are under its direct and secure control.…”