System and apparatus for monitoring and control of a bulk electric power delivery system

Claim 1

A system for monitoring the state of and for control of an electric power delivery network including a plurality of power conductors, said system comprising: a plurality of sensor modules distributed throughout said network, each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors of the network, each of said sensor modules adapted to measure a plurality of characteristics of the conductor to which it is attached, and each of said sensor modules including a radio transmitter for transmitting at selected times the value of said measured characteristics; a radio receiver for receiving said measured characteristics from a plurality of said sensor modules, said receiver including means for deriving operational status information about said plurality of power conductors from said measured characteristics; state determining apparatus in communication with said radio receiver for determining the state of said power delivery network from said operational status information about said plurality of power conductors received from said radio receiver; and control apparatus coupled to said state determining apparatus and to said plurality of power conductors for controlling said power delivery network in accordance with said state of said network as determined by said state determining apparatus.

Claim 2

A system for monitoring the state of and for control of an electric power delivery network including a plurality of power conductors, said system comprising: a plurality of sensor modules distributed throughout said network, each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors of the network, each of said sensor modules adapted to measure a plurality of characteristics of the conductor to which it is attached, and each of said sensor modules including a radio transmitter for transmitting at selected times the value of said measured characteristics; a radio receiver for receiving said measured characteristics from a plurality of said sensor modules, said receiver including means for deriving operational status information about said plurality of power conductors from said measured characteristics; state determining apparatus in communication with said radio receiver for determining the state of said power delivery network from said operational status information about said plurality of power conductors received from said radio receiver; and control apparatus coupled to said state determining apparatus and to said plurality of power conductors for controlling said power delivery network in accordance with said state of said network as determined by said state determining apparatus.

Claim 4

A system for monitoring the state of and for control of an electric power delivery network including a plurality of power conductors connected on the primary side and secondary side of a power transformer, said system comprising: a plurality of sensor modules, one or more of said sensors each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the primary side of a power transformer, and one or more of said sensor modules each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the secondary side of a power transformer, each of said sensor modules adapted to measure a plurality of electrical characteristics of the conductor to which it is attached; and each of said sensor modules including a transmitter for transmitting through the air at selected times the value of said measured characteristics; a radio receiver for receiving said measured charactertics from a plurality of said sensor modules, said receiver including means for deriving operational status information about said power transformer from said measured characteristics; state determining apparatus in communication with said radio receiver for determining the state of said power transformer from said operational status information about said power transformer received from said radio receiver, and control apparatus coupled to said state determining apparatus and to said plurality of power conductors for controlling said power delivery network in accordance with said state of said power transformer as determined by said state determining apparatus.

Claim 5

A system for monitoring the state of and for control of an electric power delivery network including a plurality of power conductors connected on the primary side and secondary side of a power transformer, said system comprising: a plurality of sensor modules, one or more of said sensors each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the primary side of a power transformer, and one or more of said sensor modules each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the secondary side of a power transformer, each of said sensor modules adapted to measure a plurality of electrical characteristics of the conductor to which it is attached; and each of said sensor modules including a transmitter for transmitting through the air at selected times the value of said measured characteristics; a radio receiver for receiving said measured charactertics from a plurality of said sensor modules, said receiver including means for deriving operational status information about said power transformer from said measured characteristics; state determining apparatus in communication with said radio receiver for determining the state of said power transformer from said operational status information about said power transformer received from said radio receiver, and control apparatus coupled to said state determining apparatus and to said plurality of power conductors for controlling said power delivery network in accordance with said state of said power transformer as determined by said state determining apparatus.

Claim 6

A system as defined in claims 1 or 3 including a plurality of sensor modules mounted to power conductors at an electrical substation, said sensor modules monitoring conductor characteristics at said substation, and automatic control means responsive to transmissions from said sensor modules to control said substation.

Claim 9

A system for monitoring the state of and for control of an electric power delivery network including a plurality of power conductors connected on the primary side and secondary side of power transformers, said system comprising: a first substation comprising a first power transformer, a plurality of sensor modules at said first substation, one or more of said sensor modules each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the primary side of said first power transformer, and one or more of said sensor modules each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the secondary side of said first power transformer, each of said sensor modules adapted to measure a plurality of electrical characteristics of the conductor to which it is attached, and each of said sensor modules including a transmitter for transmitting through the air at selected times the value of said measured characteristics; a first radio receiver for receiving said measured characteristics from a plurality of said sensor modules, said first receiver including means for deriving operational status information about said first power transformer from said measured characteristics; first substation state determining apparatus in communication with said first radio receiver for determining the state of said first power operational status information about said first power transformer received from said first radio receiver; a second substation comprising a second power transformer, a plurality of sensor modules at said second substation, one or more of said sensor modules each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the primary side of said second power transformer, and one or more of said sensor modules each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the secondary side of said second power transformer, each of said sensor modules adapted to measure a plurality of electrical characteristic of the conductor to which it is attached, and each of said sensor modules including a transmitter for transmitting through the air at selected times the value of said measured characteristic; a second radio receiver for receiving said measured characteristics from a plurality of said sensor modules, said second receiver including means for deriving operational status from said measured characteristics; second substation state determining apparatus in communication with said second radio receiver for determining the state of said second power transformer from said operational status information about said second power transformer receiver from said second radio receiver; a transmission line connecting said first and second power transformers; a first communications link between said first substation state determining apparatus and a central station, and a second communication link between said second substation state determining apparatus and said central station; system state determining apparatus at said central station for determining the state of said electric power delivery network from said state of said first and second power transformers as determined by said first and second substation state determining apparatus respectively; and control apparatus coupled to said system state determining apparatus and to said plurality of power conductors for controlling said power delivery network in accordance with said state of said network as determined by said system determining apparatus.

