System and method for detecting and localizing non-technical losses in an electrical power distribution grid

• US 10,564,196 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dominion Enterprises (Landmark Media Enterprises LLC), TRC Companies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Astrolink International Llc (Qurate Retail Group (f/k/a Liberty Interactive Corporation))
• Inventors: Bernheim, Henrik F., Hansell, Jerritt H., Martin, Marcia Reid
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodak, Lee E
• Application Number:
  US15/934,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20180210018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/063 related to remote communication
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/066 Arrangements for avoiding or indicating fraudulent use

Abstract

A system and method for detecting theft of power in an electrical distribution grid. The system may include at least two communicating meters which form a transformer area network, a mechanism for measuring current and voltage at the meters, a mechanism for transmitting the measured current and voltage data to a data center with access to an electric grid database, and a mechanism that analyzes the transmitted data to infer unauthorized taking of electrical power.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, notifications from one or more utility applications regarding planned hardware changes in one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks of an electrical distribution network associated with a grid mapping database, the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks comprising a first communicating meter and a second communicating meter, the first communicating meter comprising a Measurement Agent and a Monitoring Agent, the Measurement Agent configured to periodically measure and record a current, a voltage, and a time, the Monitoring Agent configured to receive and compare current and voltage measurements taken at different meters at a same time;

receiving, by the first communicating meter comprising a processor device via the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks, a short-range on-grid transmission from the second communicating meter, the first communicating meter and the second communicating meter coupled to the electrical distribution network on a low-voltage side of a service transformer;

detecting, by the first communicating meter of the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks, an anomalous condition based on the short-range on-grid transmission from the second communicating meter;

transmitting, by the first communicating meter, a long-range on-grid message to the computing device, that identifies a detected hardware change based on the detected anomalous condition within the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks of the electrical distribution network;

determining, by the computing device, that the detected hardware change is not identified in the notifications regarding the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks; and

initiating, by the computing device, an alert that identifies the detected hardware change.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the long-range on-grid message identifying the detected hardware change indicates an identity and a grid location of a new meter joining the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the long-range on-grid message identifying the detected hardware change indicates that a meter has stopped communicating with the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks, the long-range on-grid message identifying the meter, and wherein the alert includes an identity and a grid location of the meter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the long-range on-grid message identifying the detected hardware change indicates that a meter has changed location within the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks, the long-range on-grid message identifying the meter, and wherein the alert includes a message reporting that a schematic location of the meter within a bus-structured Transformer Area Network has changed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the long-range on-grid message identifying the detected hardware change indicates that a geospatial location of a meter has changed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the long-range on-grid message identifying the detected hardware change indicates that a power theft due to an unauthorized, unmetered tap may be occurring in the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the anomalous condition comprises an anomalous electrical condition.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the anomalous condition comprises an anomalous current-voltage relationship.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the anomalous condition comprises the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks reporting losing communication with a former meter and discovering a new meter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the anomalous condition comprises a phase change measured by the second communicating meter.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the anomalous condition comprises a change in position of the second communicating meter relative to the service transformer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the anomalous condition comprises a change in location of the second communicating meter based on a geospatial location signal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the long-range on-grid message comprises an Edge-to-Substation message.

14. A system, comprising:

a first communicating meter on a low voltage side of a service transformer, the first communicating meter comprising a processor device configured to;

receive, by the first communicating meter via a one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks of an electrical distribution network, a short-range on-grid transmission from a second communicating meter, the first communicating meter and the second communicating meter coupled to the electrical distribution network on a low-voltage side of the service transformer, the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks comprising the first communicating meter and the second communicating meter, the first communicating meter comprising a Measurement Agent and a Monitoring Agent, the Measurement Agent configured to periodically measure and record a current, a voltage, and a time, the Monitoring Agent configured to receive and compare current and voltage measurements taken at different meters at a same time;

detect, by the first communicating meter of the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks, an anomalous condition based on the short-range on-grid transmission from the second communicating meter; and

transmit, by the first communicating meter, a long-range on-grid message that identifies a detected hardware change based on the detected anomalous condition within the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks of the electrical distribution network; and

a computing device comprising;

a communication interface configured to communicate with a network; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and configured to;

receive notifications from one or more utility applications regarding planned hardware changes in the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks of the electrical distribution network associated with a grid mapping database;

receive the long-range on-grid message originated by the first communicating meter;

determine that the detected hardware change is not identified in the notifications regarding the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks; and

initiate an alert that identifies the detected hardware change.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the long-range on-grid message identifying the detected hardware change indicates an identity and a grid location of a new meter joining the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the long-range on-grid message identifying the detected hardware change indicates that a meter has stopped communicating with the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks, the long-range on-grid message identifying the meter, and wherein the alert includes an identity and a grid location of the meter.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the long-range on-grid message identifying the detected hardware change indicates that a meter has changed location within the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks, the long-range on-grid message identifying the meter, and wherein the alert includes a message reporting that a schematic location of the meter within a bus-structured Transformer Area Network has changed.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the long-range on-grid message identifying the detected hardware change indicates that a geospatial location of a meter has changed.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the long-range on-grid message identifying the detected hardware change indicates that a power theft due to an unauthorized, unmetered tap may be occurring in the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the anomalous condition comprises an anomalous electrical condition.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the anomalous condition comprises an anomalous current-voltage relationship.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein the anomalous condition comprises the one of a plurality of Transformer Area Networks reporting losing communication with a former meter and discovering a new meter.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the anomalous condition comprises a phase change measured by the second communicating meter.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the anomalous condition comprises a change in position of the second communicating meter relative to the service transformer.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the anomalous condition comprises a change in location of the second communicating meter based on a geospatial location signal.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the long-range on-grid message comprises an Edge-to-Substation message.