IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 9, No.

3, July 1994 1245

DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW TYPE OF OPTICAL TRANSDUCER FOR MEASURING FAULT CURRENT
submitted December 30, 1992; made available for printing
April 14, 1993.
Y. Hasegawa Y. Ichikawa H. Katsukawa N. Tanaka Y. Sakurai
- -
100% rated current : fl %
20% rated current : f1.5%
Ratioerror
at constant temperature
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.
Nagoya, Japan
Abstract
An optical current transducer has been developed
capable of measuring current up to short-circuit currents
of 50 kA. The optical current transducer is composed of a
current measuring unit, an insulator with integral optical
fibers, and an optical interface. The current measuring
unit combines a winding with a magnetic iron core and a
solenoid coil containing a Faraday sensor. The optical
interface converts optical signals into electrical signals.
Prototype optical current transducers have satisfied target
performance requirements and have demonstrated
maintaining that level of performance in field
applications.
Keywords
Optical current transducer, Optical insulator, Optical
interface, Faraday sensor, Fault location system
INTRODUCTION
Optical technology has progressed at a rapid pace in recent
years. Its applications have expanded into all industrial fields,
focusing primarily on the field of data communications. Research and
development is also being conducted in related technology areas. In
particular, there has been growing attention focused on optical
measurement. This is because optical measurement is resistant to
electromagnetic induction and noise, while also providing a high
degree of insulation. Numerous applications are being developed and
many have reached the stage of practical application. Protective
systems operated exclusively by digital technology and information
networks are being widely employed in power distribution systems
using optical Local Area Networks. Current and voltagemeasurement
using optical technology[ 13is also being incorporated, resulting in the
creation of sophisticated substations, functioning within a total system
through the useof next generation technology. Also efforts to upgrade
equipment and strengthen predictivemaintenancecapabilities are g i g
madeat many existing air insulated substations. This is being done for
the purpose of improving the reliability of equipment through partial
introduction of new technologies. As a result there is a growing need
for the development of systems using sensors that can be easily
mounted on existing equipment allowing both predictive maintenance
and quick recovery fromfaults.
In response to these needs, an optical current transducer (OCT)
has been developed as an application of optical measurement
technology. In addition to offering advantages inherent to optical
measurement, including noise resistance and high insulation
properties, OCTs also offer advantages over conventional gas and oil
immersed type CTs. Namely, elimination of the risk of explosion and
combustion as well as minimal maintenance.
93 SM 370-7 PWRD A paper recommended and approved
by the IEEE Power System Instrumentation &Measure-
ments Committee of the IEEE Power Engineering Society
for presentation at the IEEE/PES 1993 Summer Meeting,
Vancouver, B.C., Canada, July 18-22, 1993. Manuscript
NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
Nagoya, Japan
OCT incorporating a Faraday sensor within the gap of a
magnetic iron core havealready been developed. These OCTs were
introduced into equipment starting in 1990[2]. This practical OCT
development was for thepurpose of locating faults by detecting the
presence of bus fault currents in air insulated substations. The OCT
was inexpensiveand compact but was designed so that output became
saturated for a fault current of 4 kA or more.
Wehaverecently developed a new type of OCT that functions
as a sensor in a bus fault location system. This new OCT delivers
performance almost equal to that of conventional CTs used in
protective relay systems. In this fault location system, theOCTs are
installed at each section wherefault location is desired. Thepresence
of a fault in a section is determined according to the total sumof
incoming and outgoing currents in the section. Therefore, the OCT is
required to accurately measure fault current up to a maximumshort-
circuit current of 50 kA.
This paper describes the design of this new type of OCT and
performance verification using prototypes in field tests. In addition,
application in a fault location systemin thefield is an exampleof one
of its applications and fromwhich favorable results wereobtained.
