Design and Development of a Prototype Operating Parameters Monitoring System for High-Voltage Switchgear Using IoT Technologies

Currently, almost all high-voltage switchgear and gas-insulated systems (GIS) are filled with SF6 under pressure. Accidental leakage of SF6 has dramatic effects on both the environment and the equipment itself. A large leak burdens the environment with hundreds of tons of CO2 equivalent and is a major safety risk for network equipment. Therefore, close monitoring of SF6 in high-voltage switchgear is virtually required in order to ensure the stability of the power grid. Very few substations currently have the infrastructure to remotely monitor their assets, and retrofit solutions for older substations are either uneconomical or completely impractical. This work focuses on the development of a new open monitoring system that will be inexpensive, minimally intrusive, and infinitely scalable, in terms of both hardware and software. The developed monitoring system should allow transmission system operators to remotely monitor key parameters of their most important assets, which will also provide them with reaction time to avoid critical breakdowns.