Influence of the MV/LV Transformer Impedance on the Propagation of the PLC Signal in the Power Grid

Improving the operation of power grid and offering new smart applications, the deployment of a supervisory infrastructure is necessary. One solution to transmit data may be based on the power-line communication (PLC) technology. It consists of the superposition of high-frequency signals with the electrical signal of 50/60 Hz. However, the power grids have not been designed to operate in high frequencies. Therefore, they provide a transmission channel with difficult propagation conditions. This paper deals with the modeling of the medium-voltage/low-voltage (MV/LV) power transformers in PLC frequencies. The proposed models are based on the “lumped model” and “black box model.” They are performed in the frequency band from 1 kHz to 1 MHz on SPICE and MATLAB software, respectively. These models are based on impedance measurements and validated by experimental data. The advantages and drawbacks of each model are detailed from the presentation of the modeling method and simulation results. The comparison of the simulation results show that “black box model” offers good accuracy. The transmission results show that transformers are an important element in PLC studies because they provide significant losses. Moreover, these losses depend mainly on the values of the impedance terminals of the MV/LV transformer.