OCT DESIGN
Target Performance
The main specifications of this OCT are shown in Table 1. The
OCT was required to measure a maximumshort-circuit current of
50 kA. The constant temperature ratio error of theOCT was specified
as 1% at the 100% rated current of 2,000 A. In addition, the OCT
features a split construction that allows it to be mounted without
having to removeor cut existing conductors.
OCT Configuration
composed of the threecomponents listed below:
The configuration of the OCT is shown in Fig. 1. The OCT is
* OCT head unit equipped with a current measurement function.
* Optical insulator which is a support insulator with integral optical
fiber for transmitting optical signals fromthe energized side to
the ground side.
* Optical Guide Spacer AluminumWire (OGSAL) incorporating
optical fibers for connecting theoptical head and insulator above
and contained in aluminumstranded cable.
Table 1 Target specifications of the OCT
I Items I Specifications
1 1541275 I
I Systemvoltage (kV)
I Rated current (A) I 2.000 I
I Frequency (Hz) I 60150 I
PRINTED IN USA 1 Short-time current rating (kA) 1 50
0885-8977/94/$04.00 0 1993 IEEE
1246
Materials
BnSi020
Bus bar
Verdet's Measuring
constant wavelength
(radlA) (nm)
3.66 x 10-5 870
Optical insulator
1'
T Y P ~ I [41
TYF II [41
YIG
! j ' ! Optical fibers
pJ
~ ~ ~
3.07 x 1150
9.89 x 10.' 1150
' Optical fiber cable
Fig. 1 Configuration of OCT
The construction of the OCT head is shown in Fig. 2. Primary
winding coils are wound on each magnetic iron core installed around
conductors. A solenoid coil is connected in parallel with the primary
windings for generation of a magnetic field. A Faraday sensor is
installed along the central axis of the solenoid coil. As a result of
having this type of configuration multiple conductors can be easily
accommodated by having magnetic iron cores for each conductor and
connecting the respective windings through the solenoid coil. The
solenoid coil is magnetically shielded fromoutside fields.
A cross section of the Faraday sensor is shown in Fig.3. The
Faraday sensor consists of a Faraday cell, a polarizer, an analyzer, rod
lenses and optical fibers equipped with ferrules. Ferromagnetic
material of YIG is used for the material of the Faraday sensor. The
Faraday sensor measures 37 mmx 18 mmx 1 1.8 mm. The sensor is
inserted fromthe open end of the cylindrical solenoid coil where
optical fiber connections are made and is arranged to have its
sensitivity in the same direction as the outgoing direction of the optical
fiber.
Stacking optical insulators suitable for an operating voltage of
275 kV were used for the optical signal transmission. Porcelain
insulators with central axial holes of several millimeters in diameter
were bolted together and two optical fibers were inserted into the
insulator stack. The optical fibers had core and cladding diameters of
80 pmand 125 pmrespectively. The holes in the insulator stack were
filled with sealing material thereby encapsulating the optical fibers
inside.
Secondary current sensor
Fig. 2 Diagramatic arrangement of OCT head
Ferrule Rod lens
Optical fiber
Farada cell
Fig. 3 Assembly of Faraday sensor
Sensor Design
The design elements of this type of OCT divide into thedesign
of the wound magnetic iron cores and the solenoid coil and the design
of the Faraday sensor. Since the former design element is very similar
to the design of conventional type CTs, the discussion here will focus
primarily on the later design element.
The OCT uses a sensor that utilizes the Faraday effect [3]. The
relationship between the strength of the magnetic field to bedetected
H [A/m] and the Faraday rotation angle 0 [rad] is given by the equation:
0 =V.H-L ( 1)
where
V: Verdet's constant [rad/A]
H: Magnetic field strength [A/ml
L Optical path length of the Faraday cell [ml
Verdet's constant is determined according to the device material
as indicated in Table 2. The strength of the magnetic field to be
detected H [A/m] in the solenoid coil is proportional to the current I
[A] within the coil. This is determined by the circuit constant of the
combined coils with respect to the primary current and equation (1)
can beexpressed as follows:
0 =V.ZI.L (2)
Here, Z is a constant dependent on the ratio of current transformation
of the coils and the coupling with the primary circuit. With the
Faraday sensor used the relative angle between the polarizer and
analyzer is 45 degrees. This results in the Faraday rotation angle
being converted into a variation in the intensity of the light as shown
in thefollowing equation:
P =P0/2 (1 +sin 20 ) (3)
where
P: Intensity of light at the receiver of the optical interface.
