Conceptualization and Experimental Deployment of an Adaptive Synchronized Sensing System for Power Line Thermal Monitoring

Synchronized sensing offered by wide area measurement systems (WAMSs) enables advanced investigations on modern electrical power systems not performable before their advent. One of them is overhead lines (OHL) temperature monitoring, which can be implemented in WAMS industrial domains thanks to the availability of newly accessible sensing information provided by phasor measurement units (PMUs). To accomplish this task, a proper sensing-based integrated intellectualization is necessary in order to face with the major WAMS issues and challenges. In line with these considerations, this paper proposes an advanced computing framework for real-time conductor temperature monitoring of fully transposed OHLs that is able to overcome the aforementioned challenges and issues. The validity and effectiveness of the conceptualized solution is verified via field tests on an Italian transmission line currently in operation. The obtained outcomes led the Italian Transmission System Operator (TSO) to equip its own Energy Management System (EMS) with the deployed solution.