LABORELEC © 14/03/2011 LABORELEC ©

Chaire académique ORES "Smart Grids-Smart Metering"

A Power Line Communication Measuring Toolbox for the Distribution Grid Dries Lemmens

LABORELEC © 3

PLC Communication for Smart Metering

PLC Communication as an answer to:

“How can we read out a meter in an efficient

and reliable way?”

External

Eandis, Ores and Sibelga

Laborelec Team:

Wim Foubert

Rafael Jahn

Dries Lemmens

Philip Vergeylen

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Smart Metering & Power Line Communication (PLC)

General topology:

3

Focus of Laborelec

Smart metering allows automatic

bidirectional information transfer

Gateway Metering

Operation Center

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PLC for Smart Metering

Cable / Overhead

line

House

~

Signal source

(data concentrator)

MV/LV

The signal source is limited in power and

signal voltage

The signal source sends a signal

with a certain power and certain

voltage amplitude on the grid

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PLC for Smart Metering

Impedance/Attenuation

Cable/Overhead

line

House

~

Signal source

(data concentrator)

MV/LV

The signal source is limited in power and

signal voltage

Some signal power is dissipated

in MV/LV transformer and

parallel feeders…

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PLC for Smart Metering

Impedance/Attenuation

Cable/Overhead

line

House

~

Signal source

(data concentrator)

MV/LV

The signal source is limited in power and

signal voltage

The Signal Voltage is attenuated

by the series impedance of the

cable/line

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PLC for Smart Metering

Issues:

Cable/Overhead

line

House

~

Signal source

(data concentrator)

MV/LV

The signal source is limited in power and

signal voltage

The signal is too small, the smart

meter can not read it anymore…

Problem!

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PLC for Smart Metering

Noise Issue:

9

Cable/Overhead

line

House

~

Signal source

(data concentrator)

MV/LV

The signal source is limited in power and

signal voltage

High Frequency noise influences

the signal quality Meter

cannot read the signal

anymore…

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Smart Metering & Power Line Communication

Project

Focus on the ‘physical layer’ in CENELEC A-band (3-95 kHz) et < 500 kHz

Investigation and assistance to DNO on performance of PLC Communication

Grid topology

Impedance and Transfer at high frequency

Noise at high frequency

Realized through

On-site measurements

Laboratory investigation

Theoretical research and simulations

Development of measurement system

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PLC: Measurement Device

PC with NI Acquisition card

PLC Switchbox (LBE)

HF Amplifier (LBE)

HF Current Clamps

Software Package (LBE)

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PLC Measuring Portfolio: Overview

Noise

Median/avg

treatment

Periodic

treatment

Time domain

treatment

Stationary noise

(i.e. statistically

most apparent),

no events

Periodic noise

Focus on 50 Hz

cycle –repetitive

phenomena

Linking time

domain 50 Hz

behaviour with

freq. domain

Impedance

& Transfer

Transfer Average

Impedance

Periodic

Impedance

2-point

measurement,

synchronisable

between devices

Sweep method

with 100 ms fft

window

Sweep method

with 100 us fft

window with 50

Hz synchro

Advanced

50 Hz synchro

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PLC Measuring Portfolio: Noise (Noise Stationary)

The stationary noise is the average noise during a 5-seconds measurement

Noise

Median/avg

treatment

Stationary noise

(i.e. statistically

most apparent),

no events GSR-HF

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PLC Measuring Portfolio: Noise (Noise Stationary)

Output: 3D Noise frequency time view

Noise

Median/avg

treatment

Stationary noise

(i.e. statistically

most apparent),

no events

dBV/Hz

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PLC Measuring Portfolio: Noise (Noise Stationary)

Output: Noise frequency view

Noise

Median/avg

treatment

Stationary noise

(i.e. statistically

most apparent),

no events

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PLC Measuring Portfolio: Noise (Noise Stationary)

Output: Overview of long-term campaign (6 days example)

Noise

Median/avg

treatment

Stationary noise

(i.e. statistically

most apparent),

no events

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PLC Measuring Portfolio: Impedance (Impedance Stationary)

The stationary impedance is the average impedance during a 20 seconds measurement Impedance

& Transfer

Average

Impedance

Sweep method

with 100 ms fft

window GSR-HF

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PLC Measuring Portfolio: Impedance (Impedance Stationary)

Output: 2D Impedance Frequency view Impedance

& Transfer

Average

Impedance

Sweep method

with 100 ms fft

window

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PLC Measuring Portfolio: Transfer (Transfer Function)

The transfer function is measured by injecting and measuring a signal on one location and another measurement on a different location

Impedance

& Transfer

Transfer

2-point

measurement,

synchronisable

between devices GSR-HF1 GSR-HF2

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PLC Measuring Portfolio: Transfer (Transfer Function)

Output:

Impedance

& Transfer

Transfer

2-point

measurement,

synchronisable

between devices

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120-16

-14

-12

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

2

Frequency (kHz)

20*l

og10(a

bs(c

hannel re

sponse))

Transfer function: End of line --> Substation

Transfer function: Substation --> End of line

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Laboratory-measurements in the Faraday Cage

LISN = Line Impedance Stabilizing Network

4/18/2013 © LABORELEC

LISN FILTER DUT

Coupling

Circuit

Signal

Injection

V I

Faraday Cage

Why LISN ?

- Creates a noise free

grid

- Input impedance =

5-10 Ω @ 20-120 kHz

Noise free grid

GSR-HF

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PLC: Load Measurements

Example: Investigation of loads – Saving lights

Impedance measurements

This load ‘short-circuits’ the signal

periodically in a 50 Hz – cycle !

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Smart Metering & Power Line Carrier – Communication (PLC)

Examples: Investigation on MV/LV transformers

Measurements done on decoupled devices

Modelization done

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PLC: Load Measurements

Noise is also produced by new type of loads

Electric Vehicle

Noise pollution and impedance during charging

LEDs

…

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PLC in 2012: Focus on material

Testing prototypes

New PLC modems were tested in the lab and in the field in Rode

Result: Provided feedback to Engineering for the choice of frequencies

“Sniffing” PLC

PLC Spy/Sniffer provides complementary information to draw conclusions about the quality of PLC

Result: Match communication statistics with noise, impedance measurements

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PLC in 2012: Focus on Troubleshooting

PLC Experiments

Reproducing grid situations in the lab

Result: Ability to test smart metering material in the lab

Communication statistics for AIM (Ores)

Analyze and report on communication quality and reliability

Result: Ability to focus on specific problematic locations by analyzing collected data from the smart metering system

Unreachable meters in Aye (Ores)

Ad-hoc measurements in substations and a specific house

Result: Ongoing analysis and report on the specific situation

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Next steps in 2013

Emerging PLC Technologies

OFDM in PRIME and G3

QPSK for Eandis

G3 PLC over MV

Building up knowledge and learn from experiences within the DNO’s

PLC Troubleshooting

Ad-hoc measurement campaigns to study specific problems

Smart Meter data analysis

Analyze the huge amount of information available from the smart metering systems. Focus on problems!

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Smart Metering & Power Line Communication

To summarize, Laborelec :

Investigated Power Line Communications for more than 4 years, beginning from scratch, to compensate the lack of supplier’s expertise

Gained insight in the behavior of the physical signal in typical grids

Aids the DNO with the testing and evaluation of the performance of prototypes and in first smart metering pilots

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Smart Metering & Power Line Communication

Any questions or remarks?

Email: dries.lemmens@laborelec.com

© LABORELEC

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