Modular intelligent node for distribution systems

This paper presents a low-cost, re-configurable Modular Intelligent Node for Distribution systems (MIND). It can serve as a sustainable and general-purpose module for monitoring and automation of power distribution systems. MIND is designed and built with low-cost hardware, interconnectivity with other modules, and highly reconfigurable design of hardware and software to support newly added monitoring and automation tasks. For tasks requiring limited computational power, MIND uses its local hardware, otherwise it uses the computational power of other MINDS within the same network or cloud services. The tests here show time synchronization and then application of MIND for power quality metering in an IEC 61850 framework. In this study, MIND is synchronized to the UTC time using the IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) V2 protocol and the RMS calculation is done according to the IEC 6100-4-30 standard. Results show the accuracy of the time synchronization, the ability to track the voltage sags and swells, and the reporting latency.