Estimation of Current and Sag in Overhead Power Transmission Lines With Optimized Magnetic Field Sensor Array Placement

Power distribution mechanism in smart grid necessitates the development of an easy-to-install and contactless sensing system to monitor the operational state of overhead high-voltage transmission lines. Here, we propose a robust phase current and sag estimation method at support structures. Novelty in our work is the use of dual-axis magnetic field (MF) sensors equal to the number of phase conductors. This is realized by installing an array of sensors optimally placed in the same vertical plane as of conductors on the tower. The optimal position of sensor array was found while minimizing the condition number of governing linear system close to unity. For any circuit configuration, our method processes the sensed MF vector projections through a linear system, which is based on the Biot-Savart law. It considers the practical factors, such as sag, span length, and sensor-to-conductor distance. An algorithm is then designed to estimate the electric current and sag by iterative comparison between the measured and calculated MF. The method is first tested by numerical simulations for a typical one-circuit configuration, which involves three scenarios of symmetrical and unsymmetrical sag in conductors. The algorithm converges to a maximum error of ≤1% within 300 iterations. We then experimentally verify our scheme on a scaled laboratory setup. Retrieved current and sag values were verified with the readings from ammeter and vernier caliper, respectively. The results prove the viability of our approach within ≤2.6% deviation for current and ≤1% for sag in all conductors.