Design And Construction A Power Line Vandalism Monitoring System Using Arduino

Electrical Electronics Engineering | Engineering

A Power Line Vandalism Monitoring System employing Arduino encompasses the creation of a comprehensive surveillance infrastructure to detect and mitigate instances of deliberate damage to electrical transmission lines. Leveraging Arduino microcontrollers, sensors, and communication modules, this system integrates various components to ensure robust monitoring and timely response mechanisms. Through the strategic placement of sensors such as accelerometers, motion detectors, and current sensors along the power lines, the system can detect anomalies indicative of vandalism, including sudden movements, unauthorized access, or fluctuations in current flow. These sensors relay real-time data to the Arduino controller, which processes the information and triggers appropriate responses, such as activating alarms, notifying authorities via GSM or internet connectivity, or initiating camera surveillance for visual confirmation. Furthermore, incorporating GPS modules enables precise location tracking of incidents, facilitating rapid deployment of maintenance teams to rectify damages swiftly. By amalgamating Arduino’s versatility with advanced sensors and communication technologies, this system fortifies power line infrastructure against malicious activities, ensuring uninterrupted service delivery and enhancing security in critical energy networks.

ABSTRACT

Transformer vandalism is becoming an alarming issue in the whole world. Power distribution companies are incurring losses of billions of money due to transformer vandalism. This paper is going to contributes to the design and implementation of a transformer vandalism monitoring system architecture that can be used by the power companies to deter or monitor the transformers against vandals. It is going to design a monitoring system that can be able to detect the presence of a vandal near the transformer, raise the alarm and send a message/call the control room officers or security officers in designated areas for response. The paper is going to have an algorithm that will be able to show the transformer location, transformer number and the necessary authorities near the transformer. The monitoring system will be a combination of Arduino hardware with Integrated Development Environment (IDE) program, sensors, and GSM for mobile communications. In this paper, the case study will be Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), a country utility company that is responsible for distributing electricity to consumers, emergency electricity services and lastly retails the electricity in Nigeria.

Keywords: Transformer Vandalism, Arduino, Global Mobile Communication System (GSM), Arduino GSM Shield 2, Arduino library Integrated Development Environment (IDE), PIR Sensors (Passive Infrared).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE

TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

PROBLEM STATEMENT
AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF PROJECT

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

REVIEW OF THE STUDY
POWER LINE VANADALISM DETECTOR SYSTEM
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
HIGH FREQUENCY ALARM SYSTEM
REVIEW OF CURRENT SYSTEM
PROPOSED METHOD
REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 METHODOLOGY

3.1 SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM

3.2 HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS

3.3 METHOD

3.4 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

3.5 SYSTEM FLOWCHART

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1 CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE AND TESTING

4.2 CASING AND PACKAGING

4.3 TESTING OF SYSTEM OPERATION

4.4 RESULT ANALYSIS

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

This project gives the insight on the design and construction of a transmission power line vandalism detector system. Vandalism means destructive action. It is a hateful and deliberate defacement/destruction of somebody else’s property or national assets like the high-voltage transmission power lines, transmission towers and distribution transformers, etc. The high-voltage transmission power lines strung from support towers form the backbone of the nation’s electric power grid. Many of those 158,000 miles of lines, supported by nearly 800,000 towers, run through isolated areas as they deliver electricity from generating plants to cities. These high-voltage transmission power lines around the world are vulnerable to terrorism, vandalism, physical deterioration and extreme weather. Every year in Nigeria bad citizens vandalize the power line, towers, transformers, generators and other power transmission/distribution facilities. This causes frequent power failure and power surge that seriously affects over 50 million business firms and manufacturing industries in the country. These companies depend on electricity power supply from the power line for their productions. If the power line is vandalized, some of their machines cannot be powered on a generator then income, investments and commodities worth billions of Naira will be lost. If electricity is available during the power line vandalism incident, the lives and properties of the people within the area can be affected as a result of electric shocks, power surge and fire outbreak, etc. Vandalism is now largely driven by the soaring values of copper and aluminum in the international metals market due to increased world market demand fuelled by China and India’s growth in industrialization. Consequently, the vandals now operate in well organized syndicates complete with offices and hierarchy and accumulate large volumes of stolen materials which they eventually consign for export as scrap. Transformer oil, copper and aluminum are the main targets of these vandals. The uses of the stolen transformer oil are:

Mixed with diesel and sold as fuel,
Used as fuel for industrial furnaces and as cooling for welding sets,
Mixed with vegetable oil and sold as cooking oil.
Used as a cosmetic and treatment for wounds.

