GA3 - Smart Utility Sensor
Utility fires are 10x more costly than all other causes of wildfires in the US
The demand on the existing US utility will grow substantially by 2050
1617 Linemen died on the job from 2011 to 2021
Solar panels, wind power, electric vehicles and new social patterns add new complexities to grid management.
Utilities require granular and accurate measurements of the grid in strategic locations to provide continuous, stable power to prevent catastrophes and enable energy transition.
GridAdvisor 3 can tell if a tree has fallen on a line, if a neighborhood is generating too much power, or if the wind is blowing too hard.
The location of each device can help pinpoint an issue and trigger an immediate response.
"Try threading a needle 50 feet in the air in bad weather! God bless it!"
- Senior lineman
It takes seconds, not hours
to install a GA3 compared to the competition, reducing fatigue and time near live wires.
Set the trigger
Trigger the claws
Lock the sensor
Safe handles keep hands away from center
The claws will align the powerline at center
Twist to lock sensor starts reading
GPS tracking gives utilities accurate location to the exact utility pole. (Quicker response time)
Self-centering claws aligns the power line to the sensor for accurate readings. Adjusts to accommodate from .25 to 2-inch diameter.
(Eaton Patented Mechanical Technology)
Rubber cams inspired by climbing equipment keep the unit in place during bad weather providing consistent data to the utility. (Prevents sliding down the line)
Energy harvesting recharges the onboard battery. (Communicates issues even if the power is down)
Safe handles keep hands away from the center and open easily, giving a clear audible click when set. (Previous designs could snap onto fingers)
Wireless voltage sensor provides accurate data to utilities without the need for an attached ground cable.
BT and LTE connection allows for live updates without sending linemen into the field.
3-axis accelerometer aids in detecting hazardous events such as line slaps, wind and downed lines.
Adjustable thumb screw to accommodate a wide range of conductor sizes. No tools required.
¼ turn lock using the hot-stick loop to safely lock the GridAdvisor 3 into place. Installed in seconds, not hours.
Fault Direction Indicated by onboard LEDs.
Yes, but...
If you're still with me, here's where things get interesting... and broken!
Prototypes came in chattering when installed on powered lines.
A critical problem is aligning 4 contact points perfectly. The original design was over centered as in image 1, where the bottom surfaces hit before the top surface of the CT. In a better case the top would hit first maybe stop the chattering, but a disconnected bottom surface prevents efficient energy harvesting. What a conundrum!
The least costly solution but also the least effective would be to separate the CT coils, not a viable solution for energy harvesting.
The hum was reduced by squeezing the halves together
Another assumption was that the alternating current was generating repelling and attractive forces on the Current Transformer (CT).
This was proven incorrect.
Assumption
Reality
We first assumed that the halves would attract each other during the first half of the cycle, then repel during the second half, and therefore generate a 60Hz chattering noise when powered. This was proven an incorrect assumption when I connected the power on by mistake with the halves not connected to a pivot point, and the halves snapped shut.
This is because the electromagnetic field is induced by the current in the wire and the Current Transformers core wants to complete the loop. This is helpful to know because we now know we were fighting only against our own mechanism, not the current in the wire (which is in fact helping us). There was still a loud humming on the CT, likely caused by magnetostriction, the compressing and releasing of each half. This was confirmed by measuring the sound frequency it generated. A 120Hz hum confirmed the attraction, null, attraction hypothesis.