Po/2: Initial light intensity when no magnetic field exists.
Table 2 Characteristics of Faraday cell
Ouartz [5] I 0.31 x I 810 I
1247
The optical interface removes fluctuations in light intensity by
dividing the alternating current component of equation (3) with the
direct current component. Thus, output voltage Vout[V] of the optical
interface is given by thefollowing equation:
Vow =K x sin 28
(4)
where
K: Constant determined by thecircuit constant of theoptical
interface.
This shows that when the degree of modulation is small there is
good linearity between output voltage and the Faraday rotation angle
and hence the strength of the magnetic field. However, a loss of
linearity results as the modulation becomes larger. In designing an
OCT for measuring current up to 50 kA, it is necessary to set the
amount of linearity error at this maximumcurrent. At theother end, it
is also necessary to design the length of the Faraday cell in
combination with the applied magnetic field in consideration of the
amount of modulation for the required minimummeasured current.
The relationship between the primary current generated in the
OCT solenoid coil and the strength of the magnetic field is shown in
Fig. 4. It can be seen from this figure that the magnetic field
generated along the central axis in the solenoid coil demonstrates
extremely good linearity. The maximummagnetic field strength is
4.86 x 104Arms/m at the primary current of 50 kArms. Based on the
rated current of 2000 A the ratio error was found to beless than 1 % at
50 kArms. Fromthese results, it can beconcluded that the ratio error
at the maximumcurrent of 50 kArms is determined mainly by the
design of the Faraday sensor.
The distribution of themagnetic field withiin the solenoid coil is
shown in FigS. The values in the magnetic field distribution diagram
were calculated using two types of calculation.methods. Onewas a
finite element method[2] and the other a method according to the
calculation of static magnetic field. Themagnetic field at the central
axis of the solenoid coil is 1744 Arms/mcorresponding to a primary
current of 2000 Ar ms as can beSeenfromthe figure. This magnetic
field was also confirmed by measurement by moving the Faraday
sensor in small increments towards the edges of the solenoid coil.
This valueclosely agreed with thecalculated values.
I I I 1
E l I I I
I I
!
PRIMARY CURRENT (kArms)
Fig. 4 Relation between primary current and magnetic field
strength in solenoid coil
Coil
r\
s .___. Calculation by a fiiite element method
- '
Calculation by the Biot-Savart law
Measurement data (at 2000Arms)
2
s
1800
1600
1400
1 200
lo00
800
600
400
DISTANCE FROM COIL CENTER, X (mm)
Fig. 5 Magnetic field distribution in solenoid coil
at 2000Arms
-70
-
I I I
"0
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
OPTICAL PATH LENGTH IN YIG (I) (,U m)
Notes (1) Non-linearity : (e -1) x 100%
- Verdet's constant : 2.46 x lo-* (rad/A)
(Wavelength : 1.3 p m)
Magnetic field Wml
rms 7 peak
50 kArms 4.86~10~
45.4 kArm? 4.38~10~
(2) S/ N ratio
- F'rimary current : 50 A r ms
* Noize level, N : 0.02% of the optical interface
Signal level, S : sin 2 0 x 100%
Fig. 6 Relation between optical path length and non-linearity/
S/N ratio
1248
Fig. 6 indicates thenon-linearity and signal-to-noise ratio (S/N
ratio) when the optical path length of the Faraday cell is changed. The
relationship between the optical path length shown and the error of
linearity y [%I is indicated in terms of values calculated according to
equation (5). This is the difference between the output modulation of
theoptical interface (sin 28 obtained in equation (4)) and theFaraday
rotation angle during application of the maximummagnetic field
strength. Which is roughly 6.87 x 104 Apeak/m(4.86~104 Arms/m)
corresponding to a primary current of 50k h s .
