Simulated Test Environment for Low Voltage and Medium Voltage Distribution Cell Monitoring Systems

Abstract

The present paper proposes tested solutions for simulation of environmental sensors in Low Voltage (LV) / Medium Voltage (MV) microclimate monitoring. The sensor simulations were implemented by three different methods, using both IoT technologies and x86 architectures, with the help of dedicated software. A monitoring system reduces the danger of power plant failures due to unfavourable environmental conditions, which allows both predictive and preventive maintenance measures. As set forth, the least friendly combinations are those where the dust, humidity and temperature can bring synergistic effects, which can determine unplanned events (i.e., electrical discharges) within insulators, inside of a voltage distribution cell. The absence of predictive and preventive maintenance measures can lead to both significant technological and financial losses.