On the other hand, copper and aluminum have been in the past been used on a minimum scale by the informal sector for welding sets but are now mainly exported as scrap. It is this later use that is behind the recent escalation of vandalism.

Vandalism of an electrical transmission line is considered as a deadly national security threat. Power line vandalism affects the economy badly this is due to the burglar gadgets been made every year for the supervision and protection on the power lines. Millions of dollars are used every year to replace, maintain and improve the electricity network, yet the power delivery system is being threatened by acts of vandalism. Today NEPA and PHCN have been privatized, since in 2013, there were more than 12 incidences of vandalism recorded on the Alaoji-Owerri 132kV line, Jebba-Shirioro 330kV lines, Osogbo-Ayede 330kV line, Oshogbo-Benin 330kV line, Oshogbo Ikeja 330kV line, Jebba-Shirioro 330kV line, Benin-Ikeja West 330kV line, Sapele-Benin 330kV line, Delta-Sapele-Benin 330kV line, Sapele-Benin 330kV line, Benin-Ajaokuta 330kV lines and the Abuja-Keffi 132kV line. Some of these transmission lines were vandalized more than three times. This study was carried out to overcome this challenge.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

In the power Generation, Transmission and Distribution there are a lot of operational losses. The magnitude of these losses is increasing at the high rate in several countries in the world. Using Nigeria as a case study for this proposal, for the last ten years, various towns and rural areas in Nigeria have in one way or the other experienced vandalism of transformers or power lines. Due to these illegal activities, Nigeria power has lost millions of money because it has to install new equipment or transformers and at the same time, customers in the affected areas incur a lot of losses due to power blackout that occurs now and then due to vandalism [1].

Vandalism of power installations though inexcusable and unjustified has seen the vandals carting away equipment worth billions of naira. Recently, a series of vandalism of transmission installations in the Southern part of the country were reported because there are no electronic gadgets secretly installed to monitor these lines. This project, the design and construction of a power line vandalism alarm system present a solution to these problems

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The aim of this project is to design and construct a power line vandalism monitoring system using electronic system that can monitor and report vandalism of the power line. The objectives are:

To properly secure transmission power lines and towers against vandalism, which would enable the PHCN to transmit quality and reliable bulk power in a viable and efficient manner.
To build a system model prototype

to monitor the presence of an individual using a motion sensor.

Use a microcontroller to read the output of the sensor and determine the use of the
Send pre-installed message Using sim 800 module, when asked to do so by the microcontroller

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT

The project is very significant for power line security and maintenance access control. It provides security to installations that in most out of sight areas. Other significant of the project are:

It effectively monitors movement of these vandals when they cross their boundary and alerts the power line operators and the people around since it is also the duty of every citizen to protect and guard national asset.
This project can be deactivated or reconfigured when an authorized personal are present in the power transmission line zone.
The project can be used in any place around the world
It secures utility facilities, transformers, substations, power plant generation, transmission and distribution facilities located which at the end of this project, the vandalism of PHCN properties will be greatly reduced.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF PROJECT

The project detects when the power line cuts that is immediately the cable is disconnected, whether there is power or not.

Limitations

One of the major constraints to this project work is funding while its limitations and suggestion for developments are:-

The backup power supply of the project is battery. Batteries do not last longer as result of excess power consumption so in the future it will be better to use a standalone power supply system, (solar energy).
The system did not have a television surveillance system to automatically record the activities of vandals.
The project has auto alert system by sms to alert the nearest security agency.

· The project does have a motion sensor which can detect a vandal meters away before he starts operation.