Investigating the effects of line length & branch number on busbar broadband PLC systems

Abstract

Busbar distribution systems are highly preferred to carry electrical energy as a part of the low-voltage grid in order to meet power requirements, especially in industrial areas. From the perspective of broadband power line communication possibilities in the smart grid concept, there is a need to know for high-frequency characteristics of busbars. This paper investigates the influences of line length and branch numbers on the channel transfer functions between transmitter and receiver units on such systems with the assumption that this network has N-branch structure. Additionally, channel capacities for different network topologies are calculated to give an inside for communication system designers. The observations presented in this study show that the attenuation and the notch depth in the transfer function are strongly related with varying network topologies especially with branch numbers due to increasing multipath effect. It is believed that this study will contribute to the power line communication research area with an aspect of characterizing busbar distribution systems as a transmission line along with the cables.