Patent Document ID: 9188632
Application ID: 14267345
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for monitoring electrical faults in a power plant electrical distribution system, comprising: monitoring and sampling in real time with an EDS electrical fault monitor (EFM) operation state (OS) radio frequency (RF) emissions data from electrical distribution system (EDS) equipment that are obtained with a plurality of time synchronized radio frequency monitors (RFM) that are distributed about the EDS and coupled to the EFM, the OS RF emissions potentially indicative of electrical faults in the EDS; storing in an automated data storage device that is coupled to the EFM OS data samples for each RFM, sampled data including the RFM identification, data sample time and data sample waveform characteristics; determining with the EFM in real time a likelihood of whether one or a combination of the respective OS data samples is indicative of an electrical fault by: referencing in an automated data storage device coupled to the EFM previously stored information associating OS data with any one or more of EDS safe operation (SO), electrical faults or RF emission location within the EDS; comparing at least one stored OS sample reading from each RFM with respective stored association information relevant thereto and making respective EDS safe operation (SO) first confidence level determinations; comparing a combination of the at least one stored OS sample reading from each respective RFM with respective stored association information relevant thereto, if such combination information is available, and making respective EDS safe operation (SO) second or more confidence level determinations; and combining all prior sequentially determined confidence levels information to derive an EDS safe operation (SO) overall confidence level; and causing the EFM to generate an alarm when any of the sequentially determined first through overall SO confidence levels is indicative of an electrical fault within the EDS.