LINE MOUNTED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING LINE POTENTIAL

Abstract: A self contained hot stick mounted radio transmitting module may be permanently mounted on or temporarily pushed against the power conductor of electrical transmis­ sion line (3). The module is capable of measuring the potential difference between the conductor and ground. The module digitizes and transmits the value of the potential difference to a ground receiver. The module is donut shaped and opens like a pair of jaws. The contact with the power line is accomplished via a resilient conductive elastomer that covers the surfaces in contact with the power conductor. The potential difference between ground and the power conductor is measured with an operational amplifier (19) in an integrating configuration to convert the leakage current from the module to ground into a proportional voltage from a low impedance source. The integrator outputs a voltage proportional to the current flowing into the equivalent capacitance formed by the outer surface of the module and ground. The current is generated by the voltage difference between the power conductor and ground. The power conductor (3) is engaged by a pair of jaws inserts comprising two concentric conducting rings sepa­ rated by a thin insulating layer forming a large capacitor. The electronic components within the unit are protected by a signal conditioning network to preclude destruction of components in the event of lightning strikes or other overvoltage conditions.

Description: LINE MOUNTED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING LINE POTENTIAL This invention relates to line mounted apparatus for measuring line potential. More particularly this invention relates to the measurement of high power, alternating current (AC) , transmission line voltages, employing power line mounted radio transmitting electrically isolated modules, preferably mounted on all power conductors connected to the lcad to be monitored. Each module contains the means for measuring the instantaneous voltage associated with the power conductor upon which the module is installed. The measured instantaneous voltage is derived from the potential difference induced by the electric field associated with the power line upon the outer toroidal structure of the module. The novel voltage measuring apparatus disclosed herein makes possible the use of the module as a hot stick mounted power line voltage probe. This application is related to the prior United States Patent of Howard R. Stillwell and Roosevelt A. Fernandes entitled TRANSPONDER UNIT FOR MEASURING TEMPERATURE AND CURRENT ON LIVE TRANSMISSION LINES, No.4,384,289, issued May 17th, 1983, which patent is incorporated herein by reference; and to our European Patent Applications entitled SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING AND CONTROL OF A BULK ELECTRIC POWER DELIVERY SYSTEM No.84 302514.9 filed April 12th, 1984; and APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE AND OTHER PARAMETERS OF AN ELECTRIC POWER CONDUCTOR, No.84 302500.8, filed April 12th 1984, the subject matter of which applications is incorporated in this application by reference. High power, AC, transmission line potentials have been typically measured by the use of step down isolation voltage transformers where one end of the primary high voltage winding was conductively coupled to the high voltage line. The existence of a direct conductive link between the high voltage passing through the power line and ground typically exposed the voltage measuring equipment to high voltage stresses especially whsn hit by lightning strikes. The continual exposure to such high voltage stresses nezessi- tated bulky and therefore expensive construction of such voltage measuring equint to assure reliable operation and operator safety over exSe.. dd periods of time. It is desirable to measure potential values along the power line for short periods or continually at arbitrary positicns. This measured voltage can be used to derive Fourier frequency components, power, and power factor information associated with the operation of the power line being measured, and to locate and diagnose anomalies in the use and transmission of electric power. Various power line sensors have been disclosed in the prior art. For example see United States Patent Nos. 3,438,896, 3,633,191, 4,158,810 and 4,268,818. It has been ---cseJ to use se#3ors of t9.is type and of t greatly proved form disclosed in the above-identified Stillwell and Fernandezs patent for dynamic line rating of electrical power transmission lines. An improved line voltage sensor was disclosed in the first above-identified Fernandes et al application. Specifically, line voltage was derived from the ratio of voltages between two series capacitors; one formed by the internal structure of the module while the second was formed between the outer skin of the module and ground. However, we have found that the former capacitance can change value due to the influence of conductive debris on the structure forming the capacitor, and the proximity of high voltage gradients associated with the power line. This change can alter the value of the ratio of the two capacitances and degrade the accuracy of the voltage measurement. We have invented a high Voltage measuring system for high power AC transmission lines which comprises an electronic module contained within a metallic enclosure in the proximity of the power line that measures, digitizes and transmits the actual instantaneous value of voltage to a remote receiver. Such a configuration avoids requirements for bulky insulation to accommodate the high voltages associated with power line operation. This is accomplished