Smart Computation and Interactive Communication for Infrastructure Monitoring and Control

Abstract

This study assessed the reliability of the critical infrastructure of the electrical distribution network; designed an intelligent network control and monitoring system capable of predicting fault conditions and restoring normalcy; developed the instrumentation circuits to achieve the designed network and evaluated the performance of the developed system. These were with a view to improving the availability of electric distribution system.

This research evaluated the rates of failure of critical infrastructure in conventional distribution networks through gathering and analysis of reliability data. The load on low to medium voltage feeders and distribution transformers were monitored to detect the conditions of the system after which faults were isolated thereby restoring normalcy. The impact of service restoration following fault conditions on distribution system availability without a complex Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system on future power distribution systems was considered by comparing the system efficiency before and after monitoring. The automatic system which remotely monitors the state of the feeders and transformers continuously to determine the state of the network was designed. Abnormal conditions were automatically addressed through automatic sensors, isolators and switches which open or close depending on the status of individual feeder as detected by the sensing circuits. These circuits utilize sensors through remote operations for processing of data and actionable outputs in a virtual control room for automatic restoration, thereby reducing the system total downtime while improving the system availability.