Development of a fiber optic current sensor for low DC measurements in the power grid

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Preserving the stable operation and proper functionality of the electric power grid is of utmost importance. Integral grid components such as power transformers are negatively affected by occurring disturbances. In particular, the time course and distribution of the different phases of direct currents (dcs) within the transmission grid, among them geomagnetically induced currents (GICs), is of great interest. In this article, we report on the development of a fiber optic current sensor (FOCS) exploiting the Faraday effect intended to observe these dcs on all three phases of a high-voltage (HV) power grid. The proposed low-cost sensor is constructed with an adjustable phase retarder and a single-mode (SM) sensing fiber. A linear current relationship for dcs down to 1 A was observed. From the sensor signal, the presence of a dc bias superimposed on an alternating current can be identified. Simulations based on a Jones formalism model provided application limits of the SM sensing fiber. Furthermore, we developed a calibration procedure to counteract temperature-induced variations of the sensor scale factor within the fiber-optic coil and achieve a maximum current error of 0.5% down to a rated current of 5 A in a range from 15 °C to 65 °C.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1502908
JournalIEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement
Volume73
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Sept 2024

Keywords

  • Faraday effect
  • fiber optic current sensor
  • GIC
  • low power instrument transformer
  • power grid monitoring
  • fiber optic current sensor (FOCS)
  • geomagnetically induced current (GIC)

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Instrumentation
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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