Characterization of the Potential Effects of EMC Filters for Power Converters on Narrowband Power Line Communications

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) filters are one of the main solutions for dealing with the disturbances generated by power inverters. However, they show series/parallel resonances that introduce variations in the impedance seen from the grid. Consequently, in some cases, these filters have low impedances at resonance frequencies, which can affect Narrowband Power Line Communications (NB-PLC) due to notching effects. For that reason, the potential effects of four EMC filters on NB-PLC have been studied. Laboratory trials in a controlled environment have been carried out, in which the attenuation and the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) thresholds that define the communication’s quality have been studied. The results presented in this paper show that, although the variations of the channel frequency response are not selective enough to degrade the communication thresholds, the attenuation measured when the filter is connected near the receiver might be sufficiently high to be critical for the communications in some situations. Therefore, EMC filters might have a negative impact on NB-PLC that had not been previously considered.This research was funded by the BASQUE GOVERNMENT, grant number IT1234-19 and SPANISH GOVERNMENT, grant number RTI2018-099162-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER-UE)

Comparison of measurement methods of grid impedance for narrow band-PLC up to 500 kHz

Impedance measurement methods and field measurements are being demanded by utilities and regulatory and standardization bodies, in order to characterize the electrical grid as a data transmission medium. The variation with time and frequency of both the grid access impedance and the load impedance of connected devices has a great influence on the performance of the Power Line Communications (PLC) for Smart Grid applications. This paper presents two different methods to characterize the grid and load impedances for the frequency range used for NB-PLC. One method is based on current injection and Synchronous Demodulation, while the second method is based on the injection of configurable NB-PLC signals and Fourier analysis. Results are compared and evaluated with respect to theoretical calculations, when they are applied to a typical impedance scenario. Moreover, the impact of the variations of the access impedance on the NB-PLC signals is also evaluated, by characterizing both the frequency response of the filter impedance and the effect on the signals spectra

Análisis del impacto del ruido de los cargadores de vehículos eléctricos en las comunicaciones nb-plc según el estándar prime

Resumen Este proyecto tiene como objetivo analizar el impacto del ruido que introducen los cargadores de vehículo eléctrico (VE) a las comunicaciones NB-PLC (NarrowBand PowerLine Communication) según el estándar PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution). La motivación principal de la realización de este análisis es el aumento, en los últimos años, del número de dispositivos conectados a la red eléctrica que son susceptibles de introducir interferencias y degradar las comunicaciones PLC, en particular, de los cargadores de VE. Para lograr este objetivo, se ha realizado un análisis de las características temporales y frecuenciales de ruidos procedentes de cargadores de VE. Por otra parte, ha sido necesario definir y validar un sistema de medidas para la transmisión y recepción de tramas PRIME que permita introducir los diferentes ruidos de vehículos eléctricos que van a ser evaluados. Mediante este sistema de medidas se representan las curvas de FER (Frame Error Rate) frente a SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) para cada rango frecuencial de la banda NB-PLC con el fin de analizar el impacto del ruido y definir qué banda de frecuencias es más adecuada para las comunicaciones PLC. Abstract The aim of this project is to analyze the impact of the noise that the electric vehicle (EV) chargers introduce to NB-PLC (NarrowBand PowerLine Communications) according to PRIME standard (PoweRLine Intelligent Metering Evolution). The main motivation for carrying out this analysis is the increase, in the recent years, in the number of devices connected to the electrical network that are susceptible to introducing interferences and degrading PLC communications, in particular, the EV chargers. To achieve this objective, an analysis of the time and frequency characteristics of noises from chargers of EV has been carried out. On the other hand, it has been necessary to define and validate a measurement system for the transmission and reception of PRIME frames that allows introducing the different noises of EVs that are going to be evaluated. By means of this measurement system, the FER (Frame Error Rate) versus SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) curves are represented for each frequency range of the NB-PLC band in order to analyze the noise impact and define which frequency band is more suitable for PLC communications.   Laburpena Proiektu honen helburua, ibilgailu elektrikoen kargagailuek NB-PLC (NarrowBand PowerLine Communications) komunikazioetan sartzen duten zarataren eragina aztertzea da, PRIME (PoweRLine Intelligent Metering Evolution) estandarraren arabera. Azken urteotan sare elektrikora konektatzen diren gailuen hazkundea gertatu da, honek interferentzien handitzea eragin dezake, PLC komunikazioak degradatuz. Lan honetan, bereziki, ibilgailu elektrikoen handitzea da kontutan hartuko dena. Eragina aztertzeko, ibilgailu-elektrikoen kargagailuek sortzen duten zarataren denbora eta maiztasun ezaugarriak aztertu dira. Bestalde, PRIME tramen igortze eta jasotzea ahalbidetzen duen neurketa sistema bat zehaztea eta balidatzea beharrezkoa izan da. Sistema honek, ibilgailu-elektriko bat konektatzean sarean sartu litezkeen zaratak sartzea ahalbidetu beharko du. Neurketa sistema honen bidez, FERa (Frame Error Rate) SNRarekiko (Signal to Noise Ratio) kurbak irudikatzen dira NB-PLC bandaren frekuentzia tarte bakoitzerako. Honela, zarataren eragina aztertu daiteke eta PLC komunikazioetarako zein maiztasun-banda den egokiena zehaztuko da.Abstract The aim of this project is to analyze the impact of the noise that the electric vehicle (EV) chargers introduce to NB-PLC (NarrowBand PowerLine Communications) according to PRIME standard (PoweRLine Intelligent Metering Evolution). The main motivation for carrying out this analysis is the increase, in the recent years, in the number ofdevices connected to the electrical network that are susceptible to introducing interferences and degrading PLC communications, in particular, the EV chargers. To achieve this objective, an analysis of the timeand frequency characteristics of noises from chargers of EV has been carried out. On the other hand, it has been necessary to define and validate ameasurement system for the transmission and reception of PRIME frames that allows introducing the different noises of EVsthat are going to be evaluated. By means of this measurement system, the FER (Frame Error Rate) versusSNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) curves are represented for each frequency range of the NB-PLC band in order to analyze the noise impact and define which frequency band is more suitable for PLC communications.Laburpena Proiektu honen helburua, ibilgailu elektrikoen kargagailuek NB-PLC (NarrowBand PowerLine Communications) komunikazioetan sartzen duten zarataren eragina aztertzea da, PRIME (PoweRLine Intelligent Metering Evolution) estandarraren arabera. Azken urteotan sare elektrikora konektatzen diren gailuen hazkundea gertatu da, honek interferentzien handitzea eragin dezake, PLC komunikazioak degradatuz. Lan honetan,bereziki, ibilgailu elektrikoen handitzea da kontutan hartuko dena. Eragina aztertzeko,ibilgailu-elektrikoen kargagailuek sortzen duten zarataren denbora eta maiztasun ezaugarriak aztertu dira. Bestalde, PRIME tramen igortze eta jasotzea ahalbidetzen duen neurketa sistema bat zehaztea eta balidatzeabeharrezkoa izan da. Sistema honek, ibilgailu-elektriko bat konektatzean sarean sartu litezkeen zaratak sartzea ahalbidetu beharko du. Neurketa sistema honen bidez, FERa(Frame Error Rate)SNRarekiko(Signal to Noise Ratio)kurbak irudikatzen dira NB-PLC bandaren frekuentzia tarte bakoitzerako. Honela, zarataren eragina aztertu daiteke eta PLC komunikazioetarakozeinmaiztasun-bandadenegokienazehaztuko da

