Long-lifetime event-driven wireless monitoring system for pole-mounted transformers

Abstract

As smart grids develop rapidly, low-cost monitoring systems for pole-mounted transformers increase in demand. Even though battery-powered wireless monitoring systems appear to provide optimal solutions, they consume large amounts of energy for continuous sampling and data transmission. Operation and maintenance costs then increase owing to reduced battery lifetime and battery replacement. To overcome this problem, this paper presents an event-driven battery-powered wireless monitoring system that monitors abnormalities of a transformer and transmits data only if an abnormality occurs. When the proposed event controller detects an abnormality, it enables a root mean square (RMS) converter and a peak detector for sampling and transmitting the maximum RMS value of the abnormal signal and then falls into sleep mode until the next event to save energy. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed system enhances battery lifetime by up to two orders of magnitude compared to a conventional battery-powered wireless monitoring system.