Conductor Identification Using Acoustic Signal Method

Abstract

Electrotechnical services spend a significant amount of time on cable tracing and conductor identification operations. Although the operation of conductor identification seems an easy job and a deeply researched topic, it may turn out to be time-consuming due to the large quantity of unidentified conductors (cables) and the certain stipulation that conductors should be de-energized and have uninsulated parts. This paper proposes a method based on the use of an acoustic signal as a carrier, making it possible to facilitate the identification process and significantly speed up the identification process. For the proposed method, mathematical modeling of the sound propagation in conductors and insulation is detailed. The sound pressure level subject to identified conductor length, conductor cross-section and insulation type was calculated on the basis of the model. The performed calculations revealed remarkable capabilities of the acoustic method for identifying conductors in comparison with other methods. So, the difference in sound pressure level is only 3.65% for distances from the identification point to the signal source of 5 m and 100 m, 0.42% between the minimum and maximum cross sections of conductors (1 mm2 and 25 mm2, respectively) and 0.22% between conductors with polyethylene and PVC insulations. The prototype of conductor identification device was assembled in a way that practically confirmed the theoretical research with the average percentage of discrepancy of about 1.44%. In addition, the paper analyzes the conductor identification operation constituents to justify the application of the acoustic method by comparison with other identification methods.

Acoustic Noise-Based Detection of Ferroresonance Events in Isolated Neutral Power Systems with Inductive Voltage Transformers

“…The changes in the IVT noise pattern are also associated with the phenomenon of ferroresonance, which is distinctively different and louder than the normal operation noise [ 33 ], due to the magnetostriction of the steel and the movements of the core laminae. Acoustic signals have been proposed in [ 34 ] for conductor-identification operations using an acoustic signal generator and receiver, reducing both the duration of these tests and the number of operations required.…”