y =((sin 28 - 28 1/28 x 100 ( 5)
TheS/N ratio is shown in terms of therelationship of theratio
between the 0.02% modulation caused by noisevoltage of theoptical
interface and the modulation by the minimummeasured current of
50 Arms. Table 2 shows the characteristics of various Faraday cell
materials. YIG(1) was chosen for the material of the Faraday cell.
It is found fromthis figure that the optical path length needs to
be240 pm or less for a maximumerror of 10% during measurement of
50 kArms, because the error of the magnetic field strength in the
solenoid coil was found to beless than 1%. In addition, in the case of
the optical path length of 240 p, the S/N ratio at 50 Arms can beseen
to bemaintained approximately at 10 dB.
OCT PERFORMANCE
The prototype of an OCT for a single conductor construction
was fabricated for a 154 kV system, while that for two conductors
was for a 275 kV system. These prototypes wereconfirmed to satisfy
the target performance level described above. A photograph of the
prototype OCT for a single conductor is shown in Fig.7. An overview
of major test results is described below.
Ratio Error
The ratio error characteristics of theOCT at roomtemperature
are shown in Fig.8. Inthefigure, theratio error is represented on the
vertical axis, while the primary current flowing to the conductor is
represented on the abscissa. This figure indicates the relationship
between therms valueof theoutput waveformof theoptical interface
and therms valueof the waveformof theprimary current as measured
by a 0.3 class coil-type CT.
It may beseen fromthis figure that the ratio error of the OCT
was within a range of +1% over the current rangefrom400 Arms to
8 kArms at a constant temperature. Since the ratio error was -6.6% at
45.4 kArms, it can be seen to possess adequate over-current
characteristics for measurement of short-circuit current. In addition,
the ratio error of the peak values was found to be -8.4% at
45.4 kArms because of distortion of the waveformof the optical
interface. This data corresponded to the calculation results of -8.7%
obtained froma dotted curve in Fig.6.
Fig. 7 Prototype OCT for single conductor
The S/N ratios are shown in Fig.9. Based on this curve the S/N
ratio was confirmed to be within a range that allows adequate
measurement, being 14 dB or more at the minimumcurrent of
50 Arms. This data is about 4 dB better than thecalculation result
indicated in Fig.6. This may be becausethenoiselevel of theoptical
interface was better than thecalculation conditions.
Temperature Characteristics
The temperature characteristics of ratio error and phaseangleof
theOCT head over a range of -20C to +80C are indicated in Fig. 10.
The temperature characteristics test involved measuring theratio error
and phase angleat each temperature when applying a primary current
of 2,000 A. The measurement results were then calculated as the
amount of deviation fromreference data at the temperature of 25C.
The optical interface which converts the optical information from
light to electricity was kept at a constant temperature for these tests.
The results show the ratio error fluctuation from+1.6% to -0.1%, and
phasedifference from+0.2 to -0.4 minutes over thetemperature range
of -20C to +80C. Fig.10 also indicates the temperature
characteristics of the Faraday sensor itself. The temperature
characteristic of the entire Faraday sensor was tested by measuring
fluctuations in output when the temperature was changed while
applying a constant magnetic field to the sensor. The results show that
fluctuations in ratio error of the OCT head closely follow the
temperature dependency of the Faraday sensor.
d
I I
I
PRIMARY CURRENT ( Ar ms )
Fig. 9 Signal to noiseratio of OCT
1249
-0- Ratio error variation of OCT (Current : 2000A)
. - -o-- - Ratio error variation of Faraday sensor
-A- Phaseangle variation of OCT (Current : 2000A)
Fig. 10 Temperature'characteristics of OCT.
