Power Line Carrier

Communication (PLCC)

Content
Introduction
Major goal/Application of PLCC
Main Components of PLCC:

Coupling Capacitor
Line trap Unit
Transmitters and Receivers
Hybrids and Filters
Line Tuners
Master Oscillator and Amplifiers
Protection and earthing of coupling equipment

Introduction
Use of PLCC in modern electrical power system is mainly for telemetry and
telecontrol. Tele means remote. Telemetry refers to science of measurement
from remote location.
Different types of data transmission system can be used depending upon the
network requirement and conditions.
Main data transmission system for telemetry and tele control are
Use of telephone lines

Use of separate cable

Power Line carrier communication
Radio wave micro wave channel

For large power system power line carrier communication is used for data
transmission as well as protection of transmission lines. Carrier current has a
frequency range of 30 to 200 kHz in USA and 80 to 500 kHz in UK.
Each end of transmission line is provided with identical PLCC equipment consisting of
equipment:
Transmitters and Receivers
Hybrids and Filters
Line Tuners
Line Traps
Power amplifier
Coupling capacitors

Major goal/Application of PLCC

PLCC in modern electrical power system substation is mainly used for following purpose:
1. Carrier protection relaying of transmission line so that:
Inter trip command can be issued by relay due to tripping of circuit breaker at any one
end.
To trip the line circuit breaker nearest to the fault, this is done by: a) Distance protection
relay (V/I characteristics)
b) Differential comparison method
c) Phase comparison method
2. Station to station communication between operating personnel
:

Carrier telemetring, electrical quantities that are telemetered are kW, kVA,
kVAR, Voltage and Power factor etc.
Following methods are used for telemetring as well as telecontrol
Simplex
Duplex
Multiplex
Time division Multiplex

Many factors will affect the reliability of a power line carrier (PLC) channel.
The goal is to get a signal level to the remote terminal that is above the sensitivity of the
receiver, and
with a Search for people, jobs, companies, and more...signaltonoise ratio (SNR)
well above the minimum, so that Advanced
the receiver can make a correct decision based on the information transmitted.Jobs Interests
Business Services If both of these requirements are met then the PLC channel will be reliable.
The factors affecting reliability are:
1.

The amount of power out of the transmitter.

2.

The type and number of hybrids required to parallel transmitters and receivers.

3.

The type of line tuner applied.

4.

The size of the coupling capacitor in terms of capacitance.

5. The type and size, in terms of inductance, of the line trap used.
6. The power line voltage and the physical configuration of the power line.
7. The phase(s) to which the PLC signal is coupled.
8. The length of the circuit and transpositions in the circuit.
9. The decoupling equipment at the receiving terminal (usually the same as the transmitting end).
10. The type of modulation used to transmit the information, and the type of demodulation circuits in the
receiver.
11. The received signaltonoise ratio (SNR).
The above list may not be all inclusive, but these are the major factors involved in the success or failure
of a PLC channel.
Main Components of PLCC 1. Coupling Capacitor
Coupling capacitor connects the carrier equipment to the transmission line. The coupling capacitors
capacitance is of such a value that it offers low impedance to carrier frequency (1/C) but high
impedance to power frequency (50 Hz).

.Line trap Unit

The carrier energy on the transmission line must be directed toward the remote line terminal and not
toward the station bus and it must be isolated from bus impedance variations. This task is performed
by the line trap.
The line trap is usually a form of a parallel resonant circuit which is tuned to the carrier energy
frequency.
A parallel resonant circuit has high impedance at its tuned frequency, and it then causes most of the
carrier energy to flow toward the remote line terminal. The coil of the line trap provides a low
impedance path for the flow of the power frequency energy.
Since the power flow is rather large at times, the coil used in a line trap must be large in terms of
physical size.
Hence a line trap unit/Wave trap is inserted between busbar and connection of coupling capacitor to
the line. It is a parallel tuned circuit comprising of inductance (L) and capacitance (C). It has low
impedance (less than 0.1?) for power frequency (50 Hz) and high impedance to carrier frequency.
This unit prevents the high frequency carrier signal from entering the neighboring line.

Transmitters and Receivers

The carrier transmitters and receivers are usually mounted in a rack or
cabinet in the control house, and the line tuner is out in the switchyard.
This then means there is a large distance between the equipment and the
tuner, and the
connection be tween the two is made using a coaxial cab

Hybrids and Filters

The purpose of the hybrid circuits is to enable the connection of two or more
transmitters together on one coaxial cable without causing intermodulation
distortion due to the signal from one transmitter affecting the output stages
of the other transmitter. Hybrids may also be required between transmitters
and receivers, depending on the application.
The hybrid circuits can, of course, cause large losses in the carrier path and
must be used appropriately. High/lowpass and bandpass networks may also
be used, in some applications, to isolate carrier equipment from each other.

. Line Tuners
The purpose of the line tuner in conjunction with the coupling capacitor is to
provide low impedance path for the carrier energy to the transmission line
and a high impedance path to the power frequency energy.
The line tuner/coupling capacitor combination provides a low impedance path
to the power line by forming a series resonant circuit tuned to the carrier
frequency.