by the interposition of a radio link instead of the typical direct conductive connection to ground from the power line The voltage measuring system shown in Figure 1 has no direct, highly conductive link between the high voltage of the power line 3 and ground through the measuring device. The voltage measurement is encoded and transmitted via radio frequency energy from the measuring device, namely a toroidal state estimator module 5, to a ground receiver separated by an air gap sufficiently large to avoid any high voltage stress conditions on the measuring circuits from the large potential difference between the power line and ground. The power line voltage measurement is obtained from measuring the leakage or charging current created by the interaction of the alternating electric field created by the high voltage in the power line with the essentially toroidal structure of the outer surface of the module 5. The fixed spacial relationship of the module with respect to the ground plane determines the value of the leakage or charging current. The outer shell 2 of the module is kept at some intermediate potential between the power line voltage and ground because of its geometry and spacial relationship to the ground plane. The potential of the outer shell 2 is forced to be within a fraction of a volt from the power line voltage by the effect of the electronic circuits within the module. The leakage current following from the outer surface of the toroidal module to ground is essentially proportional to the potential difference between the power line and ground. Since the outer shell of module 5 is nearly at the same voltage as power conductor 3, any change in voltage in conductor 3 will be reflected as a change in charging current flowing from module 5 to ground. Therefore, a prior knowledge of the ratio of change in charging current with respect to change in power line voltage will allow the circuits of the module to transform the measured leakage current into an accurate power line voltage reading. In our first above-identified co-pending application we provided long arcuate capacitor plates embedded in and electrically isolated from the skin of the donut shaped module. We have found this configuration somewhat susceptible to variation in measurements caused by varying weather conditions, particularly rain and snow. In the apparatus disclosed in this application we have largely overcome these problems by utilizing the entire toroidal case as a charge collecting, capacitor plate. Furthermore, we have DC isolated the toroidal case from the power line conductor by applying a thin hard ceramic coating on the jaws insert. Across this layer of insulation are the inputs to an integrating operational amplifier so configured as to present a very low input ixpedance across the hard ceramic coating and maintain the voltage difference between the two insulated sides within a fraction of a volt of each other. The current flowing from the power line through to the outer skin of the module is forced to pass through the operational amplifier, digitized, and reported as a voltage measurement. It It is therefore an object of the invention to provide apparatus for measuring the instantaneous potential difference between ground and a power line conductor. Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above character which is hot stick mounted. A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above character capable of trasitting measurements to ground. Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above character which may be left on the power conductor for an indefinite time. Yet another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above character that is not subject to error caused by varying weather conditions. Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, elements and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth. The scope of the invention is indicated in the claims. For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompany ing drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of apparatus according to the inv#tjo###or -- measuring the potential difference between a power conductor and ground; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing how three modules as shown in Figure 1 may be mounted to the three conductors typically associated with a three phase power circuit of a power line; Figure 3 is a front view, partially in phantom, of the jaws inserts according to our invention for the hub of the toroidal mciule where it contacts the power line conductor; Figure 4 is a left side view of the jaws insert of Figure 3; ; Figure 5 is a view of one of the jaws inserts taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 3; Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of one of the knaws inserts of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a front view, partially cut away, of the jaws inserts of Figure 3 inserted in the hub of the toroidal module of Figure 1; Figure 8 is a partial cross sectional view taken along sthe line 8-8 of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a partial cross sectional view similar to Figure 8 showing the connection between the voltage sensor and the structure contacting the power conductor; Figure 10 is a schematic electrical circuit diagram of #the circuits contained within the module shown in Figure 1; ; Figures 11 and 12 are diagrammatic representations of the electrical relationship between the various electronic elements used in sensing the potential difference between the power line and ground. The same reference characters refer to the same elements throughout the several views of the drawings. A hot stick mounted voltage senior go no rally