Optical sensors technologies evolution applied for power quality monitoring in the medium-voltage

摘要

Optical fiber technologies are very appropriate for using in high voltage equipment due to their excellent characteristics, mainly, immunity to electromagnetic interferences and electrical isolation. After the Smart Grid initiative, the focus for medium voltage (13.8 to 34 kV) smart meters leveraged the development of optical sensors for distribution application. This work provides a historical overview of optical technologies used in power quality monitoring, discussing technological, economics, standards and practical installation aspects. The sensors technologies analyzed in this work are the well-known optical Pockels cells and Faraday Effect, the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and power-over-fiber (PoF).