REMOTE CALIBRATION OF ELECTRICAL MEASUREMENTS IN POWER SYSTEMS

RESEARCH IN REMOTE CALIBRATION OF ELECTRICAL MEASUREMENTS AND REMOTE IDENTIFICATION OF DEFECTIVE INSTRUMENTS IS PROPOSED IN RESPONSE TO THE ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY'S NEED FOR AN EFFICIENT AND LESS COSTLY METHODOLOGY. POWER SYSTEM RELIABILITY AND ECONOMY OF OPERATION REQUIRES ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS OF CURRENT, VOLTAGE, REAL AND REACTIVE POWERS. TYPICALLY, THE NUMBER OF MEASUREMENTS IS IN THE THOUSANDS. THE PRIMARY SENSORS, TRANSDUCERS, AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS IN THE MEASUREMENT STREAMS ARE SUBJECT TO DRIFT AND DETERIORATION WITH TIME, TEMPERATURE AND ENVIRONMENT. THEY NEED PERIODIC INSPECTIONS AND CALIBRATIONS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WOULD ATTEMPT TO REPLACE THE PRESENT PROCEDURE WHERE INDIVIDUAL INSTRUMENTS, RATHER THAN THE RESULTING MEASUREMENTS, ARE PERIODICALLY INSPECTED AND CALIBRATED ON LOCATIONS BY FIELD CALIBRATING EQUIPMENT, A PROCESS WHICH IS: LABOR INTENSIVE, UNTIMELY, INTRODUCES ITS OWN ERRORS, AND INTERFERES WITH NORMAL OPERATION OF THE POWER SYSTEM. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH HAS THE POTENTIAL OF REMOTELY IDENTIFYING DEFECTIVE INSTRUMENTS AND REMOTELY CALIBRATING MEASUREMENTS, THUS DRASTICALLY REDUCING THE EFFORT REQUIRED IN THE PERIODIC INSPECTION OF SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF INSTRUMENTS SPREAD OVER A WIDE AREA, AND SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF MEASUREMENTS NEEDED FOR POWER SYSTEM OPERATION.