indicated at 5 is shown in Figure 1. The module 5 is generally of a toroidal shape. It comprise. a housing 2 to which a jaws assembly, generally indicated at 10, is secured via open radial webs 11. An R.F. impedance matching network 1 is mounted near the assembly 10, and is connected via associated coaxial cable parts 6, 7, and 8 to a shielded transmitter and to electronics 4 inside the module 5. Conductor 32 is connected as described below to the power conductor 3 and to the electronics module 4. Module 4 is connected to the outer conducting skin 2 of the module 5. Mounted in the webs 11 of housing 2 is the power cable clamping jaws assembly 10. The diameter of the internal opening of this assembly is typically chosen for each specific application so as to accommodate different power cables from 0.5 to 2" in diameter. The two metal parts and one conductive resilient part of the cable clamping inserts 10 are shown in detail in Figures 4, 5 and 6. The three parts are: 1)Outer half rings 13 2)Inner half rings 14 3)Conductive resilient neoprene half ring 17. The outer ridge 12 of each of the two outer half rings 13 shown in Figures 4 and 5 engage a similarly machined groove in the adjacent ring 30 of the hub of housing 2 (see Figure 8). Within outer half rings 13 fit inner half rings l as shown in Figure 6. The inner half rings 14 (to which conductor 32 is connected as shown in Figure 9) are electrically insulated from the outer half rings 13 by a hard coat insulating ceramic coating 37 on the outer surfaces of the inner rings 14. This may be formed by an electro deposition process such as anodizing. Alternatively, the coating may be a non-hydroscopic polymer such as the fluorocarbon TEFLON. Referring to Figure 6, bolts 16 connecting outer rings 14 to inner rings 13 are insulated from contact with outer ring by insulating inserts 15, typically made of some solid fluorocarbon such as TEFLON. This insert can tolerate the #tressassociated with the fastening action of bolts 16 that keep the outer and inner rings in intimate mechanical contact. A graphite filled, conducting neoprene half ring 17 shown in Figure 6, is shaped so as to resiliently fit within the machined > eninsulated space 39 of inner half ring 14 and the power conductor itself. Ring 17 provides a dual function: first, that of conducting a small amount of current to the voltage measuring circuits, and second, that of providing the mechanical friction for preventing the entire assembly 5 from sliding along the power cable in the event of a strong wind. The electrical lead 32 from voltage sensing circuits is attached to the inner half ring 14 by screw 34 fitted into tapped hole 38 as shown in Figures 6 and 9. Half ring 14 is fastened to half ring 13 by bolts 16 as shown in Figure 6. Bolts 16 are insulated from the conductive body of 13 by insulators 15 and washers 9. The insulation of bolts 16 insures that the effectiveness of hardcoat insulation 37 is preserved and that no low resistance path exists between half rings 13 and 14. Half ring 13 is fastened onto ring 30 web structure 11 by bolts 35. Bolts 35 are inserted after half ring 14 is attached to half ring 13 through clearance hole 29. Bolts 35 engage threaded hole 28 in ring 30, part of web 11. Since the bottom part of clearance hole 29 is of smaller diameter than the top part, a shoulder is formed where the head of bolts 35 press against the body of ring 13 to fasten it against ring 30. The action of bolts 35 precludes any motion of machined surface 12 within the receptor ring 30. The operation of the voltage sensing circuits may be understood with reference to Figures 11 and 12. In Figure 11 it is desired to measure the potential difference V between power conductor 3 and ground 18. The outer skin 2 of the module 5 forms a capacitor C1 between itself and ground. An integrator, generally indicated at 20, consisting of opera tional5amplificr 19 and capacitor 21 is connected between the power conductor 3 and outer skin 2 of module. The low input impedance of integrating configuration of operational amplifier 19, and its high gain insures that the potential of outer skin 2 very nearly the same as that of conductor 3. Now the potential between outer skin 2 and ground 18 is the potential V between ground 18 and high voltage conductor 3. Therefore, the current in equivalent c,apçacitance C1 is now directly proportional to the voltage V. Therefore, the current output of the low input l-pedance integrator formed by operational amplifier 19 and integra ting capacitor 21 will provide an AC output voltage exactly proportional to the current in capacitance C1 and thus directly proportional to the high voltage V between conduc tor 3 and ground 18. Now referring to figure 12, all of the circuitry needed to perform the voltage conversion and the mechanical struc ture associated with these compnents is shown diagra#iati- cally. All of the circuitry included in the integrator connected operational amplifier 20 is mounted within a metal housing 4 internal to the toroidal module 5, also shown in Figure 1, which is mechanically and electrically connected to the outer skin 2 of the module 5. The non-inverting side of the operational amplifier 19 is connected directly to the metal housing 4, while the inverting side is connected to a surge limiting network 22 whose input is connecte# to the power line via wire lead 32, bolt 34 mounted into tapped hole 38, the metal body of ring 14 and conductive neoprene rings 17. Outer case 2 of the toroidal module 5 is insulated from power line conductor 3 by the interposition of hard coat insulation 37 between rings 13 and 14. -This insulation forces any electrical charge flowing from conductor 3 through skin 2 to ground 18 to pass through in tegrator 20. The capacitance 36 formed across insulation 37 by the presence of metal rings 13 and 14 is shunted by the low input impedance of integrator 20. Therefore, at low operating frequencies of i few hundred Hertz, as typically found on power lines, capacitor 36 appears as a virtual open circuit across the very low input impedance of integrator 20. The action of the integrator 20 is to force the voltage across insulator 37 and therefore capacitance 36 to a fraction of a volt. Figure 10 gives further detail about the structure of the surge limiting network 22 comprising: 1) a non-polar electrolytic direct current (D.C.) blocking capacitor 23 to block any stray DC current components, of sufficiently large capacitance to be electrically transparent at power line frequencies. 