S. Strank, P. Paz, D. Weeks, Y. Morag, R. Hebner, E. Jimenez
The University of Texas at Austin, Texas, United States
Keywords: sensor network, signal detection, wildfire, prevention, mitigation
The extensive power systems that now feed our modern day economy can become a societal hazard in the presence of vegetation, and the wildfires that are happening due to stronger storms and worsening global warming. Extensive electrical systems increasingly drive our everyday lives from banking, to streaming entertainment, to pumping a tank of gasoline, heating and cooling homes, grocery shopping, and more. Therefore, it becomes imperative to have the capability of early identification of electrical faults, particularly high impedance faults (HIFs) that accompany vegetation interaction with a conductive power line. HIFs account for a significant percentage of total faults in distribution networks, but are challenging to detect due to low currents that these faults produce. Despite these low currents, HIFs are capable of igniting vegetation fires, representing a substantial risk to both environment and public safety. A smart sensor system is needed to detect pre-fault signals and aid utility workers to identify areas of high risk within the utility grid.