The researchers at the Public University of Navarre

Researchers at the Public University of Navarre are working on the design of fibre optic sensors for the early detection of faults on the high-voltage electric supply grid. This is the PMEL project, within the remit of the INNPACTO programme of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and in which research centres and business companies are working jointly. The aim is to be able to detect problems in the electric grid in time, in order to avoid more serious faults arising which might cause power cuts and the consequent economic damage.

The PMEL project brings together work from the Public University of Navarra, the Centre for Integrated Domotics at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the following bodies: Lumiker, Mesa, General Cables and Incoesa Trafos. The last three are responsible for manufacturing the electrical equipment (necessary devices such as power transformers, high-voltage overhead power lines, transmission cables and metal-enclosed switchgear) while the university researchers and Lumiker are working on the sensor design, the electronics and the communications systems that the manufacturers will test in their equipment.

According to Jesús M. Corres, Electronics Technology lecturer at the UPNA and one of the lead researchers, “what is aimed at is the incorporation of the latest-generation sensors to provide information about the state of high-voltage equipment, in such a way that the operator of the power system can assess the quality and reliability of the electricity supply system”. The work team at the University is made up of researchers Jesús M. Corres, Ignacio R. Matías, Francisco J. Arregui, Javier Goicoechea, Carlos Ruiz, Abián Socorro, Ignacio del Villar, Cándido Bariain, Alayn Loayssa, Miguel Sagüés, Jon Mariñelarena and Eduardo Tejero.

In concrete, they will be responsible for designing fibre optic sensors and the equipment for their measurement. These types of sensor enable working with wide ranges of temperature, immune to the electromagnetic interferences typical of electric systems. Moreover, given their capacity for insulation, they can be implemented in cables and transformers for measuring state-indicator parameters. “For example”, pointed out Mr Corres, “due to ageing in a high-voltage subterranean cable, the insulator may degrade and give rise to partial discharges which cause a rise in temperature. The goal of this project is to be able to detect these incidences in time and avoid serious faults which cause power cuts in the electricity supply and important economic damage”.

The UPNA is working on two concrete research lines: developing fibre optic sensors with nanostructured coatings and developing an fibre optic interrogator for remotely measuring temperature and deformation and in a distributed manner.

* Elhuyar translation, published in www.basqueresearch.com