Design and implementation of a very-low-power wireless network of sensors in an underground utility tunnel for medium and high voltage transmission lines

Abstract

The reliability of the electrical network and the need to minimize economic losses due to unexpected power outages have led electricity distribution companies to introduce diagnostic and preventive maintenance programs to assess the condition of facilities under normal working and power conditions in order to be able to react quickly in unexpected conditions (fire and floods). The developed system is composed of different types of sensors characterized by their very low power consumption, which detect anomalies in the operation of medium voltage (30Kv) and high voltage (220Kv) line installations located in underground utility tunnels for electricity distribution.This article describes and develops a very low power communication system in the IoT field which improves the energy efficiency of radio communications between sensor nodes (WSN) by integrating systems that facilitate the operation of multiple hops of the wake-up signal. This provides a longer overall lifespan in comparison to other monitoring systems.The developed WSN sensor network is installed and tested in an underground service utility tunnel including medium and high voltage transmission lines that belongs to the Endesa group (ENEL) and is located in the city of Barcelona. A web-type user environment has been designed to view the data sent by the sensor network.