n
E
Discussions
The ratio error of the OCT was designed to be8.7% at the
maximummagnetic field strength of 45.4 kAnns and testing of the
prototype yielded a ratio error of 8.4%, showing close agreement
between measurement and design. For this particular application the
ratio error was specified to bewithin 10% at 50 kArms. In the event
that the requirement changes, this can beaccommodated by either
changing themagnetic field applied to theFaraday sensor or adjusting
the optical path length or a Combination of both. If theratio error were
required to be5% or less at the maximumcurrent, for example, it is
necessary to reduce the optical path length to 170 pmas indicated in
Fig.6. In this case, the S/N ratio becomes 6 dE3at the minimum
current of 50 Arms. Therefore, it would benecessary to design better
noiseperformanceof theoptical interface.
Temperature characteristics of the OCT output are dependent on
the temperature characteristics of the Faraday sensor itself, as well as
those of the primary windings circuits. However, ratio error
characteristics weresuch that the temperature characteristics of ratio
error closely agreed with thetemperaturecharacteristics of the Faraday
sensor. In the case of usein fault location systems, the OCT can be
applied by giving ample margins for judgment to the percentage
differential relays used for evaluation of faults in these systems.
FIELD TESTING
The OCTs were developed to function as sensors for
measurement of bus fault current in a fault location system. The
system automatically determines the faulted section based on the
measured current information obtained fromthese OCTs. Field
testing was conducted over the course of roughly one year from
March 1991 to April 1992 at the 154-kV and 275-kV yards of the
Nisi-Nagoya substation operated by Chubu Electric Power Company.
This testing was conducted for the purposeof evaluating the outdoor
performance of these OCTs as well as evaluation of the operating
performance of the fault location system. The schematic diagramof
thefield testing equipment is shown in Fig. 11 and photographs of the
installation of the OCTs is shown in Fig. 12.
Thefield testing equipment consisted of six 154-kV OCTs and
nine 275-kV OCTs installed in outdoor yards. The systemcontaining
the optical interfaces and percentage differential relays for location of
faults was installed in an indoor control room. These were connected
with multi-line optical fiber cables. The two-line optical fiber
cables(core diameter: 80 pm, cladding diameter: 125 pm) extending
fromthe bottomof the optical insulators wereconnected by fusing
into 12-18 line optical fiber cable inside a collective optical fiber
4 Optical fiber
OW - Percentage
differential
Percentage
relay
Busbar _ _
--
154-kV
---
-E3 : Circuit breaker hil : Outical interface
- 1
@ : Disconnecting switch
D :OCT
2 : Conventional CT
J WI : Current/voltage converter
Fig. 11 Schematic diagramof fault location system
Fig. 12 Installation of OCTs for field test
1250
c
I I
I I
I I
c I I I
I
I
I
I 1
i I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
- - _ _ _
L .:::. I I I
....
....
1 .... $iiiil:. I I
I
I I
I I
I I
500 lo00
PRIMARY CURRENT (Arms)
Fig. 13 Field test results of OCT measurement performance
0 i I i i I " I I i I
connection box installed on a frame. Thesewerethen brought together
into single optical fiber cables for the 154-kV and 275-kV yards,
respectively. Theseoptical fiber cables wereburied in a trench running
fromthe OCTs to thecontrol roomwherethey werethen connected to
the optical interfaces. Conventional bushing CTs ( BCTs ) wereused
for the line CT of the 154-kV yard and the current information from
thoseCTs was input into thesystemboard.
Fault evaluation by percentage differential relays used for fault
location was performed according to changes in the total sumof
current flowing into or out of sections having CTs mounted on both
ends. When a fault occurs in a section on this type of system, the
current flowing into that section becomes larger than the current
flowing out. As a result, that section can then bedetermined as a being
faulty. The relationship between current values measured with the
BCT and the OCT in the 154-kV yard is indicated in Fig. 13. Data is
represented in terms of the rms values resulting from digital
conversion of one cycle of analog signals of the OCT optical interface
and of the BCT input converter. Sampling was performed at the rate
of oncea day and the data was processed by discarding values of less
than 10 A. The result was that there was close agreement between
OCT and BCT measured values throughout the entire year.
