Power Quality Disturbance Tracking Based on a Proprietary FPGA Sensor with GPS Synchronization

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Power Systems Analysis
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Increasing non-linear loads necessitate robust power quality monitoring.
• Existing methods for power quality disturbance (PQD) analysis are often costly and limited in scope.
• Understanding PQD propagation is crucial for grid stability and fault identification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a low-cost system for synchronized PQD measurements.
• To detect and track the propagation of multiple PQDs within an electrical grid.
• To assess the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed methodology using advanced signal processing techniques.

Main Methods:

• A proprietary system featuring an FPGA data logger with GPS for synchronized measurements.
• Integration of a full parameterized PQD model with measurement data.
• Application of Wavelet Transform (WT), Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT), Genetic Algorithms (GAs), and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for analysis.
• Field measurements conducted in an industrial installation.

Main Results:

• Successfully detected and tracked the propagation of three types of PQDs: impulsive transients, voltage fluctuations, and harmonic content.
• Impulsive transients were identified propagating to two distinct grid locations.
• Voltage fluctuations and harmonic content were observed to propagate throughout the entire monitored grid.
• The developed low-cost system and methodology achieved 100% accuracy in detecting and tracking PQDs.

Conclusions:

• The proposed low-cost system offers an effective solution for monitoring and analyzing power quality disturbances.
• The integrated methodology accurately identifies the source and propagation paths of PQDs within complex grids.
• This approach provides a valuable tool for enhancing power system reliability and management.