LISN sareak: software bidezko simulazioa, neurketetan oinarritutako sintesia eta ziurgabetasunaren kalkulua.

Azken hamarkadetan, sare elektrikoa erabiliz komunikazioak ahalbidetzen dituzten teknologiak sortu eta garatu egin dira, hots, PLC (Power Line Communications) komunikazioak. Transmisio hauek, ingurune oso aldakor eta ezegonkorrean ematen dira, sare elektrikoa, ezaugarri hauek komunikazio kanal batentzako erabat desegokiak izanik. Egoera honek ezinbestekoa egiten du komunikazio kanal berri honen ikerketa eta karakterizazioa, baita ingurune honetan gailu elektriko eta elektronikoek sortzen dituzten emisio elektromagnetikoen neurketa ere. Lan honen helburua software bidezko simulazioen bitartez LISN (Line Impedance Stabilization Network, ingelesez) baten egoera simulatzea izango da; egonkortze-sare hau EUTn (Equipment Under Test, proban dagoen gailua) emisio elektrikoak neurtzerakoan, zein gailuen inpedantziak neurtzerakoan, duen konportamendua ebaluatzeko. Honekin guztiarekin, LISNaren neurketen fidagarritasuna eta ziurgabetasun kontribuzioa kuantifikatzen ahalegingo da. Beste alde batetik, LISN modelo berrien eraikuntzarako eskema elektriko berri bat proposatuko da, honen ezaugarriak gaur egungo sare elektrikoaren hurbilagoko antzekotasuna izan dezaten.En las últimas décadas, se han desarrollado tecnologías que hacen posible la comunicación entre dispositivos a través de la red eléctrica, conocidas como PLC (Power Line Communications). Este medio de comunicación es muy cambiante e inestable, unas características nada recomendables para un canal de comunicación. Este hecho hace necesario el estudio y caracterización, tanto de este nuevo canal de comunicación, como de las emisiones radioeléctricas que inyectan los dispositivos eléctricos y electrónicos en el mencionado medio. El objetivo de este trabajo es tratar de simular, mediante software, las condiciones de una LISN (Line Impedance Stabilization Network, en inglés) y caracterizar el comportamiento de esta red de estabilización cuando se emplea en la medida de emisiones eléctricas generadas por los EUT (Equipment Under Test, equipo sometido a ensayo), y la impedancia de salida que presentan estos últimos. Con todo ello, se intentará cuantificar la fiabilidad y la incertidumbre de las mediciones realizadas con la LISN. Por otro lado, se propondrá un nuevo esquema eléctrico para la construcción de nuevos modelos de LISN, de manera que sus características eléctricas sean más parecidas a las de la red eléctrica actual.In the last decades, technologies that make possible communication between devices through the electrical network have been developed; they are known as PLC (Power Line Communications). This new communication channel, the low voltage network, is very changeable and unstable, features that are not recommended. These facts make necessary the study and characterization of this new communication channel, and also, the radioelectric emissions that are injected by electrical and electronic devices in the aforementioned medium. The aim of this work, on the one hand, is to try to simulate, by software, the conditions of a LISN (Line Impedance Stabilization Network), to characterize the behavior of this device when it is used to measure electrical emissions generated by the EUT (Equipment Under Test) and the output impedance presented by the devices. With all these simulations, this project is going to try to quantify the fidelity and the uncertainty of the measurements made with the LISN. On the other hand, a new electrical scheme will be proposed for the construction of new LISN models, in which their electrical characteristics are more similar to the ones that the current electrical grid has