CONCLUSIONS
Following the development of an OCT equipped with a
magnetic iron core, a new typewas recently developed having a wide
measured current range. This new type of OCT applies a bulk type
Faraday sensor to thecombination of a windings around a magnetic
iron core and a solenoid coil. This new OCT has the characteristic of
being able to beeasily mounted on existing bus bar conductors at low
cost in air insulated substations.
We obtained the following conclusions resulting from
completion of design, trial manufacturing and evaluation of this new
type of OCT.
(1) A new OCT head has been designed and developed that combines
a winding around a magnetic iron core and a solenoid coil Containing a
Faraday sensor along its central axis. OCTs for use in 154 and
275 kV systems wereproduced by combining this head with suitable
optical insulators. An aluminiumstranded cable containing optical
fibers was used between the head and optical insulator to ensure a
great degree of freedomfor the mounting position of the OCT head,
which could beclamped around conductors.
(2) This new type of OCT was capable of current measurement over a
range of 50 A to 45 kA. The OCTs demonstrated performance of ratio
error of 1% or less over a current of 400 Arms to 8 kArms and
6.6% at 45.4 kArms. The error in linearity in the region of 45.4 kA
was confirmed to depend on the linearity approximation error of the
Faraday sensor.
(3) Tests to evaluate the performance of 154-and 275-kV OCTs as
well as a fault location systemusing such OCTs wereconducted over
the course of one year in a substatizn. The results demonstrated that
the OCTs maintained their performancefor theentireyear.
The above results confirmed that the newly developed OCTs
satisfy thetarget performancelevels.
It is planned on future installation of the OCTs, primarily in
275-kV air insulated substations, to function as sensors for fault
location systems.
REFERENCES
[ 11IEEE Tutorial course, " Fiber Optic Applications in Electrical
Power System," 84 EH0225-3-PWR,PP Fl-F4, 1984.
[2] Y.Yamagata, T.Oshi, H.Katsukawa, S.Kato, and Y.Sakurai,"
Development of Optical Current Transformers and Application to
Fault Location Systems for Substations," IEEE/PES 1992
Summer Meeting, 92 SM351-7 PWRD, July 12-16, 1992.
S.Saito et al., " Development of theLaser Current Transformer
for Extra-High VoltageTransmission Lines," IEEE Joumal of
QuantumElectronics, Vol. QE-2, No.8, August 1966.
M.Imaedaand Y.Kozuka," Optical Magnetic Field Sensors Using
Iron Garnet Crystals," Proceedings of 8th Optical Fiber Sensors
Conference, PP386-389, January 29-3 1, 1992.
T.D.Maffetoneand T.M.McClelland," 345-kV Substation Optical
Current Measurement System," JEEE Transactions on Power
Delivery, V01.6, No.4, PP1430-1437, October 1991.
Yutaka HASEGAWA was bom
in Gifu Prefecture, J apan, on
September 11, 1956. He received
his B.S. degree in electrical and
electronics engineering from
Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
in 1979.
In 1979 he joined Chubu Electric
Power Co.,Inc. From 1979 to
1991, he worked on control,
' maintenance and construction of
substations. Since 1991, he was
been engaged in development of
substation apparatus. Mr.
Hasegawa is a member of IEE of
J apan.
Yaoji ICHIKAWA was bom in
Mie Prefecture, J apan, on August
23, 1958. Hereceived his B.S. and
M.S. degrees both in electrical
engineering fromKeio University,
J apan in 1982 and 1984,
respectively.
In 1984 he joined Chubu Electric
Power Co.,Inc. From 1984 to
199 1, he worked on maintenance
and planning of substations. Since
1991, he was been engaged in
development of substation
apparatus. Mr. Ichikawa is a
member of IEE of Japan.
