Fiber optic voltage sensor for 420 kV electric power systems

We present an optical fiber voltage sensor for 420 kV electric power lines. The sensor exploits the converse piezoelectric effect of quartz and measures the voltage by a line integration of the electric field. The alternating voltage is partitioned to a series of four cylinder-shaped quartz crystals, which are embedded in polyurethane resin within a 3.2-m long insulator tube of fiber reenforced epoxy. The alternating piezoelectric deformations of the crystals are sensed by a common elliptical-core dual-mode fiber, which is wound onto the circumferential crystal surfaces. The fiber is interrogated using low coherence interferometry. We determine the dielectric design of the sensor from a numerical analysis of the electric field distribution within and in the vicinity of the sensor. We experimentally verify the dielectric reliability under ac overvoltages up to 520 kV root mean square (rms) and lightning and switching impulse voltages up to 1425 and 1050 kV, respectively. Further, we investigate the sensor performance including accuracy, dynamic range, bandwidth, and temperature dependence, (C) 2000 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [S0091-3286(00)01111-9].