An innovative contactless current sensor for smart grids applications

<h2>Abstract</h2> This paper claims an innovative solution for intelligent electrical current measurement. The proposed concept involves using a drone as a messenger to deploy a sensor box over Transmission Lines (TLs) for data capture and storage. While the drone's functionality lies beyond the scope of this paper, the focus is on the sensor box and its internal circuitry. The sensor box design and assembly were fully industrialized for contactless current sensing, utilizing Carbon Fiber (CF) as the housing material, designed in SolidWorks, and weighing 0.6 Kg. Signal Processing Units (SPUs) were designed in Autodesk EAGLE and fabricated as Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) for integration within the sensor box. An Arduino Mega 2560 serves as the data processor, converting Magnetic Field (MF) sensors readings into computer-readable voltage data. All current-based and transformed data are subsequently stored on a Secure Digital (SD) card and visualized as current-time curves using MATLAB. Under experimental conditions, with harmonic injections at 150 Hz and 250 Hz and total harmonic distortion of up to 20 %, the system achieved an accuracy of 98.3 % during a 1-h test. It demonstrated the capability for continuous second-wise measurement for up to 6 h, handling currents up to 6 kA. Results were assessed through a thorough graphical data evaluation, and a financial analysis of the entire presented solution is included in the manuscript. The conclusions and proposed future work indicate the promising potential of the presented measurement solution.