1251
Hiroyuki KATSUKAWA was
born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on
July 6, 1954. He received his B.S.
and M.S. c!egrees, both in electrical
engineering from Nagoya
University, Nagoya, Japan in 1977
and 1979. respectively.
I n 1979 he joined NGK
INSULATORS, LTD. He has
served an electrical engineer of
NGK High Voltage Laboratory. He
is now Assistant Manager of
Equipment and SystemEngineering
Department, Power Business
Group. Mr. Katsukawa is a
member of IEE of Japan.
Naoki TANAKA was bom in
Mie Prefecture, Japan, on October
12, 1962. He graduated from
Yokaichi Techinical High School,
Mie, Japan, in 198 1.
In 1981 he joined NGK
INSULATORS, LTD. He is now
engaged in research and
development in optical current
transducer in Equipment and
System Engineering Department,
Power Business Group.
Yasuhisa SAKURAI was born
in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on May
12, 1963. He received his B.S.
and M.S. degrees, both in electrical
engineering from Yamanashi
University,Kofu, J apan in 1986
and 1988, respectively.
In 1988 he joined NGK
INSULATORS, LTD. He is
electrical engineer of Equipment and
System Engineering Department,
Power Business Group.
1252
Discussion
E. Ulmer (Square D Company, Clearwater, FL): The paper is a
thorough presentation of the work on these sensors. There are
very few questions to ask about the main elements of the work.
The major points of the study are all described in the paper.
One of the more striking features of the data is the sharp
break in the ratio error at about 20,000 Ar ms in Figure 8. The
break is said to be due to distortion of the waveform in the
optical interface but no further explanation is given. The exact
Faraday rotation at 45,000 Arms is not given.
The measuring wavelength of the type I YIG is given in Table
2 as 1150 nm. What are the optical source and detector? Is the
source a laser or an LED? How strongly does the Verdet
constant depend on wavelength? What material is used for the
photodetector? How well does the unit maintain calibration if
the light source fails and is replaced with a new light source?
What is the maximumoperating distance between the sensor
and the optical interface electronics?
Manuscript received August 13,1993.
Y.Hasegawa, Y.Ichikawa, H.Katsukawa, N.Tanaka,
Y.Sakurai: The authors would like to thank the discusser for
taking an interest in the paper as well as for their valuable
discussions and comments.
Four questions werediscussed with regard to the paper. The
first question was the non-linearity of theOCT at high current
1evels.Thedifference in theratio errors between -6.6% and -8.4% is
caused by distortion of thewaveform. Namely, as theinstantaneous
magnitude of current increases, the resulting error becomes larger
than theerror of the effective value. This is because theamplitude
modulation error almost always causes non-linearity of the OCT.
The modulation error of -8.7% in agreement with theexperimental
results. In this case, the modulation error can becalculated froma
Faraday rotation of 0.366[rad] which is obtained fromVerdets
constant, the optical path length, and the exact magnetic field
strength at 45.4 kA.
The next question dealt with the wavelength dependency of
Verdets constant. When the measuring Verdets constant, the
optical source and the detector werea gas laser and germanium
phtodiode, respectively. As was mentioned in the discussion,
Verdets constant is dependent on wavelength. According to the
literature, theratio of theVerdets constant at 1150 nmand 1300nm
is approximately 20 %.
Another question was raised in regard to replacement of the
optical interfaces . We are using a standard OCT to obtain the
calibration result of theoptical interface. If an optical interface fails,
a new optical interface can becalibrated within 1% by using the
standard OCT to obtain thesamecalibration result.
The final question was asked in regard to the maximum
operating distance between the OCT head and theoptical interface.
The maximumoperating distance is roughly 300 meters at a
temperature rangeof - 20 to 80 degree C. This is sufficient for use
in substations.
Manuscript received S6ptembex 29,1993.