Various Networked and Distributed Configurations for Power Distribution Protection System

Reference#: P02070

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab has developed technology for protective systems for power switchboards. It continuously monitors the physical environment of the switchboards for arcing faults. Should a protective system detect an arc, it trips the circuit breaker that supplies power to extinguish the arcing fault. Additionally, the system monitors a collection of sensors to allow it to recognize conditions that, if left unattended, will lead to switchboard failures. Warnings of imminent failure allow the operator to perform predictive maintenance and thus prevent loss of power. Furthermore, with this technology, reliability of detection is very high and the false alarm rate is very low. These sensors can be added to existing or new switchboards and the outputs interface with existing breakers, therefore this technology is suitable for protecting existing or new power systems.

*This technology is available for licensing.