Apparatus and method for monitoring power and current flow

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for remotely monitoring the magnitude and direction of net electrical power and current flow to or from a facility over a prolonged period of time. An apparatus that accomplishes this monitoring activity is also disclosed. The apparatus comprises at least one device for detecting and measuring the magnetic field emanating from the monitored line(s), and another device for detecting a signal synchronized to the power system frequency, typically the electric field, emanating from the power lines. The apparatus also comprises a device for evaluating, storing, and transmitting the data on the electromagnetic (EM) fields that are recorded.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for remotely measuring current in an electrical line, said apparatus comprising: 
 a magnetic transducer to convert magnetic field of said current at a location remote to said electrical line into a magnetically transduced signal;    first conditioning circuitry coupled to said magnetic transducer to prepare said magnetically transduced signal for analysis;    an electrical transducer to convert electric field of said electrical line at a location remote to said electric line into a reference signal;    second conditioning circuitry coupled to said electrical transducer to prepare said reference signal for analysis, said reference signal being synchronized to a frequency of a power system to which said electrical line is connected;    a first measuring circuit coupled to said first conditioning circuitry to evaluate magnitude of said magnetically transduced signal; and    a second measuring circuit coupled to said first and second conditioning circuitries to evaluate a phase angle between said magnetically transduced signal and said reference signal.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a data storage device connected to said first and second measuring circuits to store data relating to said magnetically transduced signal and said reference signal.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising a first communication device connected to said data storage device to transmit said data.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , further comprising a control circuit to determine whether to transmit said data via said first communication device.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an environmental enclosure to house said apparatus.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is located within approximately 200 feet of said electrical line.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said magnetic transducer comprises a coil probe or a Hall effect sensor.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said electrical transducer comprises a free-body meter or a ground-reference meter.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said electrical line is connected to a facility under measurement.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a central computing facility adapted to receive said data from said first communication device, said central computing facility for processing information relating to said current.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said information comprises magnitude of said current.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said information further comprises direction of said current.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said information comprises magnitude and direction of power flow of said electrical line.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising a second communication device coupled to said central computing facility to communicate said information to an end user.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said first and second measuring circuits comprise a single circuit.  
     
     
         16 . A method for remotely measuring current in an electrical line, comprising the steps of: 
 placing an apparatus comprising a magnetic transducer in proximity to said electrical line;    receiving magnetic field emanating from said electrical line with said magnetic transducer; and    processing said magnetic field to determine a magnitude of said current in the electrical line.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising relaying data representative of said magnetic field to a central station for said processing step.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising transmitting information representative of said current to an end user.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising receiving an electrical signal synchronized to a frequency of a power system to which said electrical line is connected.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising determining a phase angle between said magnetic field and said electrical signal to ascertain direction of said current.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said electrical line is coupled to a facility, and said information informs said end user of power consumption or power generation of said facility.  
     
     
         22 . A method for measuring electrical power dynamics of a facility, comprising the steps of: 
 placing at least one apparatus comprising a magnetic transducer and an electric transducer in proximity to at least one electrical line connected to the facility;    receiving electric and magnetic fields of said at least one electric line with said at least one apparatus;    extracting data relating to a magnitude of said magnetic field and a phase difference between said electric and magnetic fields from said electric and magnetic fields;    determining magnitude information of said current in the at least one electric line using said data; and    relaying said magnitude information to an end-user.    
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising transmitting said data to a central station, and wherein said determining step is performed at said central station.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising determining direction of said current in the at least one electric line using said data, and relaying said direction information to said end-user.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising determining magnitude and direction of power flow in the at least one electric line, and relaying said magnitude and direction of power flow to said end-user.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein said relaying step occurs via the Internet.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein said relaying step occurs upon achieving of a preselected condition.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein said preselected condition comprises a fixed time, a request by said end-user, or a threshold condition.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein said at least one electric line comprises a plurality of lines, and wherein said electrical power dynamics comprise net current power flow in said plurality of lines.  
     
     
         30 . An apparatus for remotely measuring current in an electrical line, said apparatus comprising: 
 a magnetic transducer to convert magnetic field of said current at a location remote to said electrical line into a magnetically transduced signal;    first conditioning circuitry coupled to said magnetic transducer, said first conditioning circuitry comprising at least a first amplifier and a first filter, which are serially coupled, said first conditioning circuitry for preparing said magnetically transduced signal for analysis;    an electrical transducer to convert electric field of said current at a location remote to said electric line into a reference signal;    second conditioning circuitry coupled to said electrical transducer to prepare said reference signal for analysis; said second conditioning circuitry comprising at least a second amplifier, said second conditioning circuitry for preparing said reference signal for analysis;    a first measuring circuit coupled to said first conditioning circuitry to evaluate magnitude of said magnetically transduced signal;    a second measuring circuit coupled to said second conditioning circuitry to evaluate a phase angle between said magnetically transduced signal and said reference signal; and    a data storage device coupled to said first and second measuring circuits to store data relating to said magnitude and said phase angle.    
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , further comprising a communication device coupled to said data storage device.  
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 31 , further comprising a central station configured to receive communication signals from said communication device.  
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein said first and second measuring circuits comprise a single circuit.  
     
     
         34 . A method for remotely measuring current in an electrical line, said method comprising: 
 converting magnetic field of said current at a location remote to said electrical line into a magnetically transduced signal;    conditioning said magnetically transduced signal into a conditioned magnetically transduced signal;    conditioning a reference signal into a conditioned reference signal;    measuring magnitude of said conditioned magnetically transduced signal;    measuring a phase angle between said conditioned magnetically transduced signal and said conditioned reference signal;    transmitting said magnitude and said phase angle to a central facility;    determining information representing direction and magnitude of said current in said line from said magnitude and said phase angle, at said control facility;    relaying said information to an end user.    
     
     
         35 . An apparatus for remotely measuring current in an electrical line, said apparatus comprising: 
 a magnetic transducer to convert magnetic field of said current at a location remote to said electrical line into a magnetically transduced signal;    first conditioning circuitry coupled to said magnetic transducer to prepare said magnetically transduced signal for analysis;    a first measuring circuit coupled to said first conditioning circuitry to evaluate magnitude of said magnetically transduced signal;    second conditioning circuitry to prepare a reference signal for analysis, said reference signal being synchronized to a frequency of a power system to which said electrical line is connected; and    a second measuring circuit coupled to said second conditioning circuitry to evaluate a phase angle between said magnetically transduced signal and said reference signal.    
     
     
         36 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , further comprising a data storage device connected to said first and second measuring circuits to store data relating to said magnetically transduced signal and said reference signal.  
     
     
         37 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , further comprising a first communication device connected to said data storage device to transmit said data.  
     
     
         38 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , further comprising a central computing facility remotely connected to receive said data from said first communication device, said central computing facility for processing said data to extract desired information.  
     
     
         39 . The apparatus of  claim 38 , further comprising a second communication device coupled to said central computing facility to communicate said desired information to an end user.  
     
     
         40 . The apparatus of  claim 39 , wherein said second communication device is selected from the group consisting of telephone, facsimile, modem, or global computer network.  
     
     
         41 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein said first and second measuring circuits comprise a single circuit.  
     
     
         42 . A method for providing information relating to current in an electrical line to a remote end user, comprising the steps of: 
 placing an apparatus comprising a magnetic transducer in proximity to said electrical line:    receiving magnetic field emanating from said electrical line with said magnetic transducer,    receiving an electrical signal synchronized to power system frequency with said apparatus;    processing said magnetic field and said electrical signal to determine said information relating to said current in the line; and    transmitting said information to said remote end user.