Patent Document ID: 9945889
Application ID: 13770460
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for detecting non-technical losses in an actual branch of a power distribution system by an actual distribution circuit, wherein the actual distribution circuit includes a set of lines with unknown resistances that connect consumers to a distribution transformer (DT), and a subset of the lines include meters, comprising the steps: employing a processor executing computer executable instructions stored on a computer readable memory to facilitate performing the steps of: constructing a predictive model structure for estimating technical losses in a substitute branch the actual branch, the substitute branch includes an alternate circuit illustrative of the actual distribution circuit, wherein the alternate distribution circuit is configured for estimating parameters of the alternate circuit on the basis that each consumer in the alternate distribution circuit is individually and independently connected to the distribution transformer (DT) by means of a single dedicated line; acquiring historical measurements of energy consumed in the branch and historical measurements of currents in the lines at the endpoints of an historical interval via the meters, and historical measurements of the current at the DT; determining, based on the historical measurements, historical total power losses in the substitute branch; estimating, based on the predictive model structure, estimated resistances and estimated non-Ohmic losses from the historical total power losses and the historical currents during an historical interval when only historical technical losses are present; predicting technical losses during a future time interval using the estimated resistances and future currents; and determining future non-technical losses by subtracting the predicted technical losses during the future time interval from the total power losses during the future time interval, wherein the determined future non-technical losses are used to rank a list of potential power theft sites, and inspection is performed in decreasing order of an amount of power theft.