Energy

Current metering and protection in electric power substations is critical for maintaining the integrity of high voltage networks. Traditionally, this metering has been accomplished through the use of large, costly oil- or gas-filled instrument transformers. Photonic power, in the form of JDSU's Optically Powered Data Link, provides an ideal alternative to the instrument transformer approach for current measurements in high voltage (HV) environments. By using fiber optic cables, photonic power isolates the current transducer or sensor from ground potential. In addition, the OPDL solution is more reliable since it can be constantly interrogated and self-checked. Last, photonic power is environmentally safer and offers significant savings in cost and weight over the traditional instrument transformer alternative.

Photonic power can offer the following cost and performance advantages for metering and protection of high voltage networks:

• Isolated power immune to high voltage, EMI, and lightning
• Eliminates need for large oil-filled porcelain instrument transformers, reducing installation cost and system weight
• Explosion-free, environmentally-safe operation
• Increased accuracy through use of digital measurements
• Rugged design able to withstand harsh environmental conditions
• Flexible means of powering electronics and transmitting digital or analog data over same fiber medium