Enhancing numerical modelling efficiency for electromagnetic simulation of physical layer components.

The purpose of this thesis is to present solutions to overcome several key difficulties that limit the application of numerical modelling in communication cable design and analysis. In particular, specific limiting factors are that simulations are time consuming, and the process of comparison requires skill and is poorly defined and understood. When much of the process of design consists of optimisation of performance within a well defined domain, the use of artificial intelligence techniques may reduce or remove the need for human interaction in the design process. The automation of human processes allows round-the-clock operation at a faster throughput. Achieving a speedup would permit greater exploration of the possible designs, improving understanding of the domain. This thesis presents work that relates to three facets of the efficiency of numerical modelling: minimizing simulation execution time, controlling optimization processes and quantifying comparisons of results. These topics are of interest because simulation times for most problems of interest run into tens of hours. The design process for most systems being modelled may be considered an optimisation process in so far as the design is improved based upon a comparison of the test results with a specification. Development of software to automate this process permits the improvements to continue outside working hours, and produces decisions unaffected by the psychological state of a human operator. Improved performance of simulation tools would facilitate exploration of more variations on a design, which would improve understanding of the problem domain, promoting a virtuous circle of design. The minimization of execution time was achieved through the development of a Parallel TLM Solver which did not use specialized hardware or a dedicated network. Its design was novel because it was intended to operate on a network of heterogeneous machines in a manner which was fault tolerant, and included a means to reduce vulnerability of simulated data without encryption. Optimisation processes were controlled by genetic algorithms and particle swarm optimisation which were novel applications in communication cable design. The work extended the range of cable parameters, reducing conductor diameters for twisted pair cables, and reducing optical coverage of screens for a given shielding effectiveness. Work on the comparison of results introduced ―Colour maps‖ as a way of displaying three scalar variables over a two-dimensional surface, and comparisons were quantified by extending 1D Feature Selective Validation (FSV) to two dimensions, using an ellipse shaped filter, in such a way that it could be extended to higher dimensions. In so doing, some problems with FSV were detected, and suggestions for overcoming these presented: such as the special case of zero valued DC signals. A re-description of Feature Selective Validation, using Jacobians and tensors is proposed, in order to facilitate its implementation in higher dimensional spaces

3D Simulation of Partial Discharge in High Voltage Power Networks

Open accessPartial discharge (PD) events arise inside power cables due to defects of cable’s insulation material, characterized by a lower electrical breakdown strength than the surrounding dielectric material. These electrical discharges cause signals to propagate along the cable, manifesting as noise phenomena. More significantly, they contribute to insulation degradation and can produce a disruptive effect with a consequent interruption of power network operation. PD events are, therefore, one of the best ‘early warning’ indicators of insulation degradation and, for this reason, the modeling and studying of such phenomena, together with the development of on-line PDs location methods, are important topics for network integrity assessment, and to define methods to improve the power networks’ Electricity Security. This paper presents a 3D model of PD events inside a void in epoxy-resin insulation cables for High Voltage (HV) power networks. The 3D model has been developed using the High Frequency (HF) Solver of CST Studio Suite® software. PD events of a few µs duration have been modelled and analyzed. The PD behavior has been investigated using varying electrical stress. A first study of the PD signal propagation in a power network is described

Electromagnetic Time Reversal to Locate Partial Discharges in Power Networks with Inhomogeneous cables using the Transmission Line Matrix Method

This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant under Agreement 838681.This paper describes a method for the on-line location of partial discharges (PD) in power networks based on the electromagnetic time reversal (EMTR) theory. PDs are localized electrical discharges that partially bridge the insulation between conductors and that start in cable insulation defects. Since the insulation degradation is often caused by PD, PD is regarded as a symptom of insulation degradation and on-line PD location is considered the most suitable monitoring method of network integrity assessment to prevent faults and improve network resilience. The proposed method, reversing in time the measured PD signals, refocuses them to their source allowing the location of PD site. The method uses the Transmission Line Matrix modelling approach to solve the backward propagation equations. In this paper, the effectiveness of the EMTR-based method to locate PDs in inhomogeneous power lines, using only one measurement point at a line end, is investigated and proved in simulation

Detecting Electromagnetic Disturbances on Transmission Lines Using Time Reversal

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.Transmission lines can suffer a variety of electromagnetic disturbances. These can range from intentional interference, due to malicious intent, through to the effects of lightning strikes or partial discharge. Given a high-fidelity model of the transmission line, it is possible to take measurement data and ‘run time backwards’ to identify the source of the disturbance. This paper reviews the theory and implementation of electromagnetic time reversal, provides some examples from the literature, and illustrates its operation with current research to identify the source of a partial discharge event on Medium and High Voltage cables