Claim 10

A system for monitoring the state of and for control of an electric power delivery network including a plurality of power conductors connected on the primary side and secondary side of power transformers, said system comprising: a first substation comprising a first power transformer, a plurality of sensor modules at said first substation, one or more of said sensor modules each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the primary side of said first power transformer, and one or more of said sensor modules each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the secondary side of said first power transformer, each of said sensor modules adapted to measure a plurality of electrical characteristics of the conductor to which it is attached, and each of said sensor modules including a transmitter for transmitting through the air at selected times the value of said measured characteristics; a first radio receiver for receiving said measured characteristics from a plurality of said sensor modules, said first receiver including means for deriving operational status information about said first power transformer from said measured characteristics; first substation state determining apparatus in communication with said first radio receiver for determining the state of said first power operational status information about said first power transformer received from said first radio receiver; a second substation comprising a second power transformer, a plurality of sensor modules at said second substation, one or more of said sensor modules each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the primary side of said second power transformer, and one or more of said sensor modules each being removably attached to a respective one of the power conductors on the secondary side of said second power transformer, each of said sensor modules adapted to measure a plurality of electrical characteristic of the conductor to which it is attached, and each of said sensor modules including a transmitter for transmitting through the air at selected times the value of said measured characteristic; a second radio receiver for receiving said measured characteristics from a plurality of said sensor modules, said second receiver including means for deriving operational status from said measured characteristics; second substation state determining apparatus in communication with said second radio receiver for determining the state of said second power transformer from said operational status information about said second power transformer receiver from said second radio receiver; a transmission line connecting said first and second power transformers; a first communications link between said first substation state determining apparatus and a central station, and a second communication link between said second substation state determining apparatus and said central station; system state determining apparatus at said central station for determining the state of said electric power delivery network from said state of said first and second power transformers as determined by said first and second substation state determining apparatus respectively; and control apparatus coupled to said system state determining apparatus and to said plurality of power conductors for controlling said power delivery network in accordance with said state of said network as determined by said system determining apparatus.

Claim 12

A system as defined in claims 1, 3 or 7 wherein said sensor modules transmit a sensor module indentification with each transmission of said measured characteristics.

Claim 15

A system as defined in claims 1, 3, or 7 wherein one of said characteristics is current.

Claim 16

A system as defined in claims 1, 3 or 7 wherein one of said characteristics is voltage.

Claim 17

A system as defined in claims 1, 3 or 7 wherein said power conductors carry alternating current and one of said characteristics is a Fourier component of current.

Claim 18

A system as defined in claims 1, 3 or 7 wherein said power conductors carry alternating current and one of said characteristics is a Fourier component of voltage.

Claim 19

A system as defined in claims 1, 3, or 7 wherein one of said characteristics is the temperature of the conductor to which the sensor is attached.

Claim 20

A system as defined in claims 1, 3, or 7 wherein one of said characteristics is the temperature of the ambient air surrounding the conductor to which the sensor is attached.

Claim 21

A system as defined in claims 1, 3 or 7 wherein said power conductors carry alternating current and one of said characterized is in the frequency of the alternating current power carried by the conductor to which a sensor module is attached.

Claim 22

The system defined in claims 1, 3, 7, or 8 wherein said module is hot stick mountable to an energized conductor.

Claim 23

A method of monitoring an electric power delivery system including a plurality of power lines, comprising: mounting each one of a plurality of removably attachable power line state estimator modules to a respective one of said plurality of power lines, measuring a plurality of characteristics of each of said power lines with said attached module. transmitting at selected times the value of said measured characteristics from each of said modules to a remote radio receiver. deriving at said receiver operational status information about said plurality of lines from said measured characteristics and transmitting said status information to a central station, determining at said central station the state of said power delivery system from said operational status information received from said radio receiver, and controlling said power delivery network in accordance with said state of said network as determined by said state determining apparatus.

Claim 24

A method of monitoring an electric power delivery system including a plurality of power lines, comprising: mounting each one of a plurality of removably attachable power line state estimator modules to a respective one of said plurality of power lines, measuring a plurality of characteristics of each of said power lines with said attached module. transmitting at selected times the value of said measured characteristics from each of said modules to a remote radio receiver. deriving at said receiver operational status information about said plurality of lines from said measured characteristics and transmitting said status information to a central station, determining at said central station the state of said power delivery system from said operational status information received from said radio receiver, and controlling said power delivery network in accordance with said state of said network as determined by said state determining apparatus.

Claim 26

The method as defined in claims 20 or 21 wherein at least one of said modules measures current.

Claim 27

The method as defined in claims 20 or 21 wherein at least one of said modules measures voltage.

Claim 28

The method as defined in claims 20 or 21 wherein at least one of said modules measures the temperature of the power line to which it is mounted.

Claim 29

The method as defined in claims 20 or 21 wherein at least one of said modules measures the ambient temperature.

Claim 30

The method as defined in claims 20 or 21 wherein said modules measure current, voltage and temperature of the power line to which it is mounted.