An Inductively Powered Line-Mounted Time-Synchronized Micro Point-on-Wave Recorder

The distribution system is an integral component of the electric power system, but not much is known about how it behaves in real-time. To address this knowledge gap, a low-cost, time-synchronized, micro point-on-wave (PoW) recorder is designed, built, and characterized in this paper. The inductively powered recorder operates wirelessly by using the current flowing through a typical distribution conductor. The recorder is designed to be small, lightweight, and is intended to be installed directly on the power line. To validate the performance of this recorder, tests of measurement accuracy, electric current requirements, and susceptibility to electromagnetic interference from both steady-state and arc-induced sources are performed. The results indicate that the proposed recorder satisfies both the technical as well as the economical constraints required for bulk deployment in an actual distribution network.