Factors influencing the successful validation of transient phenomenon modelling

An increased requirement for validation of computational electromagnetic simulation and modelling through the publication of IEEE Standard 1597.1 brings to light some interesting issues surrounding the validation of transients. The structure of a transient event has three particular regions of interest that can have an influence on the results, of which only two are generally well defined. These are the initial quiescent phase from t = 0 to the transient event; the transient event itself up to the point where the energy has fallen to a predefined limit, and the post-transient phase where residual energy is still present in the system. This latter region is generally ill-defined and changes the way that a validation comparison should be made, from, for example a frequency domain coupling study where the region of interest is usually well defined. This study looks at the influence of the three regions on the validation results and suggests how the Feature Selective Validation (FSV) method can be applied in transient studies.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A new method to localize partial discharges on power cables using time reversal and TLM numerical method – A review

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.Insulation deterioration is often caused by partial discharge (PD) events. The adoption of on-line PD location methods is one of the most suitable methods to perform the power networks condition monitoring to improve their resilience and to guarantee electricity supply security. This paper reviews the results obtained in the design process of a new on-line PD location method based on the use of the electromagnetic time reversal (EMTR) theory and the Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) numerical method. Building on the work previously presented at the IWCS, where the method had been presented using two observation points, this paper shows further progress in this research and as a proof of its effectiveness, shows its ability in locating PDs using only one observation point. The procedure of the method is briefly described and its performance that overcomes the shortcomings of the traditional PD location methods are summarized. Finally, future related activities are described

Time Reversal for Partial Discharge Localization on Power Lines with Different Termination Impedances

This paper describes a new method for the on-line location of partial discharges (PDs) in power transmission and distribution networks based on Electromagnetic Time Reversal (EMTR) theory and on the Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) method in order to describe the time reversed propagation. In particular, the paper shows the effectiveness of the method in localizing the PD source when the impedances at the terminations of the line are unknown and describes the procedure to be followed in this case. The analysis is performed in simulation, and a model of the PD signal propagation that is able to reproduce the distortion phenomenon that affect the PD signal propagation on power lines and thus the accuracy of the on-line PD location methods is also described

Electromagnetic Beam Position Monitoring Model for Particle Energy Linear Accelerator

Beam Position Monitoring (BPM) systems are crucial in particle acceleration facilities such as linear and circular accelerators. They are used to maintain a stable and precise beam position to achieve a high level of beam quality. BPMs are also essential for accelerator commissioning, performance optimisation, and fault analysis. Beam functional properties information, such as displacement from the desired axis, information about synchrotron oscillations and betatron movements can be derived from data gathered in BPM systems. Medical linear accelerators (linacs) also employ BPM measurements to ensure optimal generation of treatment radiation. The most common form of analysis is to use a multi-physics based approach and model the beam as a stream of electrons, often involving Monte Carlo implementation – an accurate but computationally expensive approach. This paper presents a simple, but robust and efficient, CST microwave model of the linear accelerator (linac) beam, generated using a simplified approach to beam modeling that uses a conducting filament in place of the particle. This approach is validated by comparison with published work. An approach to BPM using the method applied in this paper opens up opportunities to further analyze the overall design and that of components of particle accelerator systems using commonly available full-wave electromagnetic simulators without the need to include specific particle solutions

Application to Real Power Networks of a Method to Locate Partial Discharges Based on Electromagnetic Time Reversal

This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant under Agreement 838681.The paper presents an experimental validation of a method to locate partial discharges (PDs) on power distribution and transmission networks. The method is based on electromagnetic time reversal (EMTR) theory, and it uses a Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) model to describe the propagation of the PD signals in the reversed time. Since PDs are regarded as a symptom of insulation degradation, on-line PD location is considered an important approach to monitoring the integrity of a power distribution network, with the aim of detecting and preventing faults and improving network reliability. In this paper, the EMTR-based method is described and its effectiveness in PD localization using only one measurement point is demonstrated in three real 33 kV power lines. Its effectiveness is proved with and without an on-line electromagnetically noisy environment, and its accuracy is evaluated with respect to different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) levels of the networks. The validation shows that the method is able to locate PDs with an error of 0.14% with respect to the total length of the line in the absence of noise, and with an error that is always lower than 0.5% for an SNR down to -7 dB

Comparison of Data with Multiple Degrees of Freedom Utilizing the Feature Selective Validation (FSV) Method

This research is the product of a collaboration between: 1. Harbin Institute of Technology, China 2. De Montfort University, UK 3. University of L'Aquila, Italy “© 2016 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other worksThe feature selective validation method has been shown to provide results that are in broad agreement with the visual assessment of a group of engineers for line, 1-D, data. An implementation using 2-D Fourier transforms and derivatives have been available for some years, but verification of the performance has been difficult to obtain. Further, that approach does not naturally scale well for 3-D and higher degrees of freedom, particularly if there are sizable differences in the number of points in the different directions. This paper describes an approach based on repeated 1-D FSV analyses that overcomes those challenges. The ability of the 2-D case to mirror user perceptions is demonstrated using the LIVE database. Its extension to n-dimensions is also described and includes a suggestion for weighting the algorithm based on the number of data points in a given “direction.