Power Line Communication Through Distribution Transformers in Smart Grid

Abstract

In this paper, an effective communication infrastructure will be created for the "smart grid" called the next generation transmission / distribution network and it's one of the prior areas in our country. The main goal is to transform existing distribution network into "smart distribution grid" and to realize this conversion in a cost effective and highly efficient way. In existing applications, communication units are used between both transformer substation, because the transfer of communication data via distribution transformer creates a problem. In the first stage, the high frequency model of the distribution transformer will be studied. In the second stage, a cost effective communication infrastructure with minimum bit error rate (BER) and packet error rate (PER) are studied. For this purpose, the distribution transformers to be used in the CENELEC 3-148.5 kHz communication bands (narrow band PLC) will be modeled in communication frequencies and the operating characteristics will be extracted. By using the most probable models, communication system working at least in the BER and the PER will be designed.