2) a current limiting resistor 25 chosen to limit the current through diodes 26 in the event of voltage surges, typically 100 ohms. 3) two crossconnected clamping diodes 24 such as a lN4003 to prevent voltage surges across resistor 25 from exceeding about 1 volt. 4) a feedthrough capacitor 27 designed to shunt to ground fast risetime voltage surges of either polarity. The capacitance formed by the insulation 37 between half rings 13 and 14 in Figures 8 and 9 is shown in Figure 10 as equivalent capacitor 40. The function of this capacitor is to couple the outer skin 2 of the module 5 and power conductor 3 at high frequencies such as those put out by transmitter 33, through coaxial cable components 6, 7, con vector 8, and into space via an impedance matching network 1. Capacitance 31 is created by the proximity of the impedance matching network to the outer skin 2 of module 5 and is used to resonate the outer skin 2 at the frequency of interest, typically 950 MHZ. Note that the presence of capacitor 40 does not influence the current to voltage conversion function of operational amplifier 19 or the accuracy of its voltage measuring function. The D.C. and low frequency insulating characteristic of capacitor 40 forces all leakage current from the outer skin of the module to ground at the power line operation frequency to flow through operational amplifier 19 so it may be transformed into a voltage to be digitized. Since the inte- grator 20 forces the low power line frequency voltage across capacitance 36 to be only a fraction of a volt, and capacitance 36 ii shunted by the low input impedance looking into integrator 20 capacitance 36 has a negligible influence on the voltage measurement function. It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accoTt.- panying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative an= not in the limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Line mounted apparatus for measuring the line potential of an electric power conductor comprising: A) an electrical conductive housing; B) electrically insulating means for mounting said housing to the power conductor; and, C) low impedance current measuring means adapted for connection between said conductor and said housing. 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said electrically insulating means comprises: a) conductive jaw means to which said measuring means is connected mounted to said housing for clamping the power conductor; and, b) thin insulating means for insulating said jaw means from said housing. 3. Apparatus as defined in claims 1 or 2 wherein said measuring means comprises an integrator. 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said integrator comprises an operational amplifier having a pair of inputs. S. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 and a surge suppressing network connected between one input of said operational 1 amplifier and said conductor, the other input thereof being connected to said housing. 6. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said housing is generally toroidal in shape and is adapted to surround the conductor when in use. 7. Apparatus as defined in . claim 3 wherein said housing is generally toroidal in shape and is adapted to surround the conductor when in use. 9. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said lectrically insulating means comprises a) a pair of arcuate nested metal parts; and b) a film of insulating material affixed to the surface of one of said parts where it touches the other of said parts. 9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said film is hard coat ceramic. 10. Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said film is a polymer. 11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said film is a fluorocarbon. 12. Apparatus as defined in any of claims 8, 9, 10, or 11 and a conductive elastomeric insert nested in the innermost of said nested metal parts and adapted to contact the conductor. 13. Apparatus as defined in claim 12 wherein said housing is generally toroidal in shape and is adapted to surround the conductor when in use. 14. Apparatus as defined in any of claims 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, or 11 wherein said housing is adapted to surround the conductor when in use. 15. Apparatus as defined in cla#im 14 wherein said housing is generaly toroidal in shape. 16. Line mounted apparatus for measuring the line potential of an electric power conductor comprising: A) an electrically conductive housing; B) electrically insulating means for mounting said housing to the power conductor; and, C) C) current measuring means adapted for connection between said conductor and said housing.

Inventors: MONTGOMERY, JOHN RICHARD, SMITH-VANIZ, WILLIAM REID
Applicants: NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER CORPORATION
Application year: 1985
Main classification: G01R15
IPC codes: G01R19, G01R15