50 Hz Temporal Magnetic Field Monitoring from High-Voltage Power Lines: Sensor Design and Experimental Validation.

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Environmental Monitoring
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Magnetic fields from high-voltage power lines are a growing concern for environmental and health studies.
• Accurate and cost-effective monitoring solutions are needed to assess exposure levels.
• Existing sensors can be expensive or lack the necessary sensitivity for low-level field detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, calibrate, and verify a low-cost, tri-axial sensor for monitoring 50 Hz magnetic fields.
• To assess the sensor's performance using off-the-shelf components for widespread applicability.
• To validate the sensor's accuracy and reliability in real-world high-voltage power line environments.

Main Methods:

• Development of a tri-axial sensor using commercially available components and coils.
• On-board and in-lab calibration procedures, including comparison with a benchmark EHP-50 sensor.
• In-situ verification under high-voltage power lines and in a power distribution sub-station.
• Long-term field testing with four active sensors over a minimum 3-month period.

Main Results:

• The sensor measures 50 Hz magnetic fields from 0.08 µT to 364 µT across two ranges.
• In-situ measurements showed agreement with literature values, with average deviations of 6.2% and 1.4% compared to the benchmark.
• Field tests yielded high uptimes (81-96%) with over 6 million samples collected.
• Measurements up to 113.3 µT were successfully recorded in a sub-station, verifying both ranges.

Conclusions:

• The developed low-cost sensor is a viable tool for monitoring 50 Hz magnetic fields from high-voltage power lines.
• The sensor demonstrates good accuracy and reliability in diverse field conditions.
• Further long-term testing is recommended to fully confirm operational uptime under various environmental circumstances.